Process for isolating phenolic compounds from mixtures thereof

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR ISOLATING LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENOL, CRESOLS, ETHYLPHENOLS AND XYLENOLS FROM A PHENOLIC COMPOUND-CONTAINING CRUDE MIXTURE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE WITH SOLID HEXAMETHYLENE TETRAMINE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 180* F. WHEREBY THERE ARE FORMED COMPLEXES OF SAID HEXAMETHYLENE TETRAMINE WITH SAID LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS, EFFECTTING SEPARATION OF SAID HEXAMETHYLENE TETRAMINECONTACTED MIXTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ANTISOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PARAFFINIC AND NAPHTHENIC HYDROCARBONS AND MIXTURES THEREOF INTO TWO PHASES, THE UPPER PHASE COMPRISING SOLUTION OF ANTI-SOLVENT AND CRUDE MIXTURE AND THE LOWER PHASE COMPRISING COMPLEX, AND DECOMPOSING SAID SEPARATED COMPLEX PHASE BY CONTACT WITH AN OXYGENATED HYDROCARBON SOLVENT HAVING A HIGH SOLVENT POWER FOR TAR ACIDS AND A LOW SOLVENT POWER FOR HEXAMETHYLENE TETRAMINE AND WATER AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 180* F. INTO CRYSTALLINE HEXAMETHYLENE TETRAMINE AND SOLUTION OF SAID LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT PHENOLS.