Process for the preparation of detergent compounds

1. A process for the preparation of detergents containing a relatively low amount of isoparaffins, comprising separating a hydrocarbonaceous product stream from a Fischer-Tropsch process using a cobalt based catalyst and producing normally liquid and normally solid hydrocarbons into a light fraction boiling below an intermediate fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons, an intermediate boiling fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons and a heavy fraction boiling above the intermediate boiling fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons, followed by converting the detergent hydrocarbons present in the intermediate boiling fraction into detergents, the Fischer-Tropsch process being carried out at a pressure above 25 bara.

2. The process of claim 1 , in which the Fischer-Tropsch process is carried out at a pressure above 35 bara.

3. The process of claim 1 , in which the detergent hydrocarbons are C 10 to C 17 hydrocarbons.

4. The process of claim 1 , in which the intermediate boiling fraction comprises at least 80 wt % on total fraction of detergent hydrocarbons.

5. The process of claim 1 , in which the light fraction has a boiling range below 150° C. and/or in which the heavy fraction has a boiling range above 315° C.

6. The process of claim 1 , in which the intermediate fraction has a boiling range of from 170° C. to 315° C.

7. The process of claim 1 , further comprising subjecting the heavy fraction to a hydrocracking process to convert any hydrocarbons present in the fraction boiling above the boiling point of middle distillates into hydrocarbons boiling in the middle distillates boiling range.

8. The process of claim 1 , in which the Fischer-Tropsch process is a low temperature process.

9. The process of claim 1 , further comprising hydrogenating the hydrocarbonaceous product stream of the Fischer-Tropsch process before distillation.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising hydrogenating the intermediate fraction obtained after distillation before converting into detergents.

11. The process of claim 9 , in which the hydrogenating step uses a catalyst selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, nickel, ruthenium, iridium, osmium, platinum and palladium as a catalytically active metal, carried out at a temperature between 150 and 325° C.

12. The process of claim 9 , in which the hydrogenated intermediate fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons is at least partially catalytically dehydrogenated into mono-olefins before converting into detergents.

13. The process of claim 1 , in which converting the detergent hydrocarbons, optionally after dehydrogenating, into detergents comprises at least one step selected from the group consisting of:

alkylating with benzene or toluene optionally followed by sulfonating and neutralizing;

alkylating with phenol followed by at least one step selected from the group consisting of alkoxylating, sulfonating and neutralizing, sulfating and neutralizing and alkoxylating combined with oxidizing;

hydroformylating optionally followed by at least one step selected from the group consisting of alkoxylating, glycosylating, sulfating, phosphatizing and combinations thereof

sulfonating;

epoxidizing;

hydrobrominating followed by aminating and oxidizing and to amine oxide; and

phosphonizing.

14. A process for the preparation of detergent hydrocarbons containing a relatively low amount of isoparaffins comprising separating a hydrocarbonaceous product stream comprising detergent hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons boiling above and below the boiling range of the before mentioned detergent hydrocarbons from a Fischer-Tropsch process using a cobalt based catalyst and producing normally liquid and normally solid hydrocarbons into a light fraction boiling below a fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons, an intermediate boiling fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons and a heavy fraction boiling above the intermediate boiling fraction comprising detergent hydrocarbons, the Fischer-Tropsch process being carried out at a pressure above 25 bara.

15. The process of claim 1 , in which the Fischer-Tropsch process is carried out at a temperature between 180° C. and 270° C.