Extraction of BTX hydrocarbons from Saudi Arabian refinery platformates

Abstract EN

The recovery of benzene, toluene and xylene isomers, conlmanly known as BTX, from catalytically reformed naphthas of three different Saudi Arabian refineries was studied by using liquid-liquid extraction in a single batch process.

The effects of temperature, solvent to feed ratio, and feed composition on yield and selectivity were investigated with two solvents, namely sulfolane and diethylene glycol.

A comparison among the platformates of the three different refineries in terms of yield, has shown that the Petromin-ShelJ Refinery in AI-Jubail has the most suitable naphtha for the extraction of BTX aromatics.