Highly branched hydrocarbon isomerization for an aromatization reaction

A process for aromatizing hydrocarbons comprising:

• concentrating highly branched hydrocarbons in a hydrocarbon stream to yield a highly branched hydrocarbon rich stream, wherein the highly branched hydrocarbons comprise hydrocarbons having six or seven carbon atoms with an internal quaternary carbon or hydrocarbons having six carbon atoms and two adjacent internal tertiary carbons, or mixtures thereof;
• converting at least a portion of the highly branched hydrocarbons in the highly branched hydrocarbon rich stream into selectively convertible components by contacting the highly branched hydrocarbons with an isomerization catalyst and isomerizing at least the portion of the highly branched hydrocarbons into the selectively convertible components;
• and
• aromatizing the selectively convertible components to produce an aromatization reactor effluent comprising an aromatic product,
• wherein the isomerization catalyst comprises a platinum alumina catalyst with or without a Friedel-Crafts halide, platinum molecular sieve catalyst, or platinum sulfate metal oxide catalyst.