The estimation method for the extraction yield of phenol on methanol-mediated extraction was developed using the kerosene fraction of Wyoming coal liquid. The extraction yield was estimated by Eq. 12 from the amounts of charged methanol (M) and water (W), and a partition coefficient (K), which was newly introduced.
K depended on the percentage of water in the charged methanol and water (Xw), but independent of the amount of charged oil. A high extraction yield was expected at Xw≤45wt%, while it increased at Xw>45wt%, suggesting a decrease of the extraction yield. Similar results were obtained for the extraction of cresols and ethylphenols. The contamination of neutral oil was very low at Xw>60 wt%.
From these results, several preliminary experiments are enough to estimate the extraction ratio using K, and the range of Xw=45-60wt% was adequate for practical processing. This estimation method is very useful for planning an extraction process.
