Methods for removing impurities from a hydrocarbon stream and their use in aromatic alkylation processes

A process for producing a mono-alkylated aromatic compound, the process comprising the step of:

• (a) supplying a portion of an untreated feed stream, said feed stream comprising one or more alkylatable aromatic compounds and undesirable impurities, said impurities comprise at least one compound having at least one of the following elements:
• nitrogen, halogens, oxygen, sulfur, arsenic, selenium, tellurium, phosphorus, and Group 1 through Group 12 metals;
• (b) supplying a guard bed material which comprises a zeolite having a Constraint Index of less than 3 and a mesoporous binder,
• wherein said mesoporous binder comprises amorphous silica-alumina, and has a particle diameter of greater than or equal to 2 μm at 50% of the cumulative particle size distribution (d50), a pore volume of less than 1 cc/g and an alumina content greater than or equal to 75%, by weight,
• wherein the ratio of said zeolite to said mesoporous metal oxide is in the range from 95:5 to 5:95, by weight,
• wherein said guard bed material has one or more of the following properties:
• an Alpha Value of greater than or equal to 500,
• (ii) a Collidine Uptake of greater than or equal to 600 μmoles/g, and
• (iii) a Temperature Programmed Ammonia Desportion of greater than or equal to 0.70 meq/g;
• (c) contacting said portion of said untreated feed stream with said guard bed material under treatment conditions to remove at least a portion of said impurities and produce a treated feed stream having a reduced amount of impurities and said alkylatable aromatic compounds;
• and
• (d) contacting at least a portion of said treated feed stream and an alkylating agent stream in the presence of an alkylation catalyst under suitable at least partially liquid phase alkylation conditions to alkylate at least a portion of said alkylatable aromatic compounds with said alkylating agent stream to produce an effluent stream comprising said mono-alkylated aromatic compound and poly-alkylated aromatic compounds.