Saudi Basic Industries Corporation

Mohammad Shafiei

Ashim Kumar Ghosh

Neeta Kulkarni

Pamela Lawyer Harvey

Mohamed Elbaccouch

Manuel Castelan

Murali Gopalakrishnan

Peter Loezos

Frederick Merrill Galloway, Jr

Peter N Loezos

A method of producing a purified mixed xylene comprising: introducing toluene and methanol to an alkylation reactor; reacting the toluene and the methanol in the alkylation reactor to form a hydrocarbon stream comprising a first mixed xylene, wherein the alkylation reactor comprises an alkylation catalyst; separating the hydrocarbon stream into a toluene stream and a separated Cstream; introducing the toluene stream to a transalkylation reactor with a transalkylation catalyst to produce a transalkylated stream comprising a second mixed xylene; adding the transalkylated stream to the hydrocarbon stream; and separating a Cproduct stream comprising the purified mixed xylene from the separated Cstream.

Toluene methylation with transalkylation of heavy aromatics

A method of producing a purified mixed xylene comprising: introducing toluene and methanol to an alkylation reactor (); reacting the toluene and the methanol in the alkylation reactor () to form a hydrocarbon stream () comprising a first mixed xylene, wherein the alkylation reactor () comprises an alkylation catalyst; separating the hydrocarbon stream () into a toluene stream () and a separated Cstream (); introducing the toluene stream () to a transalkylation reactor () with a transalkylation catalyst to produce a transalkylated stream () comprising a second mixed xylene; adding the transalkylated stream () to the hydrocarbon stream (); and separating a Cproduct stream () comprising the purified mixed xylene from the separated Cstream ().

The present invention is for a process for the alkylation of aromatic compounds, with a shape-selective zeolite catalyst. The process has reactors in series with Caromatics being separated from the product stream effluents from each reactor before passing the reactor effluent to the next reactor with an additional input of methanol. The Caromatics are separated into para-xylene and other Caromatics. This process is applicable for toluene methylation having a molar excess of toluene:methanol. i.e., greater than 1:1, with a shape-selective catalyst of an aluminosilicate zeolite, such as ZSM-5 which has been modified with phosphorus, to produce para-xylene (p-xylene).

Aromatic alkylation process

This invention relates to a process for pretreating a zeolite catalyst, specifically a zeolite which has been modified with phosphorus. The catalyst may be used in a process for alkylation of aromatics, specifically toluene methylation. The pretreatment is first to contact the catalyst with the process reactants used in a process for alkylation of aromatics for at least two hours at conditions to produce an alkylated aromatic product and then with a gaseous stream containing oxygen at a temperature and for a time until there is no oxygen consumption. The zeolite may be a MFI zeolite. This pretreatment procedure for a phosphorus-modified zeolite catalyst produces a catalyst which has increased run time, i.e., decreased deactivation rate, compared to a fresh catalyst, even after successive regenerations.

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Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Mohammad Shafiei