Removal of metals and color bodies from chemically recycled bisphenol-A

A process for recovering bisphenol-A from a thermoplastic polymer composition having a residue of bisphenol-A units in its polymer structure comprising granulating the polymer composition, treating the granulated particles with an organic swelling solvent that is miscible with water for a time sufficient to swell the granulated particles, contacting the swelled particles with an aqueous ammoniac solution at a temperature of at least about 25.degree. C. forming a liquid and a solid phase, recovering the liquid phase, distilling ammonia and the organic swelling solvent from the recovered liquid phase, adding water to the residue of the distillation step forming a liquid and a solid phase, which solid phase is crude bisphenol-A, recovering the crude bisphenol-A and essentially dry distilling the crude bisphenol-A in the presence of about 0.005 to about 0.05 weight percent of hypophosphorous acid based on the weight of bisphenol-A whereby undesirable color impurities, metals and metal-complexing species are removed and the bisphenol-A is at least 95 weight % pure bisphenol-A.