Process for purifying products from coal tar

A process for extracting at least one product from coal tar comprising:

• a) pyrolyzing a coal feed into a coal tar stream and a coke stream;
• b) separating the coal tar stream into at least two fractions, one of the fractions having a boiling point in a range of about 180° C. to about 230° C.;
• c) separating the fraction having the boiling point in the range of about 180° C. to about 230° C. into an acidic portion and a non-acidic portion by contacting the fraction having the boiling point in the range of about 180° C. to about 230° C. with a caustic compound, the acidic portion comprising a mixture of phenols, cresols, and xylenols, and the non-acidic portion comprising naphthalenes and naphthalene coboilers;
• d) separating the acidic portion into a product cresol portion comprising a mixture of cresols and a product xylenol portion comprising a mixture of xylenols by contacting the acidic portion with a cresol adsorbent comprising, discrete crystallites of less than 1.8 μm, the cresol adsorbent having less than 10 wt % amorphous binder component, and desorbing the product cresol portion from the cresol adsorbent with a cresol desorbent, or
• separating the non-acidic portion into a product naphthalene portion comprising aromatic hydrocarbons having two aromatic rings and a product naphthalene co-boiler portion comprising aromatic hydrocarbons having one aromatic ring by contacting the non-acidic portion with a naphthalene adsorbent comprising, discrete crystallites of less than 1.8 μm, the naphthalene adsorbent having less than 10 wt % amorphous binder component, and desorbing the product naphthalene portion from the naphthalene adsorbent with a naphthalene desorbent,
• or both;
• and
• e) one or more of:
• separating the product cresol portion into a product p-cresol portion and a product mixed cresol portion by contacting the cresol portion with a p-cresol adsorbent comprising, discrete crystallites of less than 1.8 μm, the adsorbent having less than 10 wt % amorphous binder component, and desorbing the product p-cresol portion with a cresol desorbent;
• or
• separating the product xylenol portion into a product 2,6-xylenol portion and product mixed xylenol portion by contacting the xylenol portion with a xylenol adsorbent comprising, discrete crystallites of less than 1.8 μm, the adsorbent having less than 10 wt % amorphous binder component, and desorbing the product 2,6-xylenol portion with a xylenol desorbent;
• or
• separating the product naphthalene portion into a product 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene portion and a product mixed naphthalene portion by contacting the naphthalene portion with a 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene adsorbent comprising, discrete crystallites of less than 1.8 μm, the 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene adsorbent having less than 10 wt % amorphous binder component, and desorbing the product 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene with a 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene desorbent.