Separation of polymerizable hydrocarbons using nitrogen base-added molecular sieves

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF HYDROCARBONS WHICH ARE SELECTIVELY SORBABLE ON A ZEOLITIC MOLECULAR SIEVE FROM ADMIXTURE WITH NON-SORBABLE HYDROCARBONS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NORMALLY LIQUID OLEFINS AND NORMALLY VAPOROUS OLEFINS, THE MIXTURE CONTAINING OLEFINIC HYDROCARBONS WHICH ARE POLYMERIZABLE BY CONTACT WITH A MOLECULAR SIEVE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE ALKALI, ALKALINE EARTH AND COMBINED ALKALI-ALKALINE EARTH METAL ALUMINUM SILICATES, WHICH COMPRISES SORBING ON A ZEOLITIC MOLECULAR SIEVE SELECTED FROM SAID GROUP FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 2 MILLIMOLES PER GRAM OF DEHYDRATED ZEOLITE OF A NITROGEN BASE HAVING A CRITICAL MOLECULAR CROSS SECTION NOT MORE THAN 1 ANGSTROM UNIT GREATER THAN THE PORE DIAMETER OF SAID ZEOLITE, SAID NITROGEN BASE HAVING A MOLECULAR WEIGHT NO GREATER THAN ABOUT 100, THE SORPTION OF NITROGEN BASE BEING MADE IN THE ABSENCE OF POLAR SOLVENTS FOR THE NITROGEN BASE SO THAT EXCHANGE OF AMMONIUM IONS FOR METAL CATIONS OF THE SIEVE DOES NOT OCCUR, THAN CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE WITH SAID BASE-CONTAINING MOLECULAR SIEVE, RECOVERING SAID NON-SORBABLE HYDROCARBONS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SORBABLE HYDROCARBONS FROM THE EFFLUENT, CONTINUING CONTACT OF SAID MIXTURE UNTIL THE SORPTION CAPACITY OF SAID SIEVE FOR SORBABLE HYDROCARBONS IS SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED, DISCONTINUING CONTACT OF SAID MIXTURE AND REGENERATING SAID SIEVE.