A process and related system for producing para-xylene (PX). In an embodiment, the process includes (a) separating a feed stream comprising C.sub.6+ aromatic hydrocarbons into a toluene containing stream and a C.sub.8+ hydrocarbon containing stream and (b) contacting at least part of the toluene containing stream with a methylating agent in a methylation unit to convert toluene to xylenes and produce a methylated effluent stream. In addition, the process includes (c) recovering PX from the methylated effluent stream in (b) to produce a PX depleted stream and (d) transalkylating the PX depleted stream to produce a transalkylation effluent stream. The transalkylation effluent stream includes a higher concentration of toluene than the PX depleted stream. Further, the process includes (e) converting at least some ethylbenzene (EB) within the C.sub.8+ hydrocarbon containing stream into toluene and (f) flowing the toluene converted in (e) to the contacting in (b).

Processes for making phenol and xylenes from a phenols-containing feed are described. The processes involve transalkylation of alkylphenols to form phenol and alkylbenzenes. The phenol is separated from the alkylbenzenes, and the alkylbenzenes may be separated into benzene, toluene, xylenes, and heavy alkylbenzene streams. The benzene stream may be recycled to the transalkylation reaction zone. The toluene may be sent to a disproportionation reaction zone, and the product is sent back to the aromatic separation zone. The toluene can also be recycled to the transalkylation zone. The xylenes are separated into a p-xylene stream and a mixed xylene stream comprising m-xylene and o-xylene. The mixed xylene stream is isomerized and the isomerized product is sent back to the aromatic separation zone. The heavy alkylbenzenes are dealkylated and separated, with the aromatic stream being recycled to the aromatic separation zone.

Systems and methods for direct crude oil upgrading to hydrogen and chemicals including separating an inlet hydrocarbon stream into a light fraction and a heavy fraction comprising diesel boiling point temperature range material; producing from the light fraction syngas comprising H.sub.2 and CO; reacting the CO produced; producing from the heavy fraction and separating CO.sub.2, polymer grade ethylene, polymer grade propylene, C.sub.4 compounds, cracking products, light cycle oils, and heavy cycle oils; collecting and purifying the CO.sub.2 produced from the heavy fraction; processing the C.sub.4 compounds to produce olefinic oligomerate and paraffinic raffinate; separating the cracking products; oligomerizing a light cut naphtha stream; hydrotreating an aromatic stream; hydrocracking the light cycle oils to produce a monoaromatics product stream; gasifying the heavy cycle oils; reacting the CO produced from gasifying the heavy cycle oils; collecting and purifying the CO.sub.2; and processing and separating produced aromatic compounds into benzene and paraxylene.

The present invention relates to a device and a process for converting aromatic compounds, wherein: methyl-substituted aromatic compounds are extracted from a hydrocarbon feedstock (2) comprising aromatic compounds having at least 8 carbon atoms in an extraction unit (1), to produce at least one effluent enriched in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (3A, 3B) and an effluent depleted in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (4); and C2+ alkyl chains of the aromatic compounds of the depleted effluent (4) are converted into methyl groups in a hydrogenolysis unit (5) placed downstream of the extraction unit (1), to produce a hydrogenolysis effluent enriched in methyl-substituted aromatic compounds (7).

This present disclosure relates to processes and apparatuses for methylation of aromatics in an aromatics complex for producing a xylene isomer product. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a process for producing para-xylene by the selective methylation of toluene and/or benzene in an aromatics complex.

This present disclosure relates to processes for methylation of aromatics in an aromatics complex for producing a xylene isomer product. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a process for producing para-xylene by the selective methylation of toluene and/or benzene in an aromatics complex using mild reaction conditions, namely a combination of low temperatures and elevated pressures using a zeolite with lower number of external acid sites.

A process for producing xylene from C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons comprises contacting a first feedstock comprising C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons with a first catalyst in the presence of hydrogen under effective vapor phase dealkylation conditions to dealkylate part of the C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons and produce a first product comprising benzene and unreacted C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons. A second feedstock comprising toluene is contacted with a second catalyst in the presence of hydrogen under effective vapor phase toluene disproportionation conditions to disproportionate at least part of the toluene and produce a second product comprising para-xylene. A third feedstock comprising C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons and benzene and/or toluene is contacted with a third catalyst in the presence of hydrogen under effective liquid phase C.sub.9+ transalkylation conditions to transalkylate at least part of the C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons and produce a third product comprising xylenes.

Method of making BTX compounds including benzene, toluene, and xylene, including feeding heavy reformate to a reactor containing a composite zeolite catalyst. The composite zeolite catalyst includes a mixture of layered mordenite (MOR-L) comprising a layered or rod-type morphology with a layer thickness less than 30 nm and ZSM-5. The MOR-L, the ZSM-5, or both include one or more impregnated metals. The method further includes producing the BTX compounds by simultaneously performing transalkylation and dealkylation of the heavy reformate in the reactor. The composite zeolite catalyst is able to simultaneously catalyze both the transalkylation and dealkylation reactions.

A method of producing a hierarchical zeolite composite catalyst. The method including dissolving, in an alkaline solution and in the presence of a surfactant, a catalyst precursor comprising mesoporous zeolite to yield a dissolved zeolite solution, where the mesoporous zeolite comprises large pore mordenite and medium pore ZSM-5. The method also including condensing the dissolved zeolite solution to yield a solid zeolite composite from the dissolved zeolite solution and heating the solid zeolite composite to remove the surfactant. The method further including impregnating the solid zeolite composite with one or more active metals selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, platinum, rhenium, nickel, and combinations thereof to yield impregnated solid zeolite composite and calcining the impregnated solid zeolite composite to produce the hierarchical zeolite composite catalyst. The hierarchical zeolite composite catalyst has a mesostructure comprising at least one disordered mesophase and at least one ordered mesophase.

Provided here are systems and methods that integrate a hydrodearylation process and a transalkylation process into an aromatic recovery complex. Various other embodiments may be disclosed and claimed.