PROCESS FOR RECOVERING META- AND PARA-CRESOLS FROM CRUDE CRESOL-CONTAINING COMPOSITIONS

摘要

The invention relates to a process for isolating and recovering meta- and para-cresols substantially free of ortho-cresol (a more toxic compound) from a crude cresol-containing composition composed of isomeric cresol components, unreacted cymene components and high-boiling by-products, by distillation. According to the invention there is distilled a mixture of a crude cresol-containing composition and water in which the amount of the unreacted cymene components is 5 to 25% by weight of the mixture and the amount of water is 0.17 to 1.5 times the total weight of the isomeric cresol components in the mixture whereby ortho-cresol is selectively distilled off as an azeotropic mixture with the unreacted cymene components and water to leave a bottom containing a cresol component having an enhanced concentration of meta- and para-cresols from which meta- and para-cresols are recovered. By this process it is possible simply and effectively to selectively remove ortho-cresol from mixtures containing also meta- and para-cresols, and to recover meta- and para-cresols substantially free of ortho-cresol.