Systems and processes disclosed may be used to produce a high purity isobutane stream and a high purity 1-butene stream from mixed C4 streams having disparate starting compositions.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a method and system for converting ethanol to para-xylene. The method also provides a pathway to produce terephthalic acid from biomass-based feedstocks. In some embodiments, the disclosed method produces p-xylene with high selectivity over other aromatics typically produced in the conversion of ethanol to xylenes, such as m-xylene, ethyl benzene, benzene, toluene, and the like. And, in some embodiments, the method facilitates the ability to use ortho/para mixtures of methylbenzyaldehyde for preparing ortho/para xylene product mixtures that are amendable to fractionation to separate the para- and ortho-xylene products thereby providing a pure feedstock of para-xylene that can be used to form terephthalic anhydride and a pure feedstock of ortho-xylene that can be used for other purposes, such as phthalic anhydride.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a method and system for converting ethanol to para-xylene. The method also provides a pathway to produce terephthalic acid from biomass-based feedstocks. In some embodiments, the disclosed method produces p-xylene with high selectivity over other aromatics typically produced in the conversion of ethanol to xylenes, such as m-xylene, ethyl benzene, benzene, toluene, and the like. And, in some embodiments, the method facilitates the ability to use ortho/para mixtures of methylbenzyaldehyde for preparing ortho/para xylene product mixtures that are amendable to fractionation to separate the para- and ortho-xylene products thereby providing a pure feedstock of para-xylene that can be used to form terephthalic anhydride and a pure feedstock of ortho-xylene that can be used for other purposes, such as phthalic anhydride.

A process to produce 1-octene and 1-decene includes (a) separating a composition containing an oligomer product—which contains from 15 to 80 mol % C.sub.6 olefins, from 20 to 80 mol % C.sub.8 olefins, and from 5 to 20 mol % C.sub.10+ olefins—into a first oligomer composition containing C.sub.6 alkanes and at least 85 mol % C.sub.6 olefins (e.g., 1-hexene), a second oligomer composition containing at least 85 mol % C.sub.8 olefins (e.g., 1-octene), and a heavies stream containing C.sub.10+ olefins, then (b) contacting a metathesis catalyst system with the first oligomer composition to form a first composition comprising C.sub.10 linear internal olefins, (c) contacting the C.sub.10 linear internal olefins with an isomerization hydrofunctionalization catalyst system to form a second composition containing a functionalized alkane, (d) retro-hydrofunctionalizing the functionalized alkane to form a third composition containing 1-decene, and (e) purifying the third composition to isolate a fourth composition containing at least 90 mol % 1-decene. Processes to produce 1-hexene and 1-decene also are described, as well as related manufacturing systems.

A process to produce 1-octene and 1-decene includes (a) separating a composition containing an oligomer product—which contains from 15 to 80 mol % C.sub.6 olefins, from 20 to 80 mol % C.sub.8 olefins, and from 5 to 20 mol % C.sub.10+ olefins—into a first oligomer composition containing C.sub.6 alkanes and at least 85 mol % C.sub.6 olefins (e.g., 1-hexene), a second oligomer composition containing at least 85 mol % C.sub.8 olefins (e.g., 1-octene), and a heavies stream containing C.sub.10+ olefins, then (b) contacting a metathesis catalyst system with the first oligomer composition to form a first composition comprising C.sub.10 linear internal olefins, (c) contacting the C.sub.10 linear internal olefins with an isomerization hydrofunctionalization catalyst system to form a second composition containing a functionalized alkane, (d) retro-hydrofunctionalizing the functionalized alkane to form a third composition containing 1-decene, and (e) purifying the third composition to isolate a fourth composition containing at least 90 mol % 1-decene. Processes to produce 1-hexene and 1-decene also are described, as well as related manufacturing systems.

A process (100, 200, 300) for the production of ethylene is proposed in which a first feed gas (A) and a second feed gas (B) are fed to a reactor (1) and processed therein by vapour cracking to obtain a product mixture (C), the first feed gas (A) comprising more than 90 weight percent saturated hydrocarbons and more than 80 weight percent ethane, and wherein the product mixture (C) or a part thereof is subjected to a treatment (2, 3, 4) and the resulting mixture (F) or a part thereof is subjected to a separation (10) to obtain a resulting mixture (F) containing hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene and hydrocarbons having three, four and at least five carbon atoms. The separation (10) being provided in that it comprises an ethylene separation step (7) to which at least the ethane, the ethylene and the hydrocarbons having three carbon atoms from the succeeding mixture (F) or a part thereof are fed unseparated from each other in a common separation insert (S, V, X), in which in the ethylene separation step (7) a light fraction (K) containing more than 95 mole percent ethylene is fed, and a heavy fraction (T, W, Y) containing at least a portion of the ethane from the separation insert (S, V, X) and at least 15% by weight of the hydrocarbons having three and four carbon atoms from the separation insert (S, V, X), and wherein the heavy separation product (T, W, Y) from the ethylene separation step (7) or a portion thereof is used as part or to form the second feed gas (B). A corresponding annex is also the subject of this invention.

A process (100, 200, 300) for the production of ethylene is proposed in which a first feed gas (A) and a second feed gas (B) are fed to a reactor (1) and processed therein by vapour cracking to obtain a product mixture (C), the first feed gas (A) comprising more than 90 weight percent saturated hydrocarbons and more than 80 weight percent ethane, and wherein the product mixture (C) or a part thereof is subjected to a treatment (2, 3, 4) and the resulting mixture (F) or a part thereof is subjected to a separation (10) to obtain a resulting mixture (F) containing hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene and hydrocarbons having three, four and at least five carbon atoms. The separation (10) being provided in that it comprises an ethylene separation step (7) to which at least the ethane, the ethylene and the hydrocarbons having three carbon atoms from the succeeding mixture (F) or a part thereof are fed unseparated from each other in a common separation insert (S, V, X), in which in the ethylene separation step (7) a light fraction (K) containing more than 95 mole percent ethylene is fed, and a heavy fraction (T, W, Y) containing at least a portion of the ethane from the separation insert (S, V, X) and at least 15% by weight of the hydrocarbons having three and four carbon atoms from the separation insert (S, V, X), and wherein the heavy separation product (T, W, Y) from the ethylene separation step (7) or a portion thereof is used as part or to form the second feed gas (B). A corresponding annex is also the subject of this invention.

A method for recovering paraxylene from a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons. The process uses a pressure swing adsorption zone followed by a paraxylene recovery zone. The invention provides for lower throughput through the paraxylene recovery zone, resulting in lower capital costs and operating costs.

A method for recovering paraxylene from a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons. The process uses a pressure swing adsorption zone followed by a paraxylene recovery zone. The invention provides for lower throughput through the paraxylene recovery zone, resulting in lower capital costs and operating costs.

A method for recovering paraxylene from a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons. The process uses a pressure swing adsorption zone followed by a paraxylene recovery zone. The invention provides for lower throughput through the paraxylene recovery zone, resulting in lower capital costs and operating costs.