Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Neeraj Sangar

Larry Lee Iaccino

Michael Salciccioli

Elizabeth L Stavens

Jihad Mohammed Dakka

Lorenzo C DeCaul

Ali A Kheir

John D Y Ou

Teng Xu

Kenneth Ray Clem

Tan-Jen Chen

Mobae Afeworki

Jeremy J Patt

Emiel De Smit

Aaron B Pavlish

Paul F Keusenkothen

Gary David Mohr

Christopher Lynn Becker

Terry Eugene Helton

Scott Jeffrey Weigel

Chuansheng Bai

Jeffrey P Jones

Gregory J De Martin

Keith Holroyd Kuechler

Stephen Zushma

Christine Nicole Elia

Matthew J Vincent

John Di-Yi Ou

Alan Anthony Galuska

Michael Patrick Moran

Sumathy Raman

Mayank Shekhar

Jörg F W Weber

J Scott Buchanan

Juan D Henao

Nikolaos Soultanidis

Seth McConkie Washburn

Xiaobo Zheng

S Mark Davis

Michael A Radzicki

Mark A Nierode

Mika L Shiramizu

Jocelyn A Kowalski

Ranjita Ghose

Matthew B Yarrison

John Di Yi Ou

Mary T Van Nostrand

James J Tanke

This invention relates to processes and systems for converting acyclic hydrocarbons to alkenes, cyclic hydrocarbons and/or aromatics, for example converting acyclic Chydrocarbons to cyclopentadiene in a reactor system. The process includes heating an electrically-conductive reaction zone by applying an electrical current to the first electrically-conductive reaction zone; and contacting a feedstock comprising acyclic hydrocarbons with a catalyst material in the electrically-conductive reaction zone under reaction conditions to convert at least a portion of the acyclic hydrocarbons to an effluent comprising alkenes, cyclic hydrocarbons, and/or aromatics.

Processes and systems for the conversion of acyclic hydrocarbons to cyclopentadiene

This invention relates to processes and systems for converting acyclic hydrocarbons to alkenes, cyclic hydrocarbons and/or aromatics, for example converting acyclic Chydrocarbons to cyclopentadiene in a reactor system. The process includes contacting a feedstock comprising acyclic hydrocarbons with a catalyst material in at least one reaction zone to convert at least a portion of the acyclic hydrocarbons to a first effluent comprising alkenes, cyclic hydrocarbons and/or aromatics. A co-feed comprising H, C-Calkanes and/or C-Calkenes may also be provided to the at least one reaction zone.

Processes and systems for the conversion of acyclic hydrocarbons

This disclosure relates to methods for producing purified aromatic esters useful as plasticizers, to the purified aromatic esters, and to polymer compositions containing the purified esters. The purified aromatic esters can be produced by esterifying carboxylic acid with methyl or ethyl alcohol, separating the resulting methyl or ethyl esters from the carboxylic acid and any byproduct impurities, and then transesterifying the methyl or ethyl esters with Cto Calcohol to produce the purified aromatic esters. Additionally, precipitation, filtration, and wash steps can be employed to purify the carboxylic acid, the methyl or ethyl alcohol, and/or the aromatic esters.

Purified plasticizers, production and use

A catalyst for the conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons including aromatic hydrocarbons comprises molybdenum or a compound thereof dispersed on an aluminosilicate zeolite, wherein the amount of aluminum present as aluminum molybdate in the catalyst is less than 2700 ppm by weight.

Production of aromatics from methane

Processes for selectively alkylating and/or dealkylating one ring of cyclohexylbenzyl and/or biphenyl compounds are provided. Such selective alkylation and/or dealkylation takes place through a transalkylation reaction between the cyclohexylbenzyl compound and a substituted or unsubstituted benzene, which replaces the phenyl moiety of the cyclohexylbenzyl compound. The transalkylated cyclohexylbenzyl may be dehydrogenated to give a corresponding biphenyl compound. The same reaction steps can be utilized with respect to biphenyl compounds by first partially hydrogenating one phenyl ring of the biphenyl compound, thereby obtaining a corresponding cyclohexylbenzyl compound, which may undergo the transalkylation and, optionally, subsequent dehydrogenation. Combinations of any two or more of partial hydrogenation, transalkylation, and dehydrogenation enable targeted substitution (or de-substitution) of only one ring of cyclohexylbenzyl and/or biphenyl compounds, thereby providing superior control in designing the synthesis of these compounds.

Transalkylated cyclohexylbenzyl and biphenyl compounds

A catalyst system and processes for combined aromatization and selective hydrogen combustion of oxygenated hydrocarbons are disclosed. The catalyst system contains at least one aromatization component and at least one selective hydrogen combustion component. The process is such that the yield of hydrogen is less than the yield of hydrogen when contacting the hydrocarbons with the aromatization component alone.

