Simultaneous upgrading and dedusting of liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks

A process for simultaneously upgrading and dedusting liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks comprising the steps of:

• (a) injecting dust particulate-laden raw effluent product stream from a retort feed line into an ebullated bed hydrotreater;
• (b) agitating the product stream with a hydrotreating gas upstream of said hydrotreater to substantially prevent settling of particulate matter in the feed line;
• (c) agglomerating said particulates to enhance solid-liquid separation and removing at least 90% of sulfur and nitrogen contaminants to produce synthetic crude oil by hydrotreating said product stream in the presence of a hydroprocessing catalyst at a temperature of from about 760.degree. to about 825.degree. F., under a hydroprocessing gas pressure of from about 1500 to about 2500 psi and at a space velocity of from about 0.1 to about 6.0 hr.sup.-1 ;
• (d) substantially removing the agglomerated particulates from the hydrotreated oil;
• (e) extracting the oil with aqueous sulfuric acid to reduce the nitrogen content thereof;
• and
• (f) water washing the extracted oil to substantially remove the sulfuric acid therefrom.

A process for concurrently upgrading and dedusting liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks comprising the steps of:

• (a) retorting oil shale to liberate an effluent stream of dust laden hydrocarbons;
• (b) feeding the raw, dust-laden retort effluent product stream into a catalytic hydrotreater;
• (c) agitating the product stream in the hydrotreater to constantly maintain the dust particles in suspension within the oil;
• (d) catalytically hydrotreating the agitated product stream in the presence of a hydroprocessing gas at a pressure of from about 500 to about 3000 psi, a temperature of from about 650.degree. to about 850.degree. F. and a space velocity of from 0.1 to 6.0 hr.sup.-1, whereby the suspended particulates are agglomerated to facilitate solid-liquid separation and at least 90% of sulfur and nitrogen contaminants are simultaneously removed from the resulting upgraded oil;
• and (e) mechanically separating the aggolomerated particulates from the upgraded whole oil.