Process for removing and recovering of phenolic compounds from aqueous fluids

Abstract

There is provided a process for removing and recovering one or more unassociated phenolic compounds dissolved in aqueous fluid, the process comprising the steps of: (a) transferring the one or more unassociated phenolic compounds from the aqueous fluid to an alkaline stripping solution, wherein transfer of the one or more unassociated phenolic compounds from the aqueous fluid to the alkaline stripping solution occurs across a membrane; wherein the membrane is a non porous, selectively permeable membrane; (b) regulating the volume of alkaline stripping solution employed relative to the volume of aqueous fluid treated so that the total phenolic compound concentration in the alkaline stripping solution, comprising the sum of the dissociated and unassociated phenolic compound concentrations, is above the solubility of the phenolic compounds in the acidified stripping solution of step (d); (c) regulating the pH of the alkaline stripping solution in contact with the membrane to a value at least 0.5 pH units above the acidic dissociation constant of the phenolic compound; (d) adjusting the pH of the phenolic compound containing alkaline stripping solution to a value below the alkaline dissociation constant of the phenolic compound and (e) separating the resulting phenolic compound rich phase and the alkaline stripping solution.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.