Hydrogen rejection in methanol to hydrocarbon process

1. A process for production of hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of:

converting a feed stream comprising alcohols, ethers or mixtures hereof over a metal-containing zeolite based catalyst, active in dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons, in a conversion step thereby obtaining a conversion effluent including hydrogen,

separating said effluent to obtain an aqueous process condensate stream, a liquid hydrocarbon stream and a gaseous stream,

removing part of the hydrogen formed in the conversion step,

obtaining an at least partly H 2 depleted recycle stream, and

recycling at least part of the at least partly H 2 depleted recycle stream, the gaseous and/or liquid hydrocarbon streams to the conversion step, wherein:

the at least partially H 2 depleted recycle stream is obtained from the gaseous stream by passing said gaseous phase, after admixture with a predetermined amount of dioxygen, to a catalytic oxidation step, where hydrogen is reacted with said predetermined amount of oxygen to form water and recycling said reacted stream, at least partly depleted in hydrogen, to the conversion step, and/or

the at least partly H 2 depleted recycle stream is obtained from the gaseous stream by passing said gaseous phase, after admixture with a predetermined amount of a non-dioxygen hydrogen scavenger, to a catalytic oxidation step where hydrogen is reacted with said predetermined amount oxidizing agent and recycling said reacted stream, at least partly depleted in hydrogen, to the conversion step.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein hydrogen is removed by purging at least part of the gaseous recycle stream.

3. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least partially H 2 depleted recycle stream is obtained from the gaseous stream by passing the gaseous stream to a hydrogen permselective membrane.

4. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid hydrocarbon phase is separated into a product phase and one or more lower- and/or higher-boiling phases, at least one of which lower- and/or higher-boiling phases is at least partially recycled to the conversion step as the at least partly H 2 depleted recycle.

5. A process according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the gaseous phase is recycled to the conversion step.

6. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the conversion step takes place in two or more consecutive reactors with quench addition of feed and recycle streams.

7. A process according to claim 3 , wherein the permeation of H 2 in the selective membrane is adjusted to leave 1-10 mole % of H 2 in the retentate, recycled to the conversion step as the at least partially H 2 depleted recycle stream.

8. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen scavenger is an aldehyde, wherein said aldehyde and hydrogen is converted into an alcohol over a hydrogenation catalyst.

9. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen scavenger is formaldehyde and wherein formaldehyde and hydrogen is converted into methanol over a hydrogenation catalyst.

10. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen scavenger is hydrogen peroxide and wherein hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen is converted into water over a hydrogenation catalyst.

11. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the at least part of the recycle stream or recycle streams is returned to one or more points upstream the conversion step.

12. A process according to claim 1 , comprising a step regulating the H 2 content in the at least partly H 2 depleted recycle stream.

13. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the zeolite based catalyst is a single bifunctional catalyst catalysing both methanol to hydrocarbons and dehydrogenation.

14. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the zeolite based catalyst comprises a mixture of two or more catalysts which in combination catalyse both methanol to hydrocarbons and dehydrogenation reactions.

15. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the zeolite based catalyst comprises a metal and/or metal oxide and a zeolite.

16. A process according to claim 1 , wherein catalyst comprises a zeolite and a metal selected from the group consisting of Zn, Ga, In, Mo, Ag, P, Ge, Sn, Pd and Pt, preferably Zn.

17. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the feed stream comprises methanol, dimethyl ether or mixtures hereof.

18. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out in one or more fixed bed reactors.

19. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out in one or more fluid bed reactors.

20. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the dehydrogenation catalyst is arranged as a top layer in the conversion reactor and/or in one or more separate dehydrogenation reactors.

21. A plant for the conversion of methanol to hydrocarbons comprising aromatics, said plant comprising:

means for supplying a feed stream comprising methanol, dimethyl ether or mixtures hereof

a conversion reactor,

a separator for separating a conversion effluent into a gaseous recycle stream, process condensate and a liquid product, and

means for removing H 2 from at least part of the effluent thereby obtaining at least one at least partially H 2 depleted recycle stream, wherein:

the means for removing H 2 from at least part of the effluent obtaining at least one at least partly H 2 depleted recycle stream is a selective membrane, a selective oxidation step and/or a step, wherein a hydrogen scavenger is converted into methanol or water in the presence of H 2 and a hydrogenation catalyst, and/or

the means for removing H 2 from at least part of the effluent obtaining at least one at least partly H 2 depleted recycle stream comprises: (i) means for separating the liquid hydrocarbon stream into at least a product phase and one or more lower- and/or higher-boiling phases and (ii) means for recycling at least one of said lower- and/or higher-boiling phases as the at least partly H 2 depleted recycle.

22. A process according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen scavenger is carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide which are hydrogenated over a methanation catalyst.