Hydrocarbon denitrogenation

Claim 1

THE CYCLIC PROCESS FOR DENITROGENATING A HYDROCARBON MIXTURE CONTAINING NORMALLY INCIDENT ORGNAIC NITROGEN COMPOUND CONTAMINANTS WHICH COMPRISES: (1) CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE WITH A LEAN GRANULAR SOLID ADSORBENT ESSENTIALLY COMPRISING A PARTIALLY DEHYDRATED ZEOLITIC METALLO ALUMINO SILICATE HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PORES BETWEEN AND 7 A. AND ABOUT 13 A. IN DIAMETER AND HAVING ADSORBED THEREON A DISPLACEMENT EXCHANGE MEDIUM ESSENTIALLY COMPRISING AN ORGANIC NITROGEN BASE, WHEREBY THERE IS FORMED A RICH ADSORBENT ESSENTIALLY COMPRISING SAID SILICATE HAVING ADSORBED THEREON THE ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPONENTS OF SAID MIXTURE AND A RAFFINATE PRODUCT COMPRISING NON-ADSORBED HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS OF SAID MIXTURE AND DESORBED DISPLACEMENT EXCHANGE MEDIUM, (2) SEPARATING SAID RAFFINATE PRODUCT FROM SAID RICH ADSORBENT, (3) CONTACTING SAID RICH ADSORBENT WITH SAID DISPLACEMENT EXCHANGE MEDIUM, WHEREBY SAID ADSORBENT IS RETURNED TO THE AFORESAID LEAN STATE AND THERE IS OBTAINED AN EXTRACT PRODUCT COMPRISING DESORBED ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPONENTS OF SAID MIXTURE AND SAID DISPLACEMENT EXCHANGE MEDIUM, (4) SEPARATING SAID EXTREACT PRODUCT FROM SAID LEAN ADSORBENT, (5) RETURNING THE LEAN ADSORBENT TO STEP (1), (6) SEPARATELY TREATING SAID SEPARATED RAFFINATE AND EXTRACT PRODUCTS TO SEPARATE THE DISPLACEMENT EXCHANGE MEDIUM THEREFROM, AND (7) RETURNING SEPARATED DISPLACEMENT EXCHANGE MEDIUM TO STEP (3).