What are the main industrial routes to produce phenol and their cost implications?

What are the main industrial routes to produce phenol and their cost implications?
The cumene process dominates global phenol production. It alkylates benzene with propylene to cumene, oxidizes it to cumene hydroperoxide, then cleaves it to phenol and acetone. This route is atom-efficient and yields about 0.6 tons of acetone per ton of phenol, making co-product economics crucial. Older sulfonation and chlorobenzene hydrolysis routes are obsolete due to high caustic and acid consumption. Toluene oxidation via benzoic acid is the only major non-benzene route but is less common. For China, cumene feedstock costs—benzene and propylene—are the main price drivers. Any disruption in propylene supply or benzene price spikes directly lifts phenol production costs, while acetone prices can offset or amplify margin swings.