Process for increasing production of benzene from hydrocarbon mixture

1. A process for increasing the production of benzene from a hydrocarbon mixture, comprising the following steps of:

separating a hydrocarbon feedstock into a C 6 or lower hydrocarbon stream and a C 7 or higher hydrocarbon stream;

separating the C 6 or lower hydrocarbons into a non-aromatic hydrocarbon stream and an aromatic hydrocarbon stream through a solvent extraction process;

recovering benzene from the aromatic hydrocarbon stream;

feeding the C 7 or higher hydrocarbons and hydrogen into at least one reaction area;

converting the C 7 or higher hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst in the reaction area into aromatic hydrocarbons which are rich in benzene, toluene, and xylene through dealkylation/transalkylation reactions, and non-aromatic hydrocarbons which are rich in liquefied petroleum gas through a hydrocracking reaction;

separating reaction products of the converting step into an overhead stream, which contains hydrogen, methane, ethane, and the liquefied petroleum gas, and a bottom stream, which contains the aromatic hydrocarbons, and a small amount of hydrogen and non-aromatic hydrocarbons, using a gas-liquid separation process; and

recovering benzene, toluene, xylene, and C 9 or higher aromatic compounds, respectively from the bottom stream.

2. The process as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the benzene recovering step and the benzene, toluene, xylene, and C 9 or higher aromatic compounds recovering step are simultaneously conducted using a same device or are independently conducted using separately provided devices.

3. The process as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising the step of recovering the liquefied petroleum gas from the overhead stream.

4. The process as set forth in claim 1 , wherein 10-95 wt % zeolite, which is at least one selected from a group consisting of mordenite, a beta type of zeolite, and a ZSM-5 type of zeolite, and which has a silica/alumina molar ratio of 200 or less, is mixed with 5-90 wt % inorganic binder to produce a support, and platinum/tin or platinum/lead is supported on the mixture support to produce the catalyst.

5. The process as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon feedstock is selected from a group consisting of reformate, pyrolysis gasoline, desulfurized/denitrified fluidized catalytic cracking gasoline, C 9 + aromatic-containing mixture, naphtha, and a mixture thereof.

6. A process for increasing the production of benzene from a hydrocarbon mixture, comprising the following steps of:

separating a hydrocarbon feedstock into a C 6 or lower hydrocarbon stream and a C 7 or higher hydrocarbon stream;

separating the C 6 or lower hydrocarbons into a non-aromatic hydrocarbon stream and an aromatic hydrocarbon stream through a solvent extraction process;

feeding the C 7 or higher hydrocarbons and hydrogen into at least one reaction area;

converting the C 7 or higher hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst in the reaction area into aromatic hydrocarbons which are rich in benzene, toluene, and xylene through dealkylation/transalkylation reactions, and non-aromatic hydrocarbons which are rich in liquefied petroleum gas through a hydrocracking reaction;

separating reaction products of the converting step into an overhead stream, which contains hydrogen, methane, ethane, and the liquefied petroleum gas, and a bottom stream, which contains the aromatic hydrocarbons, and a small amount of hydrogen and non-aromatic hydrocarbons, using a gas-liquid separation process; and

combining the aromatic hydrocarbon stream separated in the C 6 or lower hydrocarbon separating step and the bottom stream separated in the reaction products separating step to recover benzene, toluene, xylene, and C 9 or higher aromatic compounds, respectively.