Patent ID: 8471088
Filing Date: 2013-06-25
Classification: B01D,C07C,C10G

Abstract:
1. In a method for separating aromatic compounds from a hydrocarbon mixture, including providing a feed comprising one or more solvents and a hydrocarbon mixture comprising one or more aromatic compounds and one or more non-aromatic compounds to a liquid-liquid extractor or liquid-vapor extractor and recovering an extract comprising a majority of aromatic compounds, said extractor having a circulating solvent, recovering a raffinate comprising a majority of the non-aromatics and recovering a rich solvent comprising a majority of the aromatics, wherein said rich solvent is subsequently separated in two streams, a first stream comprising a majority of the solvent and a second stream comprising a majority of the aromatics, wherein said solvent is recycled, the improvement comprising limiting the molecular oxygen content of said feed and/or said circulating solvent to less than 0.1 vppm (as O 2 ), and the amount of organic chlorides in said feed and/or said circulating solvent to less than 0.1 wppm (as Chloride).