Method for purifying phenol

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for purifying phenol, by which the loss of a heat source is minimized, the amount used of steam is decreased, and efficiency of energy consumed in a process may be maximized. The method for purifying phenol includes a step of passing impurities including phenol, acetone and hydrocarbon, which are prepared using cumene as a raw material, via a plurality of distillation columns one by one, and performing azeotropic distillation, wherein the ratio of phenol and water at the uppermost end of the distillation column where the azeotropic distillation is performed, is from 60:40 to 65:35, for the optimized separation of the hydrocarbon.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.