Reactivation of a dehydrogenation catalyst

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF REACTIVATING A PARAFFIN DEHYDROGENERATION CATALYST COMPRISING A DEHYDROGENATING, DIFFICULTLY REDUCIBLE, HEAVY METAL OXIDE SUPPORTED ON A RELATIVELY INERT SUPPORTING MATERIAL, AND WHICH HAS BECOME SPENT BY ALTERNATE PARAFFIN DEHYDROGENATION AND REGENERATION WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS TO REMOVE BY BURNING OFF CARBON DEPOSITED THEREON DURING THE DEHYDROGENATION WHICH COMPRISES GRINDING SAID SPENT CATALYST, DIGESTING THE GROUND CATALYST WITH LIQUID CONCENTRATED NITRIC ACID, EVAPORATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE TO DRYNESS, HEATING THE RESIDUE TO DECOMPOSE THE NITRATE FORMED DURING THE DIGESTION STEP, COMMINUTING THE RESIDUE, MIXING IT WITH VOLATILE ORGANIC BINDER, SHAPING THE RESULTING MATERIAL INTO UNIFORMLY SHAPED BODIES, AND IGNITING SAID BODIES AT A TEMPERATURE AND FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REMOVE THE BINDER.