Elimination of phenol from coke plant effluents

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL AND RECOVERY OF PHENOL FROM AQUEOUS LIQUOR CONTAINING PHENOL WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE AQUEOUS LIQUOR THROUGH A CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT EXTRACTOR COUNTERCURRENT TO AND IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH A LIQUID SOLVENT HAVING A SELECTIVE AFFINITY FOR PHENOL WHICH IS IMMISCIBLE IN WATER AND HAS A LOWER SPECIFIC GRAVITY THAN WATER TO EFFECT EXTRACTION OF PHENOL FROM THE LIQUOR, DISCHARGING THE DEPHENOLIZED LIQUOR FROM THE CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT EXTRACTOR, PASSING THE SOLVENT LIGHT LIQUID CONTAINING DISSOLVED PHENOL THROUGH A SECOND CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTOR COUNTERCURRENT TO AND IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH AN AQUEOUS CAUSTIC SOLUTION WHICH HAS A SPECIFIC GRAVITY GREATER THAN THE SOLVENT LIGHT LIQUID TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF THE PHENOL FROM THE SOLVENT LIGHT LIQUID AND REACTION OF THE PHENOL WITH THE CAUSTIC TO FORM A PHENOLATE SOLUTION, DISCHARGING THE PHENOLATE SOLUTION FROM THE SECOND CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTOR, DISCHARGING SOLVENT LIQUID AFTER CONTACT WITH THE CAUSTIC SOLUTION FROM THE SECOND CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTOR, RECYCLING ONE PORTION OF SAID SOLVENT LIQUID FOR CONTACT WITH LIQUOR CONTAINING PHENOL IN THE FIRST CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT EXTRACTOR, INTIMATELY ADMIXING CAUSTIC SOLUTION WITH ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID LIQUID SOLVENT FROM THE SECOND CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTOR AND PASSING SAID MIXTURE OF LIQUID SOLVENT AND CAUSTIC SOLUTION INTO THE SECOND CENTRIFUGAL COUNTERCURRENT CONTACTOR AT A POINT NEAR ITS CENTER WHEREIN SEPARATION OF THE INTIMATE MIXTURE OF LIQUID SOLVENT AND CAUSTIC SOLUTION INTO ITS COMPONENTS OCCURS AS ITS PASSES THROUGH THE SECOND CENTRIFUGAL CONTACTOR WITH THE SEPARATED CAUSTIC SOLUTION CONTINUING COUNTERCURRENT TO SOLVENT LIQUID CONTAINING DISSOLVED PHENOL INTRODUCED INTO THE SECOND CONTACTOR, AND THE LIQUID SOLVENT FROM THE INTIMATE MIXTURE DISPERSING INSAID COUNTERCURRENT FLOWING SOLVENT LIQUID AND DISCHARGING THEREWITH FROM THE SECOND CONTACTOR.