Transalkylation process for producing aromatic product using a treated zeolite catalyst

A process for converting a feedstock containing benzene and/or toluene and C.sub.9 + aromatic hydrocarbons to a product comprising xylenes comprising the steps of:

• treating a catalyst composition comprising a zeolite and a noble metal hydrogenation component with steam and/or a source of sulfur, the zeolite having a constraint index ranging from at least 0.6 to 3;
• contacting the treated catalyst with the feedstock in the presence of hydrogen under transalkylation reaction conditions to produce a product comprising xylenes and which comprise lower than about 10% less than the amount of aromatics in the feedstock.

A process for converting a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising at least about 80 wt. % C.sub.9 + aromatic hydrocarbons to lighter aromatic products comprising the step of:

• contacting a feed comprising the C.sub.9 + aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene and/or toluene under transalkylation reaction conditions with a catalyst composition comprising a zeolite having a Constraint Index ranging from at least 0.6 to about 3 and a noble metal hydrogenation functionality is treated by steaming by exposure to water at high temperatures of by contacting the catalyst composition with a source of sulfur to produce a product comprising xylenes, the product also comprising lower than about 10 mole % less than the amount of aromatics in the feed.