Patent ID: 8088956

Claim:
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.