Extraction of polycyclic aromatic compounds from petroleum feedstocks using ionic liquids
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsBeckay J. Mezza, Alakananda Bhattacharyya, Haiyan Wang, Christopher P. Nicholas
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Abstract
The present invention involves a process for removing one or more polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds from a vacuum gas oil comprising contacting the vacuum gas oil with a vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid to produce a mixture comprising the vacuum gas oil and the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid, and separating the mixture to produce a vacuum gas oil effluent and a vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent, the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent comprising the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound.
Claims16
A process for removing a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound from a vacuum gas oil comprising:
- (a) contacting the vacuum gas oil comprising the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound with a vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid to produce a mixture comprising the vacuum gas oil and the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid;
- and
- (b) separating the mixture to produce a vacuum gas oil effluent and a vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent, the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent comprising the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound;
- wherein the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid comprises at least one ionic liquid from at least one of tetraalkylphosphonium dialkylphosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium dialkyl phosphinates, tetraalkylphosphonium phosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium tosylates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfonates, tetraalkylphosphonium carbonates, tetraalkylphosphonium metalates, oxometalates, tetraalkylphosphonium mixed metalates, tetraalkylphosphonium polyoxometalates, tetraalkylphosphonium halides, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium chloride, tetrabutylphosphonium bromide, tetrabutylphosphonium chloride, triisobutyl(methyl)phosphonium tosylate, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium methylsulfate, tributyl(ethyl)phosphonium diethylphosphate, and tetrabutylphosphonium methanesulfonate;
- wherein more than 40% of polycyclic aromatic content by weight with greater than or equal to two disjoint aromatic π-sextets is removed.
A process for removing a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound from a vacuum gas oil comprising:
- (a) contacting the vacuum gas oil comprising the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound with a vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid to produce a mixture comprising the vacuum gas oil, and the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid;
- (b) separating the mixture to produce a vacuum gas oil effluent and a vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent, the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent comprising the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound;
- (c) washing at least a portion of the vacuum gas oil effluent with water to produce a washed vacuum gas oil stream and a spent water stream;
- (d) contacting the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent with a regeneration solvent and separating the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent from the regeneration solvent to produce an extract stream comprising the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound and a regenerated vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid stream;
- and
- (e) drying at least a portion of at least one of the vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent, the spent water stream, and the regenerated vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid stream to produce a dried vacuum gas oil-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.