Patent ID: 7227047

Claim:
A process for selectively removing isobutene and butadiene from an olefinic stream further comprising linear butenes, the process comprising: (a) providing an initial C 4 olefin steam produced by steam cracking, fluid catalytic cracking, catalytic naphtha cracking or conversion of methanol to olefins; (b) contacting said olefinic stream comprising from about 0.1 wt % to about 35 wt % of isobutene, from about 0.01 wt % to about 80 wt % of butadiene, and linear butenes including 1-butene under hydrogenation conditions with a hydrogenation catalyst to selectively hydrogenate butadiene in the olefinic stream, and thereafter (c) contacting the olefinic stream after step (b) under oligomerization conditions with an oligomerization catalyst to selectively oligomerize isobutene in the olefinic stream to butene oligomers which are dimers or trimers; and thereafter (d) sending the olefinic stream after step (c) to a C 4 recovery section and recovering a linear butene stream enhanced in 1-butene purity compared to said initial C 4 olefin stream.