BigPatents India

The present invention relates to a process for working up a mixture (MI), which comprises essentially propene, propane, oxygen and further chemical compounds which have a lower boiling point compared with propene, and which is a mixture obtained by distillation from a mixture (MO) obtained from a reaction of propene with a hydroperoxide in a solvent using a titanium silicalite catalyst to give propylene oxide comprising propylene oxide, solvent, unconverted propene, propane contained in the propene starting material and oxygen and further chemical compounds which have a lower boiling point compared with propene, in which (i) oxygen is removed from the mixture (MI) by combustion of the oxygen to I give a mixture (M2), arid (ii) the propene is separated off from the mixture (M2) by distillation and is recycled to said reaction of propene with a hydroperoxide in a solvent using a titanium silicalite catalyst, wherein the combustion of the oxygen contained in the mixture (MI) is effected catalytically, the catalysts used for said purpose are selected from the group consisting of noble metals and copper chromite and the catalytic combustion is carried out at a temperature of from 280 to 580 °c.