Isomerisation process
The invention relates to a process for combined ethylbenzene reforming and xylene isomerisation comprising contacting a hydrocarbon feedstock containing ethylbenzene and xylene with a catalyst comprising a catalyst carrier and one or more metal(s) supported on the catalyst carrier, wherein the catalyst carrier is an extrudate comprising (i) a ZSM-48 and/or EU-2 type zeolite and (ii) an alumina binder, the extrudate having a shape with a C/A value of at least 3, where C is the circumference of the extrudate and A is the cross-sectional area of the extrudate. The metal may be platinum and the alumina may be a wide-pore alumina. The process displays high conversion rates whilst maintaining low levels of side-product formation.
1. A process for combined ethylbenzene reforming and xylene isomerisation, the process comprising:
contacting a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising ethylbenzene and xylene with a catalyst to initiate the combined ethylbenzene reforming and xylene isomerization reactions,
wherein said catalyst is the only catalyst present in the process and said catalyst comprises a catalyst carrier and one or more metals supported on the catalyst carrier, wherein the catalyst carrier is an extrudate comprising:
(i) at least one of a ZSM-48 type zeolite and an EU-2 type zeolite; and
(ii) an alumina binder, and
wherein the extrudate has a shape with a C/A value of at least 3, where C is a circumference of the extrudate and A is a cross-sectional area of the extrudate.
2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the catalyst carrier has a shape selected from the group consisting of a circle, a trilobe, a quadralobe, and an extended trilobe.
3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the catalyst carrier has a shape selected from the group consisting of a trilobe, a quadralobe, and an extended trilobe.
4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the alumina binder is a wide-pore alumina having an average pore diameter of about 80 Å or greater.
5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the zeolite is present in an amount of from 30 to 70 wt % based upon the total weight of the catalyst.
6. The process according to claim 1 wherein the one or more metals supported on the catalyst carrier are selected from a Group VIII metal.
7. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the Group VIII metal is present in an amount of from 0.1 to 3 wt %, based upon the total weight of the catalyst.
8. The process according to claim 7 , wherein the Group VIII metal is present is an amount from 0.2 to 1 wt %, based upon the total weight of the catalyst.
9. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the Group VIII metal is platinum.