Patent ID: 8558046

Claim:
A method of alkylation of an aromatic in a series of reactors comprising: a) contacting in a first reactor an aromatic compound and an alkylating agent under reaction conditions suitable for aromatic alkylation in the presence of a shape-selective zeolite catalyst; b) withdrawing a product stream from the first reactor; c) separating a stream comprising at least 50 mole % of all C 8+ aromatics produced in the first reactor from the product stream from the first reactor; d) introducing additional alkylating agent and the remaining product stream from the first reactor to a second reactor; e) withdrawing a product stream from a last reactor; and f) separating para-xylene from the product stream of the last reactor and the separated steam(s) comprising at least 50 mole % of all C 8+ aromatics produced in the reactor(s).