Phenol purification

A process for purifying phenol comprising:

• distilling in the presence of water a crude phenol containing impurities comprising methylbenzofuran to recover as separate streams a mixture of phenol and water, containing said impurities, and phenol having a reduced quantity of impurities;
• contacting the recovered mixture with a water immiscible extraction solvent to extract impurities from said mixture, said contacting being effected at a temperature at which the water and phenol in the mixture are completely miscible to provide said water-phenol mixture (is) as a single-phase liquid, said extraction solvent being employed in an amount whereby at least 60% of the phenol of the recovered mixture is contained in a remaining mixture of water and phenol;
• and
• separating the solvent containing extracted impurities from the remaining mixture of water and phenol, said remaining mixture containing at least 60% of the phenol in the recovered mixture subjected to said contacting.