Process for isolating and recovering meta- and para-cresols from crude cresol-containing compositions composed of cresol components, unreacted cymene components and high-boiling by-products

摘要

A improvement in the process for isolating and recovering meta- and para-cresols from crude cresol-containing compositions composed of cresol components, unreacted cymene components and high-boiling by- products, by distillation in a distillation zone, the characteristic features residing in that:PP(i) the unreacted cymene components content in the crude cresol-containing composition is adjusted to 5-25% by weight of said composition after the adjustment, and the water content of said composition is adjusted to become 0.17-1.5 times by weight of the total cresol- components present in the composition, before the crude cresol- containing composition is supplied to the distillation zone, and also in thatPP(ii) in said distillation zone, the cresol component containing ortho-cresol at a higher concentration than that in the supplied crude cresol-containing composition is distilled off as an azeotropic mixture with the unreacted cymene components and water, whereby the cresol component composed of more condensed meta- and para- cresols being isolated and recovered.