Coupling of unit for extracting methyl-substituted aromatics with unit for hydrogenolysing alkyl-aromatics

A process for converting aromatic compounds, comprising the following steps:

• extracting methyl-substituted aromatic compounds from a hydrocarbon feedstock (2) comprising at least 85% by weight of aromatic molecules having between 9 and 10 carbon atoms, and between 0 and 15% by weight of aromatic molecules having 11 carbon atoms relative to the total weight of said hydrocarbon feedstock (2) in an extraction unit (1), in order to produce at least one effluent enriched in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (3A, 3B) and one effluent depleted in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (4);
• and
• converting, into methyl groups, C2+ alkyl chains of the aromatic compounds of the effluent depleted in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (4) in a hydrogenolysis unit (5) placed downstream of the extraction unit (1), in order to produce a hydrogenolysis effluent enriched in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (7).