Method for high efficiency salt removal from phenol process byproducts

A desalting method for extracting salt from phenol production waste of a phenol process, comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving said phenol production waste from the phenol process;
• (b) providing a parting agent operable to separate, on contact, an organic material into an organic phase and an aqueous phase;
• (c) providing an extractant operable, on contact, to absorb salt into an aqueous phase, wherein said extractant comprises an aqueous NaHSO4 solution;
• (d) performing at least one sequential extraction step, in at least one corresponding sequential extraction system, on said phenol production waste, to extract salt therefrom, each said at least one sequential extraction step comprising the steps of:
• (1) bringing said phenol production waste, said parting agent, and said extractant into contact with one another to form an extraction product comprising a separate organic phase and a separate aqueous salt phase;
• (2) during said step (d)(1), maintaining a pH of said aqueous salt phase within a range sufficient to avoid formation of free acid, and to avoid formation of a third phase, and
• (3) removing said aqueous salt phase from said extraction product to produce a desalted product, and, when said at least one sequential extraction step comprises a plurality of sequential extraction steps, delivering said desalted product to a next sequential extraction step to repeat steps (d)(1) to (d)(3) to increase a degree of desalting of said desalted product,
• wherein the parting agent is cumene.