BPA process improvement
First Claim
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1. A process for recovering phenol from a waste stream comprising water and phenol from a BPA production process, comprising the steps of:
- (A) contacting a first aqueous waste stream comprising water and phenol from a BPA production process and a crude phenol/acetone product stream comprising phenol, acetone, cumene, and alpha methyl styrene (AMS), produced by cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide in a phenol/acetone production process,(B) contacting the combined stream from step (A) with a second aqueous waste stream containing alkali metal salts, produced in a phenol/acetone production process,(C) separating the combined stream from step B to form an immiscible hydrocarbyl stream containing at least a majority of said phenol from said first aqueous waste stream and an immiscible second aqueous waste stream comprising less than 5 wt % of phenol; and
(D) recovering substantially all the phenol from a portion of said immiscible second aqueous waste stream by extraction, distillation, absorption, or a combination thereof, to produce an aqueous stream substantially free of phenol from the phenol/acetone production process.
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Abstract
The present disclosure enables phenol recovery, purification and recycle in a simple, economic manner from waste streams from, for example, a phenol/acetone production process, e.g., a phenol/acetone plant or an upstream cumene hydroperoxide cleavage process step, and BPA production step, for use in the reaction with acetone to produce BPA. The disclosure therefore reduces the overall consumption of phenol in the production of BPA.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A process for recovering phenol from a waste stream comprising water and phenol from a BPA production process, comprising the steps of:
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(A) contacting a first aqueous waste stream comprising water and phenol from a BPA production process and a crude phenol/acetone product stream comprising phenol, acetone, cumene, and alpha methyl styrene (AMS), produced by cleavage of cumene hydroperoxide in a phenol/acetone production process, (B) contacting the combined stream from step (A) with a second aqueous waste stream containing alkali metal salts, produced in a phenol/acetone production process, (C) separating the combined stream from step B to form an immiscible hydrocarbyl stream containing at least a majority of said phenol from said first aqueous waste stream and an immiscible second aqueous waste stream comprising less than 5 wt % of phenol; and (D) recovering substantially all the phenol from a portion of said immiscible second aqueous waste stream by extraction, distillation, absorption, or a combination thereof, to produce an aqueous stream substantially free of phenol from the phenol/acetone production process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification