Regeneration of and production of additional alumina from aluminum halidealumina catalyst

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR THE REGENERATION OF AN ALUMINUM HALIDE-ALUMINUM OXIDE-BASE COCATALYST WHICH CATALYST HAS UNDERGONE A DECREASE IN ACTIVITY DURING CONTACT WITH HYDROCARBON UNDER CONDITIONS TO OBTAIN A HYDROCARBON CONVERSION REACTION AND WHEREIN SAID COCATALYST IS CONTACTED WITH A LIQUID BEING SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF WATER, ALIPHATIC AALCOHOLS HAVING FROM 1 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, ALIPHATIC KETONES HAVING FROM 3 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND ALIPHATIC ETHERS HAVING FROM 2 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, WHEREBY THE ALUMINUM HALIDE IS REMOVED FROM THE COCATALYST BY SOLVATION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING PROVIDING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF BASE IN THE MIXTURE OF CATALYST AND SAID LIQUID TO ADJUST THE PH THEREOF TO WITHIN THE RANGE OF 4 TO 11 SO THAT THE ALUMINUM FROM THE ALUMINUM HALIDE IS PRECIPITATED AS ALUMINUM HYDROCXIDE, SEPARATING THE SOLID PORTION OF THE MIXTURE AND CALCINING THE SEPARATED SOLID PORTION AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 500 TO 1100*F. FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE VOLATILE MATTER CONTENT OF SAID SOLID BELOW ABOUT 6 WEIGHT PERCENT AS MEASURED BY LOSS ON IGNITION AT 1832*F., WHEREBY AN ACTIVE ALUMINUM OXIDE BASE SUITABLE FOR USE AS A COCATALYST HAVING MORE ALUMINUM OXIDE THAN ORIGINALLY PRESENT IS PRODUCED.