A method of producing a fuel additive includes passing a feed stream comprising C4 hydrocarbons through a butadiene extraction unit producing a first process stream; passing the first process stream through a methyl tertiary butyl ether unit producing a second process stream and a methyl tertiary butyl ether product; passing the second process stream through a hydration unit producing the fuel additive and a recycle stream; passing the recycle stream through a hydrogenation unit; and recycling the recycle stream to a steam cracker unit and/or to the feed stream

Processes for the production of olefins are disclosed, which may include: contacting a hydrocarbon mixture comprising linear butenes with an isomerization catalyst to form an isomerization product comprising 2-butenes and 1-butenes; contacting the isomerization product with a first metathesis catalyst to form a first metathesis product comprising 2-pentene and propylene, as well as any unreacted C.sub.4 olefins, and byproducts ethylene and 3-hexene; and fractionating the first metathesis product to form a C3− fraction and a C5 fraction comprising 2-pentene. The 2-pentene may then be advantageously used to produce high purity 1-butene, 3-hexene, 1-hexene, propylene, or other desired products.

This present disclosure relates to a catalytic process for upgrading crude and/or refined fusel oil mixtures to higher value renewable 2-methyl-2-butene, via novel doped alumina catalysts. It was found that passing a vaporized stream of crude and/or refined fusel oils over doped alumina catalysts provides renewable 2-methyl-2-butene in high yields in a single step. Subsequent downstream purification of the reactor effluent results in a renewable 2-methyl-2-butene at competitive price and quality to fossil fuel derived 2-methyl-2-butene.

Improved systems and methods for producing propylene from olefins including isobutylene is disclosed. The improvements combine streams containing co-produced 1-butene, 2-butene, butadiene, and heavy olefins (C5+) exiting both a metathesis reactor and a skeletal isomerization reactor in a gasoline fractionation tower to remove the heavy olefins. The C4-containing distillate from the gasoline fractionation tower is then fed to a hydroisomerization unit to form mono-olefins and 2-butene. The resulting 2-butene rich stream can then be utilized in metathesis reactions to increase the production of propylene while increasing the lifetime of the metathesis catalyst.

A method for the recovery paraxylene with reduced crystallization. Paraxylene is recovered from a mixture of C8 aromatic hydrocarbons in a pressure swing adsorption zone and a crystallization zone. The invention provides for lower throughput through the crystallization zone, resulting in lower capital costs, reduced electricity in operating separation equipment, as well as reduced refrigeration duty.

A method for the recovery paraxylene with reduced crystallization. Paraxylene is recovered from a mixture of C8 aromatic hydrocarbons in a pressure swing adsorption zone and a crystallization zone. The invention provides for lower throughput through the crystallization zone, resulting in lower capital costs, reduced electricity in operating separation equipment, as well as reduced refrigeration duty.

Processes for activating precious metal-containing catalysts. The processes can decrease the amount of high purity hydrogen required for starting up a catalytic conversion process such as transalkylation of heavy aromatics, without detrimental impact to the metal activity. The processes can include a low temperature treatment step with a high purity first gas, such as hydrogen generated by electrolysis and/or reformer hydrogen diluted with high purity inert gas, and a high temperature treatment step with a low purity second gas such as the reformer hydrogen. Also, the processes can include mixing a hydrogen gas of high or low purity with a high purity inert gas to form a gas mixture with a proportion of hydrogen no less than 2% and a reduced carbon monoxide concentration relative to the low purity hydrogen, and contacting the catalyst with the gas mixture.

Disclosed are a catalyst and a preparation method therefor, the catalyst being able to maintain a high production yield of C8 aromatic hydrocarbons in the process of converting a feedstock containing alkyl aromatics to C8 aromatic hydrocarbons such as mixed xylene through disproportionation/transalkylation/dealkylation while reducing a content of ethylbenzene in the products.

Hydrocarbon composition plays vital role in fuel quality. For gasoline/motor spirit applications the hydrocarbon should have more octane-possessing molecules from the groups of aromatics, naphthenics and isoparaffins, while n-paraffins are not preferred due to their poor octane. Among the high-octane groups, again aromatics occupy the top but not more than 35 vol % aromatics can be mixed in gasoline for engine applications to avoid harmful emission, But there is no single process that addresses so far the issue of co-producing all the desired hydrocarbon components in a single process. Thus, it is interesting to have a single once-through process working on single catalyst system to produce mixture of all three high-octane molecules namely, aromatics, naphthenics and isoparaffins directly from low-value, low-octane n-paraffin feed. Herein, we report a novel single-step catalytic process for the simultaneous production of aromatics, naphthenics and isoparaffins for gasoline and petrochemical applications.

Methods of producing an isomerization catalyst include preparing a catalyst precursor solution, hydrothermally treating the catalyst precursor solution to produce a magnesium oxide precipitant, and calcining the magnesium oxide precipitant to produce the isomerization catalyst. The catalyst precursor solution includes at least a magnesium precursor, a hydrolyzing agent, and cetrimonium bromide. Methods of producing 1-butene from a 2-butene-containing feedstock with the isomerization catalyst are also disclosed.