Aromatics hydrogenolysis using novel mesoporous catalyst system

A process for the selective ring opening of ring-containing hydrocarbons in a distillate feed stream containing at least about 10% by weight of at least one ring-containing hydrocarbon, said process comprising:

• contacting the feed stream in a reaction zone with a ring opening catalyst under superatmospheric hydrogen pressure and a temperature range of 300° C. to 450° C.,
• wherein the ring opening catalyst contains at least one noble metal supported on a noncrystalline, porous inorganic oxide or mixture of inorganic oxides having at least 97 volume percent of interconnected mesopores based on micropores and mesopores and having an X-ray diffraction pattern including one peak in 2-theta between 0.5 degrees and 2.5 degrees, the catalyst includes a binder selected from silica and alumina and is formed into a predetermined shape, and
• wherein said at least one ring-containing hydrocarbon has at least one C6 ring and at least 3 carbon atoms contained in one or more substituents attached to the C6 ring wherein the substituents are selected from the groups consisting of fused 5-membered or 6-membered rings, alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl groups.

A process for the selective ring opening of ring-containing hydrocarbons in a distillate feed stream containing at least about 10% by weight of at least one ring-containing hydrocarbon, said process comprising:

• contacting the feed stream in a reaction zone with a ring opening catalyst under superatmospheric hydrogen pressure and a temperature range of 300° C. to 450° C.,
• wherein the ring opening catalyst contains iridium metal supported on a noncrystalline, porous silicon oxide having at least 97 volume percent of interconnected mesopores based on micropores and mesopores and having an X-ray diffraction pattern including one peak in 2-theta between 0.5 degrees and 2.5 degrees, the catalyst includes a binder selected from silica and alumina and is formed into a predetermined shape, and
• wherein said at least one ring-containing hydrocarbon has at least one C6 ring and at least 3 carbon atoms contained in one or more substituents attached to the C6 ring wherein the substituents are selected from the groups consisting of fused 5-membered or 6-membered rings, alkyl, cycloalkyl and aryl groups.