Patent ID: 8242322

Claim:
A process for transalkylating aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, the process comprising: introducing a feed stream comprising the aromatic hydrocarbon compounds to a transalkylation zone; introducing a sulfur source to the transalkylation zone after 2 days on stream of a process cycle of the process, the sulfur source in an amount to provide more than 1 ppm-wt of sulfur based upon the mass of the feed stream; contacting the feed stream with a sulfided catalyst in the transalkylation zone under transalkylation conditions including the presence of sulfur; and producing a reaction product stream comprising benzene and xylene; wherein the sulfided catalyst comprises an aluminosilicate zeolite component having an MOR framework type selected from the group consisting of UZM-14 and mordenite, an MFI molecular sieve component having a Si/Al 2 molar ratio of less than 80, an inorganic oxide binder comprising a material selected from the group consisting of alumina, silica, zirconia, titania, thoria, boria, magnesia, chromia, stannic oxide, and combinations thereof, and a metal component comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, tin, germanium, lead, indium, platinum, palladium, and combinations thereof; separating the reaction product stream to produce a benzene product stream; and wherein the sulfur source is introduced intermittently and a purity of the benzene product stream is higher during a period of sulfur source introduction relative to a period of no sulfur source introduction.