Process for production of hydrogen peroxide

Claim 1

IN THE PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN PROXIDE UTILIZING AN ALKYL ANTHRAQUINONE AS AN INTERMEDIATE WHEREIN THE INTERMEDIATE IN SOLUTION IS REDUCED BY REACTION WITH HYDROGEN IN A REDUCTION ZONE FOLLOWED BY OXIDATION OF THE REDUCED SOLUTION IN AN OXIDATION ZONE AND RECOVERY OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FROM THE OXIDIZED SOLUTION, THE METHOD OF REDUCING THE INTERMEDIATE IN SOLUTION WHICH COMPRISES CIRCULATING SOLUTION BETWEEN A HYDROGEN DISSOLVING ZONE IN WHICH ALL THE HYDROGEN FOR THE REDUCTION IS DISSOLVED IN SOLUTION UNDER ELEVATED PRESSURE IN THE ABSENCE OF A CATALYST RPIOR TO INTRODUCTION TO THE REDUCTION ZONE AND THE REDUCTION ZONE, SOLUTION FROM THE HYDROGEN PERXOIDE RECOVERY STEP AND A MAJOR PORTION OF THE EFFLUENT FROM THE REDUCTION ZONE BEING CIRCULATED TO THE HYDROGEN DISSOLVING ZONE IN A CONTINUOUS FLOW CYCLE, THE SOLUTION FROM THE HYDROGEN DISSOLVING ZONE HAVING ALL OF THE HYDROGEN FOR THE REDUCTION DISSOLVED THEREIN AND FREE OF ANY HYDROGEN GAS BEING FED TO THE REDUCTION ZONE WHERE IT IS CONTACTED WITH A PARTICLE FORM HYDROGENATION CATALYST UNDER PARTIAL REDUCTION CONDITIONS, A MINOR PORTION OF THE EFFLUENT FROM THE REDUCTION ZONE BEING PASSED TO THE OXIDATION ZONE.