Process for producing chemicals from oxygenate

A process for converting methanol and/or dimethyl ether to a product comprising olefins, C9+ aromatics and non-C9+ aromatics which comprises:

• i) combining a feedstream which contains methanol and/or dimethyl ether with a feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics produced in said process to provide a mixed feed;
• ii) contacting said mixed feed in an oxygenate conversion zone with a catalyst comprising a porous crystalline material, said contacting step being conducted under conversion conditions including a temperature of 350° C. to 480° C. and a methanol and/or dimethyl ether partial pressure in excess of 70 kPa, said porous crystalline material having a pore size greater than the critical diameter of toluene, and at least some of said C9 or C9+ aromatics being alkylated by the methanol and/or dimethyl ether under said conversion conditions, to provide a product containing olefins, C9 or C9+ aromatics and non-C9 or non-C9+ aromatics;
• iii) separating C9 or C9+ aromatics from said product to provide a feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics;
• iv) recycling to step i) at least some of said feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics;
• v) separating said olefins from said product to provide a stream substantially comprising olefins;
• and
• vi) separating said non-C9 or non-C9+ aromatics from said product to provide a stream substantially comprising non-C9 or non-C9+ aromatics.

A process for converting methanol and optionally dimethyl ether to a product comprising olefins, C9+ aromatics and non-C9+ aromatics which comprises:

• a) combining a feedstream which contains methanol and optionally dimethyl ether with a feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics produced in said process to provide a mixed feed;
• b) contacting said mixed feed in an oxygenate conversion zone with a catalyst comprising a porous crystalline material, said contacting step being conducted under conversion conditions including a temperature of 350° C. to 480° C. and a methanol and optionally dimethyl ether partial pressure in excess of 70 kPa, said porous crystalline material having a pore size greater than the critical diameter of toluene, and at least some of said C9 or C9− aromatics being alkylated by the methanol, and optionally dimethyl ether under said conversion conditions, to provide a product containing olefins, C9 or C9+ aromatics and non-C9 or non-C9+ aromatics;
• c) separating the product from said conversion zone into a light gas hydrocarbon fraction, a distillable hydrocarbon fraction, and an aqueous methanol fraction;
• d) recycling said aqueous methanol fraction to step a);
• e) compressing said light gas hydrocarbon fraction to provide a C1-C2 hydrocarbon fraction and C3+ hydrocarbon fraction;
• f) collecting said C1-C2 hydrocarbon fraction;
• g) introducing said C3+ hydrocarbon fraction and said distillable hydrocarbon fraction to a distillation column and withdrawing a C3 hydrocarbon overheads fraction, a C4 hydrocarbon and dimethyl ether fraction, a C5 hydrocarbon-toluene fraction, a mixed xylenes fraction, a C9 aromatics fraction and a C10+ aromatics fraction;
• h) treating said C4 hydrocarbon and dimethylether fraction with water and/or said aqueous methanol to provide a substantially C4 hydrocarbon stream which comprises C4 olefins and a substantially dimethylether-, methanol-, and water-containing stream;
• i) recycling said substantially dimethylether-, methanol-, and water-containing stream to step a);
• and
• j) treating said mixed xylenes fraction to provide a substantially p-xylene containing effluent stream and a mixed xylenes-containing effluent stream substantially comprising ethylbenzene, o-xylene and m-xylene.

A process for converting methanol and optionally dimethyl ether to a product comprising olefins, C9+ aromatics and non-C9+ aromatics which comprises:

• A) combining a feedstream which contains methanol and optionally dimethyl ether with a feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics produced in said process to provide a mixed feed;
• B) contacting said mixed feed in an oxygenate conversion zone with a catalyst comprising a porous crystalline material, said contacting step being conducted under conversion conditions including a temperature of 350° C. to 480° C. and a methanol and optionally dimethyl ether partial pressure in excess of 70 kPa, said porous crystalline material having a pore size greater than the critical diameter of toluene, and at least some of said C9 or C9+ aromatics being alkylated by the methanol and optionally dimethyl ether under said conversion conditions, to provide a product containing olefins, C9 or C9+ aromatics and non-C9 or non-C9+ aromatics;
• C) separating the product from said conversion zone into a light gas hydrocarbon fraction, a distillable hydrocarbon fraction, and an aqueous methanol fraction;
• D) recycling at least a portion of said aqueous methanol fraction to step A);
• E) compressing said light gas hydrocarbon fraction to provide a C1-C2 hydrocarbon fraction and C3+ hydrocarbon fraction;
• F) collecting said C1-C2 hydrocarbon fraction;
• G) introducing said C3+ hydrocarbon fraction and said distillable hydrocarbon fraction to a distillation column and withdrawing a C3 hydrocarbon overheads fraction, a C4 hydrocarbon-toluene and dimethyl ether fraction comprising C4-C6 iso-olefins, a mixed xylenes fraction, a C9 aromatics fraction and a C10+ aromatics fraction;
• H) etherifying said C4 hydrocarbon-toluene and dimethylether fraction comprising C4-C6 iso-olefins by contacting with aqueous methanol under etherification conditions to provide an effluent stream which comprises an aqueous phase comprising mixed tert-alkylethers, dimethylether, methanol and water, and an organic phase comprising toluene which is recyclable to step A);
• and
• I) separating said aqueous phase into a substantially mixed tert-alkylether fraction, and a dimethylether-, methanol- and water-containing fraction which is recyclable to step A).

A process for converting methanol and/or dimethyl ether to a product containing olefin, C9+ aromatics and non-C9+ aromatics which comprises:

• i) combining a feedstream which contains methanol and/or dimethyl ether with a feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics produced in said process to provide a mixed feed;
• ii) contacting said mixed feed in an oxygenate conversion zone with a catalyst comprising a porous crystalline material, said contacting step being conducted under conversion conditions including a temperature of 350° C. to 480° C. and a methanol and/or dimethyl ether partial pressure in excess of 10 psia, said porous crystalline material having a pore size greater than the critical diameter of toluene and the toluene being capable of alkylation by the methanol and/or dimethyl ether under said conversion conditions to provide a product containing olefins, C9+ aromatics and non-C9+ aromatics;
• iii) separating out from said product C9 or C9+ aromatics to provide a feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics;
• iv) recycling to step i) at least some of said feedstream substantially comprising C9 or C9+ aromatics;
• and
• v) collecting said olefins and said non-C9 or non-C9+ aromatics.