Production of aromatics from methanol using selective hydrogen combustion

In a process for producing dialkylbiphenyl compounds, a feed comprising substituted cyclohexylbenzene isomers having the formula (I): wherein each of Rand Ris an alkyl group and wherein the feed comprises m % by weight of isomers in which Ris in the 2-position, based on the total weight of substituted cyclohexylbenzene isomers in the feed; is transalkylated with a compound of formula (II): to produce a transalkylation product comprising substituted cyclohexylbenzene isomers having the formula (I) and including n % by weight of isomers in which Ris in the 2-position, based on the total weight of substituted cyclohexylbenzene isomers in the transalkylation product, wherein n&#x3c;m. At least part of the transalkylation product is then dehydrogenated under conditions effective to convert at least part of the substituted cyclohexylbenzene isomers in the transalkylation product to dialkylbiphenyl compounds.

Process for preparing dialkylbiphenyl isomer mixtures

A process is described for converting at least one isomer of a dialkyl-substituted biphenyl compound, such as at least one 2,X' dialkylbiphenyl isomer (where X&#x2032; is 2&#x2032;, 3&#x2032; and/or 4&#x2032;), into at least one different isomer, 3,3&#x2032;, 3,4&#x2032; and/or 4,4&#x2032; dialkylbiphenyl isomer. The process comprises contacting a feed comprising the dialkyl-substituted biphenyl compound isomer with an acid catalyst under isomerization conditions.

Production and use of dialkylbiphenyl isomer mixtures

In a process for dehydrogenating cyclohexylbenzene and/or alkyl-substituted cyclohexylbenzene compounds, a dehydrogenation catalyst comprising at least one Group 10 metal compound on a support is heated in the presence of hydrogen from a first temperature from 0&#xb0; C. to 200&#xb0; C. to a second, higher temperature from 60&#xb0; C. to 500&#xb0; C. at a ramp rate no more than 100&#xb0; C./hour. The dehydrogenation catalyst is contacted with hydrogen at the second temperature for a time from 3 to 300 hours to produce an activated dehydrogenation catalyst. A feed comprising cyclohexylbenzene and/or an alkyl-substituted cyclohexylbenzene compound is then contacted with hydrogen in the presence of the activated dehydrogenation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a dehydrogenation reaction product comprising biphenyl and/or an alkyl-substituted biphenyl compound.

Activation of dehydrogenation catalysts

This invention relates to process for producing biphenyl esters, the process comprising:

Hydroalkylation catalyst and process for use thereof

In a process for producing biphenyl compounds, a Caromatic hydrocarbon may be hydroalkylated to give Ccycloalkylaromatic compounds and byproduct Csaturated cyclic hydrocarbons. The Ccycloalkylaromatic compounds are dehydrogenated to provide the biphenyl compounds. The Csaturated cyclic hydrocarbons may also be dehydrogenated back to the corresponding Caromatic hydrocarbon, which may be recycled to provide additional feed. Although both the intermediate Ccycloalkylaromatic compounds and the byproduct Csaturated cyclic hydrocarbons should be dehydrogenated, at least part of the dehydrogenation of the Csaturated cyclic hydrocarbons should take place in the absence of Cor greater hydrocarbons. Thus, dehydrogenation of the byproduct Csaturated cyclic hydrocarbons should take place at least in part separately from dehydrogenation of the Ccycloalkylaromatic compounds.

Production of biphenyl compounds

In a process for producing a methyl-substituted biphenyl compound, at least one methyl-substituted cyclohexylbenzene compound of the formula: wherein each of m and n is independently an integer from 1 to 3, is contacted with a dehydrogenation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a dehydrogenation reaction product comprising at least one methyl-substituted biphenyl compound. The dehydrogenation catalyst comprises an element or compound thereof from Group 10 of the Periodic Table of Elements deposited on a refractory support, such as alumina.

Methyl-substituted biphenyl compounds, their production and their use in the manufacture of plasticizers

In a process for producing 3,4' and/or 4,4&#x2032; dimethyl-substituted biphenyl compounds, a feed comprising toluene is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a hydroalkylation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a hydroalkylation reaction product comprising (methylcyclohexyl)toluenes. At least part of the hydroalkylation reaction product is dehydrogenated in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst under conditions effective to produce a dehydrogenation reaction product comprising a mixture of dimethyl-substituted biphenyl isomers. The dehydrogenation reaction product is then separated into at least a first stream containing at least 50% of 3,4&#x2032; and 4,4&#x2032; dimethylbiphenyl isomers by weight of the first stream and at least one second stream comprising one or more 2,x&#x2032; (where x&#x2032; is 2&#x2032;, 3&#x2032;, or 4&#x2032;) and 3,3&#x2032; dimethylbiphenyl isomers.

Production and use of 3,4' and 4,4'-dimethylbiphenyl isomers

The invention generally relates to processes for upgrading a process stream, such as those containing Colefin and one or more acidic gases, to equipment useful in such processes, and to upgraded process streams.

Process stream upgrading

A selective hydrogenation method is particularly effective in selectively hydrogenating alkynyl compounds, such as acetylene or methyl acetylene, over alkenyl compounds, such as ethylene. The method produces a relatively high quantity of heat during the selective hydrogenation reaction. This production of heat is, however, quite beneficial in that enough heat is produced such that a substantial portion of the produced heat can be recovered for heat efficiency purposes.

Selective hydrogenation of alkynyl-containing compounds

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League City, TX, United States of America

Neeraj Sangar