Process for production of para-xylene incorporating pressure swing adsorption and simulated moving bed adsorption

US6573418B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• BP CORPORATION NORTH AMERICA INC. · US

Inventors

• Jeffrey T. Miller · Naperville, US
• Bryce Williams · Frankfurt am Main, DE
• Ruth Ann Doyle · Oswego, US
• Giorgio Zoia · Los Angeles, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 10, 2001
• Grant date: Jun 3, 2003
• Expiry date: Aug 2, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C7/14
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A pressure swing adsorption process to separate para-xylene and ethylbenzene from C8 aromatics which uses a para-selective, non-acidic, medium pore molecular sieve of the MFI structure type and is operated isothermally in the vapor phase at elevated temperatures and pressures is integrated with simulated moving bed adsorption (SiMBAC) to produce para-xylene product. A fixed bed of adsorbent is saturated with pX and EB, which are preferentially adsorbed, the feed is stopped, and lowering the partial pressure desorbs the pX and EB. The process effluent, which is rich in pX and EB, is subjected to SiMBAC to obtain para-xylene product.