Process for extracting high-purity aromatic hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbonaceous mixture

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS FROM MIXTURES WHICH CONTAIN SAID AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS ADMIXED WITH OTHER, NON-AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, COMPRISONG THE STEPS OF CONTACTING SAID HYDROCARBONACEOUS MIXTURES WITH A COMPOSITE SOLVENT MIXTURE CONSISTING OF FROM ABOUT 95% TO ABOUT 50% BY VOLUME, OF MORPHOLINE AND FROM ABOUT 5% TO ABOUT 50%, BY VOLUME, OF WATER AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE 0*C. TO 95*C., INCREASING THE WATER CONTENT OF THE SOLVENT DURING THE OPERATION, AND CONTINUING THE OPERATION UNTIL SUBSTANTIALLY ALL THE AROMATIC FRACTIONS OF SAID HYDROCARBONACEOUS MIXTURE HAVE BEEN EXTRACTED THEREFROM, SUBJECTING THE EXTRACT THUS OBTAINED TO AZEOTROPIC DISTILLATION AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT 100*C., CONTACTING SAID EXTRACT WITH A RECYCLED FRACTION CONSISTING OF ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS HAVING A BOILING POINT LOWER THAN THE BOILING POINT OF THAT AROMATIC HYDROCARBON TO BE RECOVERED WHICH HAS THE LOWEST BOILING POINT OF SUCH ARMATIC HYDROCARBONS, AND SEPARATING THE INDIVIDUAL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS THUS OBTAINED.