Processes and apparatuses for preparing aromatic compounds

A process for preparing aromatic compounds, the process comprising the steps of:

• distilling a crude carbonaceous feed comprising a sulfur-containing component to produce a crude bottoms stream and a crude intermediate stream comprising compounds having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms;
• cracking the crude bottoms stream to produce a full boiling range naphtha stream comprising the sulfur-containing component;
• fractionating the full boiling range naphtha stream into a fractionation overhead stream comprising compounds having 5 or less carbon atoms, a fractionation bottoms stream comprising compounds having at least 11 carbon atoms, and a first stream comprising the sulfur-containing component and compounds having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms including an aromatic component and a non-aromatic component;
• extracting the aromatic component and the sulfur-containing component from the non-aromatic component of the first stream to form an extraction product stream comprising the aromatic component and the sulfur-containing component and an extraction raffinate stream comprising the non-aromatic component;
• concurrently transalkylating and desulfurizing the extraction product stream in the presence of a catalyst that includes acid function and metal function to produce a transalkylated aromatic stream and a sulfur-containing gas stream separate from the transalkylated aromatic stream.

An apparatus for preparing aromatic compounds, the apparatus comprising:

• a crude distillation unit for distilling a crude carbonaceous feed comprising a sulfur-containing component to produce a crude bottoms stream;
• a fluid catalytic cracking unit in fluid communication with the crude distillation unit for cracking the crude bottoms stream to produce a full boiling range naphtha stream comprising the sulfur-containing component;
• a naphtha splitter in fluid communication with the fluid catalytic cracking unit for fractionating the full boiling range naphtha stream into a fractionation overhead stream, a fractionation bottoms stream, and a first stream comprising the sulfur-containing component and compounds having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms including an aromatic component and a non-aromatic component;
• a separation unit in fluid communication with the naphtha splitter for separating the aromatic component and the sulfur-containing component from the non-aromatic component of the first stream to form a separated aromatic stream comprising the aromatic component and the sulfur-containing component and a raffinate stream comprising the non-aromatic component;
• and
• a catalyzing unit in fluid communication with the separation unit for concurrently transalkylating and desulfurizing the separated aromatic stream in the presence of a catalyst that includes acid function and metal function to produce a transalkylated aromatic stream and a sulfur-containing gas stream separate from the transalkylated aromatic stream.