Patent ID: 8536393

Claim:
An integrated process for producing aromatic hydrocarbons and/or C 4+ non-aromatic hydrocarbons from low molecular weight alkanes, preferably methane, which comprises: (a) contacting one or more low molecular weight alkanes, preferably methane, with a halogen under process conditions sufficient to produce a monohaloalkane, preferably monobromomethane, (b) reacting the monohaloalkane in the presence of a coupling catalyst to produce a stream comprising aromatic hydrocarbons and/or C 4+ non-aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated organic impurities, (c) hydrotreating the stream from step (b) under conditions sufficient to convert most of said impurities to hydrogen halide and hydrocarbons while minimizing the hydrogenation of the aromatic hydrocarbons, to produce a stream comprising aromatic hydrocarbons and refractory halogenated organic impurities, (d) contacting the stream from step (c) with a purification absorbent capable of reducing the quantity of said refractory halogenated organic impurities in said stream from (c) to a level of 1 part per million weight as halogen or less, wherein the absorbent is a metal compound, solid metal or molten metal, and (e) separating aromatic hydrocarbons and/or C 4+ non-aromatic hydrocarbons from the product mixture of step (d) to produce aromatic hydrocarbons and/or C 4+ non-aromatic hydrocarbons.