Patent ID: 7230152

Claim:
A process for the production of para-xylene comprising: a) disproportionating a toluene-containing feedstock by contacting the feedstock with a catalyst selectively pre-coked in the presence of an inert gas, said contacting occurring at disproportionation conditions comprising free hydrogen present in a molar ratio to feedstock hydrocarbons of about 0.1 to about 1.0, an inlet temperature from about 200° to about 600° C., a pressure of from about 100 kPa to about 6 MPa absolute, and a liquid hourly space velocity of about 0.2 to about 20 hr −1 to obtain a para-xylene-rich product containing para-xylene in excess of its equilibrium concentration by conversion of greater than 30 wt-% of the toluene present in the feedstock; b) recovering para-xylene from the para-xylene-rich product by one or both of adsorption and crystallization; and c) carrying out step (a) for a period of time until the initial inlet temperature has increased by 20° C. or greater, at which point the catalyst is rejuvenated by increasing the molar ratio of free hydrogen to feedstock hydrocarbons to greater than 1.0.