Patent ID: 9469576
Filing Date: 2016-10-18
CPC Classification: C07C

Claim Text:
1. A method of forming ethylbenzene comprising: introducing a benzene input stream that contains at least 95 wt. % benzene to an alkylation reaction zone having a plurality of catalyst beds containing an alkylation catalyst, wherein the alkylation catalyst comprises a cerium promoted beta zeolite; introducing a hydrocarbon gas to each catalyst bed in the alkylation reaction zone, thereby contacting the benzene with the hydrocarbon gas in the presence of the alkylation catalyst under alkylation conditions to produce a product stream containing ethylbenzene and to deactivate the alkylation catalyst, wherein the hydrocarbon gas is in a benzene:hydrocarbon gas weight ratio of 28:1 or less per catalyst bed; recovering the product stream from the alkylation reaction zone, wherein the product comprises 0.8 wt. % or less of butylbenzene; and regenerating the deactivated alkylation catalyst to produce a regenerated alkylation catalyst by: