Process for increasing production of benzene from hydrocarbon mixture

A process for increasing the production of benzene from a hydrocarbon mixture, comprising the following steps of:

• separating a hydrocarbon feedstock into a C6 or lower hydrocarbon stream and a C7 or higher hydrocarbon stream;
• separating the C6 or lower hydrocarbons into a non-aromatic hydrocarbon stream and an aromatic hydrocarbon stream through a solvent extraction process;
• feeding the C7 or higher hydrocarbons and hydrogen into at least one reaction area;
• converting the C7 or higher hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst in the reaction area into aromatic hydrocarbons which are rich in benzene, toluene, and xylene through dealkylation/transalkylation reactions, and non-aromatic hydrocarbons which are rich in liquefied petroleum gas through a hydrocracking reaction;
• separating reaction products of the converting step into an overhead stream, which contains hydrogen, methane, ethane, and the liquefied petroleum gas, and a bottom stream, which contains the aromatic hydrocarbons, and a small amount of hydrogen and non-aromatic hydrocarbons, using a gas-liquid separation process;
• and
• combining the aromatic hydrocarbon stream separated in the C6 or lower hydrocarbon separating step and the bottom stream separated in the reaction products separating step to recover benzene, toluene, xylene, and C9 or higher aromatic compounds, respectively.