Process for hydrotreatment of materials from renewable sources

A process for hydroprocessing a renewable feedstock comprising the steps of:

• introducing the renewable feedstock and hydrogen in a downward flow into a top portion of the fixed-bed reactor;
• distributing the downward flow to a top surface of a first catalyst bed in a manner such that the top surface is uniformly wetted across the reactor cross section;
• allowing the renewable feedstock to flow downwardly through the first catalyst bed;
• reacting the renewable feedstock in the catalyst bed under hydroprocessing conditions sufficient to cause a reaction selected from the group consisting of hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygenation, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrodesulphurization, hydrodemetallization, hydrocracking, hydroisomerization, and combinations thereof to produce a hydrocarbon effluent;
• separating a hydrocarbon liquid stream from the hydrocarbon effluent;
• and
• recycling the hydrocarbon liquid to the renewable feedstock in a ratio of 0.4:1 to 1.8:1, based on the volume of the renewable feedstock.