Catalytic Reforming

Catalytic reforming is a chemical process that converts naphtha from crude oil into liquid products called reformates, premium blending stocks for high-octane gasoline, by converting low-octane linear hydrocarbons into branched alkanes and cyclic naphthenes that are then partially dehydrogenated into high-octane aromatic hydrocarbons. The dehydrogenation step also produces significant amounts of byproduct hydrogen gas, which is fed into other refinery processes such as hydrocracking and hydrodesulfurization. Beyond gasoline blending, reformate is the main industrial source of aromatic bulk chemicals such as benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene, used as raw materials for plastics, though the benzene content of reformate is carcinogenic and has led to regulations requiring further processing to reduce it. Catalytic reforming is distinct from catalytic steam reforming, which produces hydrogen, ammonia and methanol from natural gas or other feedstocks.