Preparation of components for refinery blending of transportation fuels

Abstract

Disclosed is a process to make environment friendly components for refinery blending of transportation fuels. The process involves contacting a petroleum distillate with an oxygen-containing gas at oxidation conditions in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst comprising a Group VII metal on a basic support to oxidize any sulfur and/or nitrogen-containing compounds in the distillate. A portion of these sulfur and/or nitrogen-containing compounds is then removed from the oxidation zone effluent.

1 . A process for reducing the sulfur and nitrogen content of a distillate feedstock to produce refinery transportation fuel or blending components for refinery transportation fuel wherein the feedstock contains heteroaromatic sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing organic impurities which process comprises:
 (a) contacting the feedstock with an oxygen-containing gas in an oxidation zone at oxidation conditions in the presence of catalyst comprising a Group VIII metal present in the catalyst in an amount ranging from about 2 percent to about 20 percent based on the total weight of the catalyst selected from the group consisting of the d-transition elements in the Periodic Table having atomic number from 21 to 30 inclusive, and a basic support selected from the group consisting of alkali oxides and alkaline earth oxides to convert the sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing organic impurities to oxygen-containing sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds; and   (b) separating a portion of the oxygen-containing sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds from the oxidation zone effluent as by distillation to a cut point temperature by which 90 percent of the sulfur-containing compounds in the feedstock would boil thereby rejecting a portion of the oxygen-containing sulfur compounds as residue, and recover a distillate effluent having a reduced amount of the sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds and a TAN number of less than 0.20. KOH/g.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the Group VIII metal is cobalt and the basic support is a member of the group consisting of magnesium oxide and calcium oxide. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the Group VIII metal is present in the oxidation catalyst in an amount ranging from about 4 wt. % to about 12 wt. % based on the total weight of the catalyst. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 8  wherein the Group VIII metal is cobalt and the basic support is magnesium oxide. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 8  wherein the distillation cut point is such that the distillate effluent possesses a sulfur content of less than about less than 5 ppm wt. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 8  wherein the distillation cut point is such that the distillate effluent possesses a nitrogen content of less than about less than 10 ppm wt.