A PROCESS FOR RECOVERY OF RESORCINOL FROM AQUEOUS RESORCINOL SOLUTION CONTAINING HYDROQUINONE

摘要

Problems such as loss of resorcinol encountered in prior art techniques of recovering resorcinol from an aqueous resorcinol solution containing hydroquinone are overcome by a process in which an aqueous resorcinol solution containing from 10 to 60% by weight of resorcinol and up to 1% by weight of hydroquinone is contacted with molecular oxygen at a pH of from 6.5 to 9.5 to oxidise the hydroquinone, and resorcinol is recovered from the resultant solution. The aqueous resorcinol solution may be an aqueous phase obtained by contacting with water the mother liquor remaining after resorcinol has been recovered by recrystallization from a resorcinol-containing distillation fraction derived from an acid-cleavage product of meta-diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide containing para-diisopropylbenzene dihydroperoxide.