Process for converting alkanes to para-xylene
AssigneeExxonMobil Chemical Patents Inc.
InventorsMichael Salciccioli, Hari Nair, Glenn C. Wood, Nikolaos Soultanidis
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Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for forming para-xylene from aromatics-containing streams having reduced or minimized amounts of C2+ side chains. Reduced or minimized amounts of C2+ side chains can provide benefits for improving and/or allowing modification of transalkylation conditions, xylene isomerization conditions, or a combination thereof. Such aromatics-containing streams can be formed, for example, by conversion of methyl halide, methanol, syngas, and/or dimethyl ether to aromatics by an aromatic conversion process. The methyl halide, methanol, syngas, and/or dimethyl ether can be formed by conversion of methane.
Claims14
A method for forming para-xylene, comprising:
- a) separating a first C8 aromatics stream and a C9+ aromatics stream from an aromatic hydrocarbon feed stream having 5 wt % or less of aromatics with C2+ side chains based on the total aromatics content of the aromatic hydrocarbon feed stream;
- b) exposing the C9+ aromatics stream to effective transalkylation conditions in the presence of a continuous liquid phase and a transalkylation catalyst to form a transalkylation effluent having a greater weight percent of C8 aromatics than the C9+ aromatics stream, wherein the transalkylation catalyst comprises 0.1 wt % or less of a Group VIII metal and/or has an Alpha value of 10 or less;
- c) separating a second C8 aromatics stream from the transalkylation effluent;
- and
- d) separating a para-xylene enriched fraction from the first C8 aromatics stream and the second C8 aromatics stream, the para-xylene enriched fraction having a greater weight percent of para-xylene than the weight percent of para-xylene in the first C8 aromatics stream and the second C8 aromatics stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.