Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited

Sasol Technology (Pty) Limited

Johan Pieter De Wet

Paul Jacobson

Wilhelmina Jansen

Ivan Philip Greager

Mieke Ann Desmet

Jan Hendrik Scholtz

Edward Ludovicus Koper

Jacob Johannes Scholtz

Luis Pablo Fidel Dancuart

This invention relates to a process for producing linear alkyl benzene and linear paraffins, the process including the steps of obtaining a hydrocarbon condensate containing olefins, paraffins and oxygenates from a low temperature Fischer-Tropsch reaction; a) fractionating a desired carbon number distribution from the hydrocarbon condensate to form a fractionated hydrocarbon condensate stream; b) extracting oxygenates from the fractionated hydrocarbon condensate stream from step a) to form a stream containing olefins and paraffins; c) alkylating the stream containing olefins and paraffins from step b) with benzene in the presence of a suitable alkylation catalyst; and d) recovering linear alkyl benzene and linear paraffin.

Production of linear alkyl benzene

This invention relates to a process for producing linear alkyl benzene, the process including the steps of obtaining a hydrocarbon condensate containing olefins, paraffins and oxygenates from a low temperature Fischer-Tropsch reaction; a) fractionating a desired carbon number distribution from the hydrocarbon condensate to form a fractionated hydrocarbon condensate stream; b) extracting oxygenates from the fractionated hydrocarbon condensate stream from step (a) to form a stream containing olefins and paraffins; c) combining the stream containing olefins and paraffins from step (b) with the feed stream from step (g) to form a combined stream; d) alkylating olefins in the combined stream from step (c) with benzene in the presence of a suitable alkylation catalyst in an alkylation reactor; e) recovering linear alkyl benzene from the alkylation reactor; f) recovering unreacted paraffins from the alkylation reactor; g) dehydrogenating the unreacted paraffins in the presence of a suitable dehydrogenation catalyst to form a feed stream containing olefins and paraffins; and h) sending the feed stream containing olefins and paraffins from step (g) to step (c).

This invention relates to a commercially viable process for extracting oxygenates from a hydrocarbon stream, typically a fraction of the condensation product of a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, while preserving the olefin content of the condensation product. The oxygenate extraction process is a liquid-liquid extraction process that takes place in an extraction column using a polar organic solvent, such as methanol, and water as the solvent, wherein the polar organic solvent and water are added separately to the extraction column.

Extraction of oxygenates from a hydrocarbon stream

This invention relates to a method for separating olefins and paraffins from oxygenates in a liquid hydrocarbon stream containing a high proportion of olefins, paraffins and oxygenates (mainly alcohols). Typically, the hydrocarbon stream is obtained from a Fischer-Tropsch process. The organic counter-solvent has a boiling point which is less than the boiling point of the most volatile alcohol in the hydrocarbon stream. A raffinate from the liquid-liquid extractor is passed to a distillation column. A bottoms product from the distillation column comprises olefins and paraffins, and the overhead product comprising solvents is recycled. An extract from the liquid-liquid extractor is sent to a stripping column, where a bottoms product containing pure alcohol is obtained. The overhead product containing counter-solvent is recycled.

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Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

Johan Pieter De Wet