INTEGRATED PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ETHYLBENZENE AND CUMENE

An integrated process is described for the preparation of ethylbenzene and cumene, comprising the following stages: (a) contacting benzene and an olefin chosen from ethylene and propylene, in the presence of a catalyst containing one or more zeolites, (b) contacting the mixture resulting from the previous stage with an olefin chosen from ethylene and propylene, said olefin being different from that used in stage (a), and possibly with benzene, in the presence of a catalyst containing one or more zeolites, (c) subjecting the mixture resulting from stage (b) to separation in order to isolate at least one fraction containing ethylbenzene and a fraction containing cumene. A preferred aspect is that the olefin used in stage (a) is ethylene and the olefin used in stage (b) is propylene. In stage (c) a fraction containing polyalkylbenzenes to be sent to a transalkylation step for the recovery of further ethylbenzene and cumene, can also be isolated.