Process for producing styrene-, methylstyrene- and ethylbenzene-free C6-C9 aromatic hydrocarbon blends

Various substantially styrene-, methylstyrene- and ethylbenzene-free C6-C9 aromatic hydrocarbon blends are produced from a hydrocarbon feed stream containing C5-C9 aromatic hydrocarbons including styrene, methylstyrene and sulphur compounds by first separating the stream into a distillate containing C5-C7 hydrocarbons, and a bottoms fraction containing C8 and C9 hydrocarbons; and converting the styrene and methylstyrene to their corresponding ethers by reacting with a C1-C3 lower alcohol in the presence of a selective acidic etherification catalyst. The effluent may be sent to a gasoline pool for blending or the effluent is separated by distillation into an ether stream and either a C8 or a C8-C9 aromatic hydrocarbon rich stream. The C5-C7 distillate is hydrogenated.