Process for hydrodearomatization of hydrocarbon oils using carbon supported metal sulfide catalysts promoted by phosphate

A process for treating a charge hydrocarbon oil containing undesired aromatic components, sulfur and nitrogen compounds, which comprises:

• maintaining a bed of a sulfided catalyst comprising 0.1 to 15% by weight of nickel;
• and from 1 to 50% by weight of tungsten and 0.01 to 10% by weight of phosphorus, on an activated carbon support,
• wherein the activated carbon support is characterized by a surface area of 600 to 2000 m.sup.2 /g, a pore volume for nitrogen of at least 0.3 cc/g and an average pore diameter of 12 to 100 .ANG.;
• passing a charge hydrocarbon feed in the presence of a gas selected from pure hydrogen and a gas mixture comprising greater than 60% by volume pure hydrogen into contact with said catalyst at hydrotreating conditions of 200.degree. C.-450.degree. C., a pressure of 200-3000 psig, a liquid hourly space velocity of 0.1-10 LHSV and a hydrogen feed rate of 200-10,000 SCFB, thereby effecting hydrodearomatization, hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation of said charge hydrocarbon feed containing undesired aromatic components, sulfur and nitrogen compounds, and forming a product stream of hydrocarbon containing a lesser quantity of undesired aromatic components, sulfur and nitrogen;
• and
• recovering said product stream of hydrocarbon containing a lesser quantity of undesired aromatic components, sulfur and nitrogen.