Manufacturing polymers of thiophene, benzothiophene, and their alkylated derivatives

An apparatus for manufacturing polymers of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, the apparatus comprising:

• a primary distillation column fluidly connected to an FCC unit, the primary distillation column adapted to isolate cracked naphtha from a reaction product gas stream of a fluid catalytic cracking unit:
• a secondary distillation column fluidly connected to the primary distillation column, the secondary distillation column adapted to isolate a sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound from the cracked naphtha in one or more side-cut streams, wherein the side-cut streams are separated according to a boiling point of the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound;
• a solvent extraction tank fluidly connected to the secondary distillation column, the solvent extraction tank adapted to perform a solvent extraction using an aprotic solvent to further purify the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound, wherein the aprotic solvent is acetonitrile or methylene chloride;
• and
• a reactor fluidly connected to the solvent extraction tank, the reactor reacts the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound with a super acid to produce a polymer of the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound.