Method for reducing gasoline sulfur in fluid catalytic cracking

In a catalytic cracking process for cracking a hydrocarbon feed containing organosulfur compounds in the presence of a hot regenerated cracking catalyst, said catalyst having a product sulfur reduction component comprising a matrix of alumina or silica-alumina with clay and containing a cracking component comprising a zeolite which contains within its interior pore structure a metal component comprising vanadium in an oxidation state greater than zero, the improvement which comprises:

• providing a product sulfur reduction component which is a separate particle additive catalyst which has an average particle size greater than the average particle size of the cracking catalyst;
• regenerating both the cracking catalyst and the additive catalyst by contact with oxygen containing gas to produce a regenerated catalyst mixture;
• separating from the regenerated catalyst mixture a concentrated cracking catalyst stream comprising the regenerated cracking catalyst and a concentrated additive catalyst stream comprising the regenerated additive catalyst;
• exposing the concentrated additive catalyst stream to additional oxidative treatment by contact with oxygen containing gas to produce an oxidized additive catalyst stream;
• and
• recycling the oxidized additive catalyst stream to the catalytic cracking process.