Process of sweetening distillates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SWEETENING SOUR LIGHT PETROLEUM DISTILLATES BY CONVERSION OF MERCAPTANS THEREIN TO DISULFIDES BY USE OF A FIXED CATALYST BED OF INERT SOLID PARTICLES COATED WITH A CATALYST CONSISTING LARGELY OF LEAD SULFIDE, WHICH PROCESS IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE STEPS OF FLOWING THE SOUR DISTILLATE THROUGH SAID FIXED CATALYST BED HAVING IN CONTACT THEREWITH AN AMOUNT OF OXYGEN SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT THE MERCAPTANS TO DISULFIDES AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AN AQUEOUS LEAD SULFIDE CATALYST VITALIZING SOLUTION OF SODIUM SULFIDE SUPPLIED SEPARATELY FROM SAID DISTILLATE TO THE BED IN A MANNER TO CONTACT THE COATED PARTICLES THEREOF WITH SAID SODIUM SULFIDE SOLUTION, THEREBY MAINTAINING THE LEAD SULFIDE AS LEAD SULFIDE DURING THE TIME THE SOUR DISTILLATE IS FLOWING THROUGH SAID FIXED CATALYST BED, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING SWEETENED DISTILLATE FROM SAID FIXED CATALYST BED.