Process for the removal of mercaptans and hydrogen sulfide from hydrocarbon streams

A process for treating a light cracked naphtha distillate for use as an etherification and/or alkylation feed stock, comprising the steps of:

• (a) feeding a light cracked naphtha distillate containing mercaptans and/or hydrogen sulfide and diolefins to a distillation column reactor having a stripping zone and distillation reaction zone, said light cracked naphtha having a C.sub.6 + fraction and a C.sub.5 - fraction;
• (b) feeding hydrogen to said distillation column reactor in an amount sufficient to maintain the catalyst in the active form but below that which would cause flooding of the column
• (c) separating said C.sub.6 + fraction from said C.sub.5 - fraction in said stripping zone and distilling said C.sub.5 - fraction up into said distillation reaction zone;
• (d) concurrently in said distillation reaction zone
• (i) contacting the diolefins and mercaptans and/or hydrogen sulfide contained within said light cracked naphtha in the presence of hydrogen in a distillation reaction zone containing a Group VIII metal oxide catalyst supported on a particulate alumina base prepared in a form to act as a catalytic distillation structure thereby reacting a portion of said mercaptans and/or hydrogen sulfide with a portion of the diolefins to form sulfide products and a distillate product,
• (ii) selectively hydrogenating any remaining diolefins to mono-olefins, and
• (ii) separating said sulfides from said distillate product by fractional distillation;
• (e) withdrawing a C.sub.5 - distillate product from said distillation column reactor as overheads, said C.sub.5 - distillate product having a reduced hydrogen sulfide, mercaptan and diolefin content;
• and
• (f) withdrawing said sulfide products from said distillation column reactor as bottoms along with said C.sub.6+ fraction.

A process for treating a light cracked naphtha distillate for use as an etherification and/or alkylation feed stock, comprising the steps of:

• (a) feeding a light cracked naphtha distillate containing mercaptans, H.sub.2 S or mixtures thereof and a molar excess of diolefins to said mercaptans to a distillation column reactor having a stripping zone and distillation reaction zone, said light cracked naphtha having a C.sub.6 + fraction and a C.sub.5 - fraction;
• (b) feeding hydrogen to said distillation column reactor in an amount sufficient to maintain the catalyst in the active form but below that which would cause flooding of the column
• (c) separating said C.sub.6 + fraction from said C.sub.5 - fraction in said stripping zone and distilling said C.sub.5 - fraction up into said distillation reaction zone;
• (d) concurrently in said distillation reaction zone
• (i) contacting the diolefins and mercaptans contained within said light cracked naphtha in the presence of hydrogen in a distillation reaction zone containing a Group VIII metal oxide catalyst supported on a particulate alumina base prepared in a form to act as a catalytic distillation structure thereby reacting substantially all of said mercaptans with a portion of the diolefins to form sulfide products and a distillate product,
• (ii) selectively hydrogenating the remaining diolefins to mono-olefins, and
• (iii) separating said sulfides from said distillate product by fractional distillation;
• (e) withdrawing a C.sub.5 - distillate product from said distillation column reactor as overheads, said C.sub.5 - distillate product having a substantially reduced mercaptan and diolefin content;
• and
• (f) withdrawing said sulfide products from said distillation column reactor as bottoms along with said C.sub.6 + fraction.