Phenols are widely used to produce phenolic resins, synthetic
fibers, and other products, majority of these compounds are mainly
derived from coal tar and coal liquefied oil, as well as petroleum. In
particular, low-temperature coal tar has higher phenol content
than high-temperature coal tar, with a total content of approximately
20–30% [1]. In addition, the existence of phenols affects
the storage stability and increases hydrogen consumption in the
following oil refining process [2,3]. A new and efficient separation
method should be explored to utilize these phenolic compounds.
The traditional method of separating phenols from oil mixture
involves the use of strongly alkaline and acidic aqueous solutions
through various chemical reactions [4,5]. This process conventionally
produces a large quantity of phenol-containing waste water.
Additionally, the strong alkalis and acids can cause an erosive
action on the process equipment. Therefore, these outcomes
require the development of a separation method that avoids the
use of strongly alkalis and acids and instead uses environmentfriendly
methods.