Solid acid assisted deep desulfurization of diesel boiling range feeds

A process for producing low sulfur diesel products comprising:

• (a) contacting a feedstream that includes 600° F.+ boiling compounds, has an initial boiling point of at least about 400° F., and has an end boiling point of about 800° F. or less, and that also contains organically bound sulfur molecules in the form of sterically hindered dibenzothiophenes and nitrogen-containing compounds, with a material in a contacting stage operated under conditions effective at removing at least a portion of said nitrogen-containing compounds in said feedstream thereby producing at least a contacting stage effluent containing organically bound sulfur molecules and having a reduced amount of nitrogen-containing compounds;
• (b) contacting at least a portion of said contacting stage effluent in a first reaction stage operated under conditions effective at isomerizing at least a portion of said organically bound sulfur molecules with a first catalyst comprising at least one solid acidic component having an alpha value in the range of about 1 to about 50 thereby producing at least a first reaction stage effluent;
• and
• (c) contacting, in the presence of hydrogen-containing treat gas, at least a portion of the first reaction stage effluent of step b) above in a second reaction stage operated under effective hydrotreating conditions with a second catalyst selected from hydrotreating catalysts comprising at least one Group VIII metal oxide and at least one Group VI metal oxide thereby producing at least a desulfurized diesel boiling range product stream.