Integrated process for hydrotreating heavy oil, then manufacturing an alloy or steel using a carbon-based catalyst

A method comprising:

• (a) steaming a spent catalyst composition that had been used in hydrotreating a hydrocarbon oil by steam stripping the spent catalyst to thereby remove at least a portion of the hydrocarbon adsorbed thereon, said catalyst composition being selected from the group consisting of neat activated carbon or metal impregnated activated carbon, said metal impregnated activated carbon being impregnated with at least one metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, and mixtures thereof, said neat and metal impregnated activated carbon being selected from the group of activated carbons possessing a pore volume in the 100 .ANG. to 400 .ANG. pore diameter range of at least about 0.08 cc/g and an average pore diameter of from about 20 to 64 .ANG. consisting of Alfa.TM. carbon, Darco.RTM. carbon, Norit.RTM. ROX 0.8 carbon, Petrodarco A.TM. carbon and other lignite coal based activated carbons;
• (b) partially gasifying said steam stripped catalyst composition to produce synthesis gas and a catalyst residue;
• (c) directing said synthesis gas to a process for recovery of said synthesis gas or use of said synthesis gas for hydrocarbon synthesis;
• (d) manufacturing a steel or an alloy using said catalyst residue by a method selected from the group consisting of (a) adding the catalyst residue to a molten bath used to produce the steel or alloy and (b) extracting at least one of the metals present on the catalyst residue and then incorporating the extracted metal into the steel or alloy.

A method comprising:

• (a) preparing a catalyst composition, said catalyst composition comprising activated carbon having at least one metal deposited thereon, the metal being selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, and combinations thereof, the activated carbon consisting essentially of an activated carbon having a pore volume in the 100 .ANG. to 400 .ANG. pore diameter range of at least about 0.08 cc/g and an average pore diameter of from about 20 to about 54 .ANG.;
• (b) contacting a heavy oil with said catalyst composition under hydroprocessing conditions;
• (c) terminating contact between said heavy oil and said catalyst composition and recovering said catalyst composition;
• (d) contacting said recovered catalyst with at least one compound selected from steam, oxygen, or a mixture thereof, under conditions effective to partially gasify said catalyst, thereby producing a synthesis gas and a residue of the catalyst;
• (e) directing said synthesis gas into a hydrocarbon synthesis process;
• (f) manufacturing a steel or alloy using said catalyst residue by a method selected from the group consisting of (a) adding the catalyst residue to a molten bath used to produce the steel or alloy and (b) extracting at least one of the metals present on the catalyst residue and then incorporating the extracted metal into the steel or alloy.