Regeneration of an alkylation catalyst with hydrogen

A method of regenerating an alkylation catalyst, said catalyst consisting essentially of 1) the reaction product of a first metal halide and the bound surface hydroxyl groups of refractory inorganic oxide and 2) a zerovalent second metal, where said first metal halide is a fluoride, chloride, or bromide and the first metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum-7 zirconium, tin, tantalum, titanium, gallium, antimony, phosphorus, and boron and any combination thereof, and said second zerovalent metal is selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium-7 nickel, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium and iridium, and any combination thereof, said catalyst having become at least partially deactivated during its catalysis of the liquid phase alkylation of an alkene having from 2 up to 6 carbon atoms with an alkane having from 4 up to about 6 carbon atoms, said method comprising removing all of the liquid phase from the catalyst, treating said catalyst with hydrogen at a partial pressure of from about 1 up to about 2000 psi for a time from about 1 un to about 20 hours, at a temperature from about 10 up to about 300.degree. C. in the presence of liquid alkane and a chloride source and recovering a regenerated catalyst having substantially increased activity.