Selective and effective separation of five condensed arenes from a high-temperature coal tar by extraction combined...

An environmentally benign and cost-effective method was designed for isolating and purifying condensed arenes from acetone-extractable portion (AEP) of a high-temperature coal tar through a high pressure preparative chromatograph (HPPC) with different packings, including silica gel, octadecyl silane, octyl bonded silica gel, and diol bonded silica gel. In total, 196 compounds were detected with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer from AEP and its eluates. From the eluates, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene were successfully isolated and purified, and their structures were confirmed by their ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra in addition to their mass spectra. Extraction-HPPC device and solvent recovery process were designed and developed, which can potentially be applied to industrial production because the process is easy-to-operate and ecofriendliness. In addition, the solvents used can be easily recovered and reused, and neither waste water nor other pollutions are emitted.