Patent ID: 8758573

Claim:
A process for the removal of hydrocarbons from an aqueous stream, which process comprises: adding 0.5 to 5 wt % cumene as an eluent to an aqueous stream comprising 2 to 15 wt % of hydrocarbons comprising phenol and at least one alpha methyl styrene or mesityl oxide to thereby form an aqueous mixture, allowing the aqueous mixture to settle into two phases, which form a hydrocarbon stream containing said at least one alpha methyl styrene or mesityl oxide and a water stream comprising the majority of the phenol, subsequently collecting the hydrocarbon stream and passing the collected hydrocarbon stream to distillation for recovery, conducting the phenol-containing water stream into a separation column, separating the phenol-containing water in the column using heat into an overhead portion and a bottoms portion, and collecting the overhead portion as well as the bottoms portion, and transferring the bottoms portion to a bio waste water treatment reactor and recycling the overhead portion for phenol recovery.