Hydrogen rejection in methanol to hydrocarbon process with bifunctional catalyst

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

converting a feed stream comprising alcohols, ethers or mixtures hereof over a bifunctional catalyst comprising zeolite, alumina binder and Zn, wherein the Zn is present at least partly as ZnAl 2 O 4 , 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, and

recycling at least part of the gaseous and/or liquid hydrocarbon stream to the conversion step, wherein:

the at least partially H2 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 H2 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 an 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% 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 or partially depleted recycle stream.

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

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

15. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein the zeolite is ZSM-5 or ZSM-11.

16. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst comprising 30-80% zeolite, 5-40% ZnAl 2 O 4 , 0-40% Al 2 O 3 , 0-10% ZnO.

17. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein Zn is present in both zeolite and alumina binder.

18. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein the alumina binder further comprises silica.

19. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein the catalyst, by X-ray diffraction, does not contain free ZnO in the binder.

20. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein the Zn concentration is 3-25 wt %.

21. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein Zn is present in the binder as mainly ZnAl 2 O 4 .

22. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein Zn is present in the binder as at least 50% ZnAl 2 O 4 .

23. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein Zn is present in the binder as at least 95% ZnAl 2 O 4 .

24. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein Zn is present in the binder as up to 10% ZnO.

25. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein Zn in the zeolite is present as ZnO, Zn(OH)+ and/or Zn++ in ion exchange positions.

26. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein the total Zn content in the catalyst is 3-25 wt % Zn.

27. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein said catalyst is partly or fully spinelized.

28. Process according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is bifunctional catalyst and wherein the Zn content is substantially the same in its partly spinelized and fully spinelized form.

29. Process according to claim 1 , comprising a step of in situ obtaining a catalyst partially spinelized catalyst with a very high ZnAl 2 O 4 content, fully spinelized catalyst or a substantially fully spinelized catalyst from a partially spinelized catalyst.

30. Product obtained by the process according to claim 1 .