Condensation process for recovery of bisphenol A and phenol

• Main Authors: SHINDO, AKIO, YASUI, MAKOTO, MAEJIMA, TETSUO, NISHIJIMA, HIROAKI, SHIMOGAWARA, KAORU, SAKASHITA, KOUJI, IMAZEKI, TAKASHI, ASAOKA, SACHIO, YONEDA, NORIYUKI, MORIYA, KOBUO, ONDA, NOBUHIRO, KUKIDOME, ATHUMI, INABA, RYUCHI, WATANABE, TSUNEO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 05.02.1997
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

A gaseous mixture of steam, phenol and bisphenol A, such as is obtained in the manufacture of bisphenol A, is treated for recovery of bisphenol A and phenol by the steps of: (a) introducing the gaseous mixture into a first cooling zone maintained at a pressure of 30 Torr or less and such a temperature that the steam is prevented from condensing while a portion of the phenol is condensed, wherein the gas is brought into counter-current contact with a first liquid cooling medium to condense substantially all of the bisphenol A and part of the phenol and thereby obtain a mixed gas containing uncondensed steam and uncondensed phenol, the first liquid cooling medium being phenol or bisphenol A-containing phenol; and introducing the mixed gas into a second cooling zone maintained at a pressure of 30 Torr or less and such a temperature that substantially all of the mixed gas is condensed, wherein the gas is brought into counter-current contact with a second liquid cooling medium to condense substantially all of the mixed gas and thereby obtain a condensate-containing liquid, the second liquid cooling medium being an aqueous solution of phenol.