Catalytic conversion of polycyclic aromatics into xylenes

• US 6,972,348 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UOP Llc (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: UOP Llc (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Boldingh, Edwin P., Maher, Gregory F., Negiz, Antoine, Modica, Frank S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Thuan D
• Application Number:
  US10/807,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20050215838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 585/475
• US Class Current: 585/475
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 15/08 Xylenes
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2529/26 containing arsenic, antimony, bismuth, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, polonium, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, technetium or rhenium
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 6/126 of more than one hydrocarbon

Abstract

A catalyst, and a process for using the catalyst, that effectively converts and transalkylates indane and C₁₀ and heavier polycyclic aromatics into C₈ aromatics is herein disclosed. The catalyst comprises a solid-acid support such as mordenite plus a metal component such as rhenium. The catalyst provides excellent conversion of such heavy aromatic species as naphthalene, which is also observed by a decrease in the ending-boiling-point of a hydrocarbon stream passed over the catalyst. The same catalyst is also effective for transalkylation of lighter aromatics, thus yielding a valuable xylenes product stream out of the process.

Claims

1. A process for transalkylation of aromatics comprising contacting a feed stream comprising naphthalene and C₁₁ aromatics with a catalyst at transalkylation conditions to produce a product stream comprising C₈ aromatics, the catalyst comprising a solid-acid support material selected from the group consisting of mordenite, mazzite, zeolite beta, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, ZSM-23, MFI topology zeolite, NES topology zeolite, EU-1, MAPO-36, MAPSO-31, SAPO-5, SAPO-11, SAPO-41, silica-alumina, ion-exchanged version thereof, and mixtures thereof and a metal component selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, nickel, tin, lead, iridium, germanium, rhenium, or a combination thereof.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the solid-acid support material is selected from the group consisting of mordenite, zeolite beta, MFI topology zeolite, silica-alumina and mixtures thereof.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the solid-acid support material is mordenite and the metal component is selected from the group consisting of platinum, tin, and rhenium.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the feed stream and product stream are further characterized by having an ending-boiling-point of 99.5 wt-% as determined by the D2887 simulated distillation GC method, and said product stream ending-boiling-point is less than said feed stream ending-boiling-point by at least about 5°

C.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the product stream ending-boiling-point is less than the feed stream ending-boiling-point by at least about 10°

C.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the feed stream naphthalene content is at least about 0.3 wt-%.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the feed stream naphthalene content is at least about 0.5 wt-%.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein the conversion of feed stream naphthalene is at least about 80 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the transalkylation conditions comprise a temperature from about 200°

to about 540°

C., a pressure from about 100 kPa to about 6 MPa absolute, and a space velocity from about 0.1 to about 20 hr<sup>−

1</sup>.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the catalyst further comprises an inorganic oxide binder.

11. A process for transalkylation of aromatics comprising contacting a feed stream comprising a substantial amount of indane and naphthalene with a catalyst at transalkylation conditions to produce a product stream comprising C₈ aromatics, the catalyst comprising an inorganic oxide binder, a solid-acid material selected from the group consisting of mordenite, mazzite, zeolite beta, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, ZSM-23, MFI topology zeolite, NES topology zeolite, EU-1, MAPO-36, MAPSO-31, SAPO-5, SAPO-11, SAPO-41, and silica-alumina and mixtures thereof, and a metal component;

wherein the product stream ending-boiling-point of 99.5 wt-%, as determined by the D2887 simulated distillation GC method, is less than the feed stream ending-boiling-point by at least about 5°

C.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the feed stream indane content is at least about 0.3 wt-%.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the feed stream indane content is at least about 0.5 wt-%.

14. The process of claim 11 wherein the metal component is selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, nickel, tin, lead, iridium, germanium, rhenium, or a combination thereof.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein the solid-acid material is mordenite and the metal component is rhenium present in an amount about 0.01 to about 2 wt-%.

16. The process of claim 11 wherein the transalkylation conditions comprise a temperature from about 200°

to about 540°

C., a pressure from about 100 kPa to about 6 MPa absolute, and a space velocity from about 0.1 to about 20 hr<sup>−

1</sup>.

17. The process of claim 11 wherein the conversion of feed stream indane is at least about 50 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein the conversion of feed stream indane is at least about 75 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

19. The process of claim 11 wherein the conversion of feed stream naphthalene is at least about 80 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

20. A process for transalkylation of aromatics comprising contacting a feed stream comprising substantial amounts of indane, naphthalene, and C₁₁ aromatics with a catalyst at transalkylation conditions comprising a temperature from about 200°

to about 540°

C., a pressure from about 100 kPa to about 6 MPa absolute, and a space velocity from about 0.1 to about 20 hr<sup>−

1</sup> to produce a product stream comprising C₈ aromatics, the catalyst comprising an inorganic oxide binder, a solid-acid material selected from the group consisting of mordenite, mazzite, zeolite beta, ZSM-1, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, ZSM-23, MFI topology zeolite, NES topology zeolite, EU-1, MAPO-36, MAPSO-31, SAPO-5, SAPO-11, SAPO-41, and silica-alumina and mixtures thereof, and a metal component selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, nickel, tin, lead, iridium, germanium, rhenium, or a combination thereof;

wherein the product stream ending-boiling-point of 99.5 wt-% as determined by the D2887 simulated distillation GC method is less than the feed stream ending-boiling-point by at least about 5°

C., the conversion of feed stream naphthalene is at least about 80 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis, and the conversion of feed stream indane is at least about 50 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein the total amount of indane and naphthalene is greater than about 0.5 wt-%.

22. The process of claim 20 wherein the conversion of feed stream indane is at least about 75 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

23. The process of claim 20 wherein the feed stream further comprises methylnaphthalene, and conversion of the feed stream methylnaphthalene is at least about 50 wt-% calculated on a fresh feed basis.

24. The process of claim 20 wherein the product stream ending-boiling-point is less than the feed stream ending-boiling-point by at least about 10°

C.