Process for the manufacture of lubricating oils

Claim 1

A process for reducing the pour point of a hydrocarbon feedstock containing nitrogen and sulfur-containing compounds which comprises: passing the hydrocarbon feedstock to a solvent extraction zone wherein N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone is used to extract a portion of the aromatic compounds contained in the hydrocarbon and thereby form an extraction zone raffinate; passing at least a portion of the extraction zone raffinate to a hydrotreating zone wherein hydrogen is contacted with the extraction zone raffinate in the presence of a hydrotreating catalyst at hydrotreating conditions wherein a substantial portion of the nitrogen and sulfur-containing compounds are converted to hydrogen sulfide and ammonia to form a hydrotreating zone effluent; passing at least a portion of the effluent from the hydrotreating zone to a stripping zone wherein hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are removed from the hydrotreating zone effluent to form a stripping zone effluent; and passing at least a portion of the stripping zone effluent to a dewaxing zone wherein hydrogen is contacted with the stripping zone effluent at catalytic dewaxing conditions in the presence of a catalyst composition comprising a shape selective molecular sieve component and a hydrogenation component selected from the group consisting of Group VIB and Group VIII metals.