Hydrocarbon purification process and catalyst

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF HYDROCARBONS AND MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBONS, CONTAINING UNDESIRABLE CONTAMINANTS, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID HYDROCARBONS WITH A HYDRODESULFURIZATION CATALYST CONTAINING AN REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER AN AIMPOSED HYDDROGEN PRESSURE; SAID HYDRODESULFURIZATION CATALYST CONTAINING AN ALUMINA-SILICA CARRIER MATERIAL COMPOSITED WITH THE SULFIDES OF MOLYBDENUM AND NICKEL AND HAVING BEEN PREPARED BY SULFIDING ALUMINA-SILICA-MOLYBDENUM OXIDE-NICKEL OXIDE WITH A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND HYDROGEN OVER A TEMPERATURE RANGE INCREASING FROM ABOUT 400*F. TO ABOUT 750-800%F. AND THEREAFTER COOLING THE SULFIDED COMPOSITE TO BELOW 400*F. WHILE MAINTAINED UNDER A POSITIVE PRESSURE OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE, REMOVING FROM SAID HYDROGENATION REACTION ZONE A MIXTURE OF NORMALLY GASEOUS MATERIAL AND SATURATED NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS; AND THEREAFTER SEPARATING SAID MIXTURE INTO A GASEOUS PHASE AND A LIQUID PHASE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM THE AFORESAID UNDESIRABLE CONTAMINANTS.