Patent ID: 6139747
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: C02F,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for cleaning up wastewaters from the preparation of alcohols, said preparation comprising an aldolization reaction and a following hydrogenation, said wastewaters being comprised of the following three fractions:(1) the catalyst-containing aqueous phase from the aldolization reaction,(2) the washwater from the purification of the .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated aldehyde produced in the aldolization reaction and(3) the washwater from the cleanup of the alcohol distillation residue,said process comprising the following steps:(a) combining two of the three wastewater fractions and adjusting the combination to a pH of 0-6,(b) bringing at least one of the three wastewater fractions into contact with a coalescing filter, and(c) extracting a mixture of the three wastewater fractions with monohydric alcohols of 8 to 16 carbon atoms in the molecule and/or with hydrocarbons of 6 to 12 carbon atoms in the molecule.