PRODUCTION OF XYLENES BY METHYLATING AROMATIC COMPOUNDS Russian patent published in 2017 - IPC C07C2/66 C07C15/08 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: method includes the following steps: a. loading the zeolite catalyst into the fixed-bed reactor system; b. feeding the raw material into a system of the fixed-bed reactors. The raw material comprises, at least, one aromatic compound selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene, and a mixture of benzene and toluene, methanol and a water stream. Y₂O/hydrocarbons (HC) = 1; c. carrying out the reaction of the raw material in the presence of a zeolite catalyst, and without hydrogen, to form an effluent that contains an aqueous stream, aromatic hydrocarbons and light hydrocarbons; d. cooling the effluent; e. feeding the cooled effluent to the separator; f. separating the vapor phase stream, the water stream and the hydrocarbon stream in the separator, and feeding, at least, a portion of the water stream to the fixed-bed reactor system; g. distilling the hydrocarbon stream in the distillation unit to form a product fraction, a fraction containing unreacted aromatic compounds, and fractions of unreacted methanol; h. recycling a part of the fraction containing unreacted aromatic compounds to the fixed-bed reactor system and recycling a part of the unreacted fraction of methanol in the system to the fixed-bed reactor system; and i. carrying the vapor phase flow away from the fixed-bed reactor system without recirculating the vapour phase stream.

EFFECT: method does not require recycling of hydrogen or other gases.

30 cl, 11 ex, 3 dwg