Systems, methods, and catalysts for producing a crude product

A method of producing a crude product, comprising:

• contacting a crude feed with one or more catalysts to produce a total product that includes the crude product, wherein the crude product is a liquid mixture at 25° C. and 0.101 MPa, the crude feed comprising one or more alkali metal salts of one or more organic acids, one or more alkaline-earth metal salts of one or more organic acids, or mixtures thereof, and the crude feed having, per gram of crude feed, at least 0.00001 grams of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids, and at least one of the catalysts is obtainable by:
• combining a support with one or more metals from Column 6 of the Periodic Table, one or more compounds of one or more metals from Column 6 of the Periodic Table, or mixtures thereof to produce a catalyst precursor;
• and
• producing the catalyst by heating the catalyst precursor in the presence of one or more sulfur containing compounds at a temperature below 500° C. without converting the one or more Column 6 metals to oxides;
• and
• controlling contacting conditions such that the crude product has a total content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids of at most 90% of the content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids in the crude feed, wherein content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids is as determined by ASTM Method D1318.