Hydrocarbon purification process and catalyst therefor

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF HYDROCARBONS CONTAMINATED WITH SULFUROUS AND NITROGENOUS COMPOUNDS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE CONTAMINATED HYDROCARBONS IN A HYDROREFINING REACTION ZONE WITH A COMPOSITE OF GIBBSITE ALUMINA, ALUMINA-SILICA CRACKING CATALYST CONTAINING 65% TO ABOUT 90% BY WEIGHT OF SILICA AND AT LEAST ONE METALLIC COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE METALS OF GROUPS VI-A AND VIII OF THE PERIODIC TABLE AND COMPOUNDS THEREOF AT A LIQUID HOURLY SPACED VELOCITY OF FROM ABOUT 1 FROM ABOUT 1.0 TO ABOUT 20.0 UNDER A HYDROGEN PRESSURE OF FROM ABOUT 100 TO ABOUT 1000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE AND AT AN INLET TEMPERATURE TO SAID ZONE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 200* F. TO ABOUT 750* F., REMOVING A MIXTURE OF NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND NORMALLY GASEOUS MATERIAL CONTAINING HYDROGEN SULFIDE AND AMMONIA FROM SAID HYDROREFINING REACTION ZONE AND THEREAFTER SEPARATING SAID NORMALLY GASEOUS MATERIAL FROM SAID MIXTURE TO RECOVER SAID NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SULFUROUS AND NITROENOUS COMPOUNDS.