Selective hydrodesulfurization of cracked naphtha using hydrotalcite-supported catalysts

A process for treating a charge fluid catalytic cracked naphtha containing olefin components and undesired sulfur, which comprises:

• maintaining a bed of sulfided catalyst containing (i) a metal of non-noble Group VIII, and (ii) a metal of Group VI-B, and (iii) one or more metals of intentionally added Group I-A, and (iv) optionally one or more metals of intentionally added Group II-A, on a support consisting essentially of a hydrotalcite-like composition;
• passing the charge cracked naphtha containing olefinic components and undesired sulfur into contact with said catalyst in the presence of a gas selected from pure hydrogen and a gas mixture comprising greater than 60% by volume hydrogen;
• maintaining said charge cracked naphtha containing olefinic components and undesired sulfur in contact with said catalyst at hydrodesulfurizing conditions thereby effecting hydrodesulfurization of said charge cracked naphtha containing olefinic components and undesired sulfur and forming a product stream of desulfurized naphtha containing a decreased content of sulfur and retaining at least 50% of the olefin content of the charge cracked naphtha;
• and
• recovering said product stream of cracked naphtha containing a decreased content of sulfur;
• said hydrotalcite-like composition having the formula:
• ›X.sub.a Y.sub.b (OH).sub.c !.sub.n ›A!.sub.d.e.H.sub.2 O
• where
• a=1-10
• b=1-10
• 2(a+b)=4-40
• A is an anion of formal negative charge n
• n=an integer 1-4
• d is the formal positive charge of ›X.sub.a Y.sub.b (OH).sub.c !
• e=1-10
• X is a divalent metal
• Y is a trivalent metal of Group III or Group VI-B or non-noble Group VIII of the Periodic Table,
• subject to the qualification that when one of d or n is an integral multiple of the other, they are both reduced to the lowest integral terms.