Process and apparatus for para-xylene production using multiple adsorptive separation units and a split fractionating column

A process for separating para-xylene from a plurality of xylene isomers, the process comprising:

• introducing at a first feed point a first mixed xylene stream comprising a plurality of xylene isomers into a first adsorptive separation unit to produce a first para-xylene enriched stream and a first raffinate stream;
• introducing a second mixed xylene stream comprising a plurality of xylene isomers into a second adsorptive separation unit to produce a second raffinate stream;
• feeding both said first raffinate stream and said second raffinate stream into a raffinate column;
• producing by said raffinate column a C8 raffinate stream;
• introducing the C8 raffinate stream into an isomerization unit to produce said second mixed xylene stream, and a drag stream in fluid communication with an aromatic conversion unit;
• generating a mixture of aromatic compounds by said aromatic conversion unit;
• introducing an extract stream from said second adsorptive separation unit into first input of a split extract column comprising an internal partition defining a first distillation zone and a second distillation zone, said split extract column comprising said first input for said first distillation zone, a second input for said second distillation zone, a first output for said first distillation zone, a second output for said second distillation zone;
• and
• introducing said mixture of aromatic compounds in said second input of said split extract column.