However the MIBK concentration in the effluent is
typically less than 30 wt% necessitating further purification
steps. In addition, the high operating pressure and complicated
operation are disadvantages of these one-step processes
(Di Cosimo et al., 2002; Mattos et al., 2002; Lin and
Ko, 1996). Recently there has been much emphasis on the
development of a gas phase process for the production of
MIBK from acetone. These processes have the advantage
of low operating pressure but are currently limited by low
selectivity and particularly by significant catalyst stability
issues.