Extraction of aromatics from naphtha with ionic liquids

The objective of this study was the development of a separation technology for the selective recovery and purification of aromatic compounds benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) from liquid ethylene cracker feeds. Most ethylene cracker feeds contain 10 - 25% of aromatic components, depending on the source of the feed (naphtha or gas condensate). The aromatic compounds are not converted to olefins and even small amounts are formed during the cracking process in the cracker furnaces. Therefore, they occupy a part of the capacity of the furnaces and they put an extra load on the separationsection of the C5 +-aliphatic compounds. If a major part of the aromatic compounds present in the feed to the crackers could be separated up stream of the furnaces, it would offer several advantages: higher capacity, higher thermal efficiency and less fouling.