Cleaning of liquid hydrocarbon streams by means of copper-containing sorbents

1. Process for purifying hydrocarbon mixtures, in which a contaminated hydrocarbon mixture comprising hydrocarbons having three to eight carbon atoms is at least partly freed of contaminants by contacting it with a solid sorbent in the absence of hydrogen, the hydrocarbon mixture being exclusively in the liquid state during the contact with the sorbent, wherein the sorbent has the following composition that adds up to 100% by weight:

copper oxide: 10% to 60% by weight (calculated as CuO);

zinc oxide: 10% to 60% by weight (calculated as ZnO);

aluminium oxide: 10% to 30% by weight (calculated as Al 2 O 3 );

other substances: 0% to 5% by weight;

wherein the sorbent is supplied in an oxidized state without being activated by a reduction reaction; and

wherein the contact is effected under the following conditions:

temperature between 30° C. and 120° C.;

pressure between 0.5 and 3.5 MPa; and

weight hourly space velocity between 0.5 h −1 and 7 h −1 .

2. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the sorbent has the following composition that adds up to 100% by weight:

copper oxide: 30% to 45% by weight (calculated as CuO);

zinc oxide: 30% to 50% by weight (calculated as ZnO);

aluminium oxide: 10% to 15% by weight (calculated as Al 2 O 3 );

further metal oxides: 0% to 2% by weight;

graphite: 0% to 3% by weight;

other substances: 0% to 1% by weight.

3. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the contaminated hydrocarbon mixture contains at least one impurity from one of the following substance classes:

a) thiols having the general formula R—SH where R may be an alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl or alkenyl radical;

b) disulphides having the general formula R—S—S—R′ where R and R′ may be identical or different alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl or alkenyl radicals;

c) sulphides having the general formula R—S—R′ where R and R′ may be identical or different alkyl, aryl, cycloalkyl or alkenyl radicals;

d) substituted or unsubstituted sulphur-containing heterocycles.

4. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the proportion by weight of the contaminants in the contaminated hydrocarbon mixture, based on the total weight thereof, is less than 0.2% by weight.

5. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the sorbent is used irreversibly.

6. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the contaminated hydrocarbon mixture fulfils one of the following specifications A, B, C and D, each of which adds up to 100% by weight, the stated proportions by weight each being based on the total weight of the contaminated hydrocarbon mixture:

Specification A:

isobutane 20% to 40% by weight;

n-butane 5% to 18% by weight;

1-butene 5% to 15% by weight;

isobutene 12% to 25% by weight;

2-butenes 9% to 40% by weight;

1,3-butadiene 0% to 3% by weight;

water 0% to 1% by weight;

contaminants less than 0.5% by weight;

Specification B:

isobutane 0.6% to 8% by weight;

n-butane 0.5% to 8% by weight;

1-butene 9% to 25% by weight;

isobutene 10% to 35% by weight;

2-butenes 3% to 15% by weight;

1,3-butadiene 25% to 70% by weight;

water 0% to 1% by weight;

contaminants less than 0.5% by weight;

Specification C:

isobutane 0.6% to 8% by weight;

n-butane 0.5% to 15% by weight;

1-butene 9% to 40% by weight;

isobutene 10% to 55% by weight;

2-butenes 3% to 25% by weight;

1,3-butadiene 0% to 1% by weight;

water 0% to 1% by weight;

contaminants less than 0.5% by weight;

Specification D:

n-butane 10% to 30% by weight;

1-butene 0.2% to 45% by weight;

2-butenes 35% to 85% by weight;

water 0% to 1% by weight;

contaminants less than 0.5% by weight.

7. Process according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more of the following steps:

a) extracting 1,3-butadiene from the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants;

b) selectively hydrogenating diolefins, acetylenes, or diolefins and acetylenes in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants to form olefins;

c) oligomerizing olefins present in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants to form oligomers;

d) distilling the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants to remove 1-butene, isobutene or both 1-butene and isobutene from the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants;

e) removing isobutene from the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants by converting the isobutene to tert-butanol with water or by converting the isobutene to methyl tert-butyl ether with methanol;

f) dehydrogenating butanes present in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants to form butenes;

g) oxidatively dehydrogenating butenes present in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants to form butadiene;

h) alkylating n-butene present in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants with isobutane present in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants;

i) oxidizing hydrocarbons having four carbon atoms present in the hydrocarbon mixture in the hydrocarbon mixture which has been at least partly freed of contaminants.

8. Process according to claim 3 , where R and R′ are each independently selected from a methyl, an ethyl, a propyl, a butyl, a phenyl, a cyclohexyl or a butenyl radical.

9. Process according to claim 3 , where the substituted or unsubstituted sulphur-containing heterocycles comprise thiophenes, thiolanes or both thiophenes and thiolanes.

10. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the proportion by weight of the contaminants in the contaminated hydrocarbon mixture, based on the total weight thereof, is less than 100 ppm by weight.

11. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the proportion by weight of the contaminants in the contaminated hydrocarbon mixture, based on the total weight thereof, is less than 10 ppm by weight.