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Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING SUBSTANTIALLY PURE BENZENE FROM A CATALYTIC REFORMATE CONTAINING BENZENE, TOLUENE AND NONAROMATIC COMPONENTS, THE STEPS COMPRISING FREEING THE REFORMATE OF NORMALLY GASEOUS AND OTHER LIGHTER NONAROMATIC CONSTITUENTS; PASSING THE REMAINING REFORMATE PRODUCT SO OBTAINED TO A RE-RUN COLUMN FROM WHICH A BENZENE CONCENTRATE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE BENZENE CONTENT OF SAID REFORMATE, ALONG WITH NONAROMATIC COMPONENTS AND AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF TOLUENE, IS TAKEN OVERHEAD, AND FROM WHICH A FRACTION COMPRISED IN MAJOR PORTION OF TOLUENE IS WITHDRAWN AS BOTTOMS; PASSING SAID CONCENTRATE TO AN EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION COLUMN, AND THERE CONTACTING THE CONCENTRATE WITH A SELECTIVE SOLVENT AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES WHEREBY A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE NONAROMATIC COMPONENTS ARE SEPARATED AS AN OVERHEAD PRODUCT, WHILE WITHDRAWING A BOTTOMS PRODUCT CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE BENZENE AND TOLUENE PRESENT IN THE CONCENTRATE, ALONG WITH ANY REMAINING NONAROMATIC COMPONENTS AND SOLVENT; PASSING SAID BOTTOMS PRODUCT TO A SOLVENT STRIPPING COLUMN MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE ADAPTED TO DISTILL OVERHEAD THE NONSOLVENT PORTIONS OF THE FEED TO THE COLUMN WHILE WITHDRAWING AS BOTTOMS, AND RECYCLING TO THE EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION COLUMN, A SOLVENT FRACTION WHICH IS LOW IN NONSOLVENT COMPONENTS; PASSING THE OVERHEAD FROM THE SOLVENT STRIPPING COLUMN TO A FRACTIONATING COLUMN MAINTAINED UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS AS TO DISTILL THE BENZENE OVERHEAD AS A SUBSTANTIALLY PURE BENZENE STREAM, WHILE WITHDRAWING AS BOTTOMS A FRACTION CONTAINING TOLUENE AND ANY REMAINING NONAROMATIC COMPONENTS, AS PRESENT IN THE BENZENE CONCENTRATE.