Method of treating a used platinum group alumina catalyst with a metal promoter

A method for producing a composition which comprises:

• 1. contacting a solid catalyst comprising a major portion of alumina derived from hydrous alumina predominating in alumina trihydrate and a catalytically effective amount of from about 0.05% to about 3.0% by weight of at least one platinum group metal component calculated on an elemental basis in a reaction zone with a hydrocarbon in the presence of hydrogen at hydrocarbon conversion conditions to chemically convert said hydrocarbon and form carbonaceous deposits on said solid catalyst;
• 2. contacting said solid catalyst with an oxygen-containing gas to remove at least a portion of said carbonaceous deposits and from a regenerated solid catalyst;
• 3. repeating steps (1) and (2) until the surface area of the regenerated solid catalyst is reduced to form about 20% to about 90% of the surface area of the solid catalyst used in first performing step (1) to form a decreased area solid catalyst;
• and
• (4.) treating said decreased area solid catalyst with a rhenium component to produce a treated catalyst containing from about 0.01% to about 5% by weight of said rhenium calculated on an elemental basis having improved catalytic activity stability relative to said solid catalyst first used in step (1).