Patent ID: 8889943

Claim:
A method of recovering aromatics from a naphtha feedstock comprising the steps of: (a) separating from the naphtha feedstock a C 6 to C 11 hydrocarbon fraction; (b) recovering from the C 6 to C 11 hydrocarbon fraction an aromatics fraction, an aromatics precursors fraction and a raffinate fraction in an aromatics extraction unit; (c) converting aromatics precursors in the aromatics precursors fraction to aromatics in a low severity naphtha reformer; and (d) recovering aromatics from step (c) in the aromatics extraction unit, wherein benzene, toluene and/or xylenes are recovered, and the aromatics precursors fraction comprises C 6 to C 8 naphthenes and paraffins, and wherein the aromatics precursors fraction is further fractionated by using an extraction process comprising a molecular sieve or a sorbent to concentrate C 6 to C 8 naphthenes in the aromatics precursors fraction, with C 6 to C 8 normal paraffins being separately recovered.