Recovery process for wet aromatic alkylation and dry aromatic transalkylation

A process for the production of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons which comprises:

• a) contacting benzene containing feed and an olefinic feed comprising ethylene or propylene in an alkylation zone with an alkylation catalyst at alkylation conditions and recovering an alkylation zone effluent comprising unconverted feed aromatic hydrocarbons, monoalkylated aromatic hydrocarbons, and polyalkylated aromatic hydrocarbons;
• b) contacting a benzene recycle stream and a polyalkylated aromatic stream with a transalkylation catalyst in a transalkylation zone at transalkylation conditions to provide a transalkylation zone effluent, wherein the transalkylation zone and alkylation zone are arranged for series flow and the transalkylation zone effluent is passed with the benzene containing feed and the olefinic feed to the alkylation zone;
• c) passing the alkylation zone effluent to a benzene separation zone and separating benzene and lower boiling materials from the monoalkylated and polyalkylated aromatic hydrocarbons to produce a bottoms stream comprising monoalkylated and polyalkylated hydrocarbons, the benzene recycle stream having a water concentration of less than 200 wppm, and a light stream that is withdrawn from the process;
• d) separating the bottoms stream into a product stream of monoalkylated aromatics and the polyalkylated aromatic stream.