Process for the production of catalysts based on crystalline aluminosilicates and the use of catalyst so produced

Claim 1

In a process for the production of aromatic hydrocarbons at elevated temperature and in the vapor phase by contacting a C 2 to C 12 aliphatic hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst, the improvement which comprises employing as the catalyst a crystalline aluminosilicate having a silica to alumina molar ratio greater than 12:1 which crystalline aluminosilicate is obtained by mixing a source of silica, a source of alumina, a source of alkali metal, water and a source of ammonium ions in the absence of an alcohol or an alkylene oxide in the molar proportions expressed in the case of the silica and alumina sources in terms of the equivalent moles of the oxide, in the case of the alkali metal source in terms of the equivalent moles of the hydroxide, MOH, and in the case of the source of ammonium ions in terms of free ammonia: SiO 2 :Al 2 O 3 greater than 12:1 MOH:Al 2 O 3 in the range from 1:1 to 20:1 SiO 2 :NH 3 in the range from 1:1 to 200:1, and H 2 O:MOH in the range from 30:1 to 300:1, maintaining the mixture at elevated temperature for a period such that crystallisation occurs, recovering the crystalline aluminosilicate so-formed, cation-exchanging the recovered crystalline aluminosilicate with either gallium or aluminum cations and/or impregnating the recovered crystalline aluminosilicate with a solution of a gallium or aluminum compound and finally calcining the exchanged and/or impregnated crystalline aluminosilicate characterised in that either the recovered crystalline aluminosilicate or the cation-exchanged crystalline aluminosilicate or the metal impregnated crystalline aluminosilicate is washed with a solution containing either an organic base, a carboxylic acid, an alcohol, a glycol, a phenol or an ester.