Process for manufacturing olefins

Claim 1

In a multistage method for producing gasoline from a feed comprising methanol and/or dimethyl ether, which method comprises: contacting said feed with a first stage catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having a constraint index of 1 to 12 and a silica to alumina ratio of at least about 12, at a temperature of 600° F. to 900° F., a L.H.S.V. of 0.05 to 200, thereby converting said methanol and/or dimethyl ether to a first stage conversion product comprising steam and hydrocarbons comprising light olefins; contacting in a subsequent stage said first stage conversion product with a subsequent stage zeolite catalyst having a constraint index of 1 to 12 and a silica to alumina ratio of at least 12, said contacting being under aromatizing conditions at an elevated temperature up to about 1290° F., and a pressure of 0-1,000 p.s.i.g., thereby forming a subsequent stage conversion product; and recovering gasoline or gasoline blending stock from said subsequent stage product; the improvement, whereby reducing the durene content of said recovered gasoline or gasoline blending stock, which comprises, in combination: contacting said feed with said first stage catalyst at a subatmospheric inlet partial pressure of said feed, referred to methanol, of about 0.1 p.s.i.a. to about 12 p.s.i.a., and at a temperature and space velocity effective to convert at least 85% of said feed to said hydrocarbons.