Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for the production of deashed coal which includes contacting coal with coal dissolving solvent at elevated temperature and pressure in a hydrogen atmosphere and thereafter passing the resulting mixture to a vacuum tower to remove coal dissolving solvent for recirculation and leave vacuum tower still bottoms, which are substantially free of coal dissolving solvent. Said still bottoms then are contacted with a solubilizing solvent to dissolve a substantial quantity of said still bottoms after which said dissolved still bottoms are separated from undissolved still bottoms. The separation procedure may be effected by settling, countercurrent decantation, or filtration using pressure precoated rotary and plate filters and the like.

Abstract: A method of separating methylolphenols from an organic solution containing the methylolphenols by contacting the organic solution with an aqueous alkaline borate solution in which lithium ions are present in a quantity greater than any other single alkali metal ion for a period of time sufficient to form a solid complex of the lithium and boron with the methylolphenols which then are separated from the organic solution.The methylolphenols subsequently may be recovered from the complex by decomposing the complex with acid and dissolving the released methylolphenols in an organic solvent.