Patent ID: 7572945
Filing Date: 2009-08-11
Classification: B01J,C07C,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method for the disproportionation of a toluene containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a reaction zone containing a nickel modified mordenite type toluene disproportionation catalyst which has been calcined at a temperature of from about 566° C. to about 605° C. for a time of from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours to provide a TPR profile exhibiting a TCD signal having low temperature nickel peak of an amplitude which is less than the amplitude of the corresponding low temperature nickel peak of a corresponding nickel-modified mordenite catalyst without calcination and wherein said nickel modified mordenite catalyst has an active surface nickel content after calcination which is less than the active surface nickel content of the nickel modified mordenite catalyst prior to calcination; b) supplying a toluene containing feedstock and hydrogen to said reaction zone; c) operating said reaction zone under temperature and pressure conditions effective to cause the disproportionation of toluene in said feedstock in the presence of hydrogen to benzene and xylene; and d) recovering a product stream from said reaction zone containing xylene and benzene and having a non-aromatics content less than the non-aromatic content of a corresponding toluene disproportionation product produced by the disproportionation of said toluene containing feed stream in the presence of a nickel mordenite catalyst corresponding to said calcined catalyst but without calcination.