Removal of guaiacol from cresylic acid feedstreams by heating with a strong acid
AssigneeMerichem Company
InventorsJohn A. Waters, James A. Brient
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process is described for the removal of guaiacol from naturally occurring cresylic acid feed by heating the feed with a strong acid, particularly hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, to produce a purified cresylic acid product essentially free of guaiacol and other methoxy aromatic compounds without significant loss of cresylic acid product.
Claims13
A process for removing guaiacol impurities from a naturally occurring cresylic acid mixture which comprises the steps of:
- heating the cresylic acid mixture for a sufficient period of time in the presence of an aqueous solution of a strong acid at a temperature of from about 50.degree. C. to about 350.degree. C. at autogenous pressure;
- cooling the mixture;
- and
- recovering the cresylic acid product from the mixture.
A process for removing guaiacol impurities from a naturally occurring cresylic acid mixture which comprises the steps of:
- heating the cresylic acid mixture in the presence of an aqueous solution of a strong acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid at a temperature of from about 50.degree. C. to about 350.degree. C. at autogenous pressure;
- cooling the mixture;
- and
- recovering the cresylic acid product from the mixture by solvent extraction wherein the solvent is diisopropyl ether.
A process for removing guaiacol impurities from a cresylic acid feed obtained from a lignite source which comprises the steps of:
- heating the feed in the presence of from about 25% to about 35% concentration by weight sulfuric acid or from about 20% to about 38% concentration by weight hydrochloric acid, present at a weight acid:weight feed ratio of from 1:10 to about 1:30, basis 100% acid, for a period of from 11/2 hours to about 2 hours at a temperature of from 150.degree. C. to about 225.degree. C. and autogenous pressure to form a reaction mixture;
- cooling the reaction mixture;
- adding to the cooled reaction mixture a sufficient quantity of a water immiscible solvent selective for the feed in the reaction mixture allowing a phase separation to occur between the solvent containing the cresylic acid and aqueous components;
- separating the contents of the phases, recovering the solvent from the separated mixture;
- and
- distilling the solvent from the cresylic acid product being substantially free of guaiacol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.