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US 4,634,796 AGranted
Production of high purity phenol
AssigneeLummus Crest, Inc.
InventorsGeorge D. Suciu, Ali M. Khonsari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Phenol feed to a steam distilling column, containing alpha-methylstyrene and mesityl oxide, is treated with a base, without acidification, and the heavy phenol product is acidified and distilled in a high purity column to recover high purity phenol as a sidestream and lighter components as overhead. Acidification after steam distilling, rather than prior to steam distilling, increases phenol recovery by reducing the overhead pasteurizing cut from the high purity column.
Claims14
A process for producing high purity phenol, comprising:
- steam distilling in a steam distillation column a phenol product feed containing alpha-methylstyrene byproduct and methylbenzofuran impurity to recover a light produce comprising phenol, water, alphamethylstyrene and methylbenzofuran, and a heavy product comprising phenol having a reduced quantity of MBF, said phenol product having been treated with a base without acidification;
- treating said heavy product with an acid;
- and distilling in a high purity phenol column the acidified heavy product to recover high purity phenol.
A process for producing a high purity phenol, comprising:
- steam distilling a phenol product feed containing alpha-methylstyrene in an amount of at least 0.5 percent, by weight, and methylbenzofuran impurity to recover a light product comprising phenol, water, alpha-methyl-styrene and methylbenzofuran, and a heavy product comprising phenol having a reduced quantity of methylbenzofuran, said phenol product feed having been treated with an amine base without acidification, said phenol product feed being at a pH of at least 6.5, measured as a 5% aqueous solution;
- treating said heavy product with an acid to provide a heavy product having a pH of no greater than 5.5;
- and distilling the acidified heavy product to recover high purity phenol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.