Catalyst and method for hydrodesulfurization of hydrocarbons

A process for hydrodesulfurization of a petroleum material product, the process for hydrodesulfurization comprising:

• providing an initial petroleum material having a high sulfur content;
• providing a bifunctional, oil-soluble catalyst comprised of a plurality of oil-soluble complexes, the oil-soluble complexes comprising:
• at least one type of catalytic metal that catalyzes the desulfurization of the petroleum material, wherein the at least one type of catalytic metal is selected from the group consisting of group IV-B metals, V-B metals, VI-B metals, group VII-B metals, group VIII-B metals, and combinations thereof,
• at least one type of attractor species that is selectively attracted to sulfur sites in the petroleum material, wherein the at least one type of attractor species is selected from the group consisting of Na, Ca, P, S, N, and combinations thereof,
• one or more first organic ligands directly bonded to each catalytic metal atom by one or more functional groups of the first one or more organic ligands so as to form oil-soluble catalyst complexes, and
• one or more second organic ligands directly bonded to each attractor species by one or more functional groups of the second one or more organic ligands so as to form oil-soluble attractor complexes;
• blending the bifunctional, oil-soluble catalyst with the initial petroleum material to form a feedstock mixture;
• and
• hydroprocessing the feedstock mixture in a reactor under hydrodesulfurization conditions in the presence of gaseous hydrogen, thereby forming a modified petroleum product having a decreased sulfur content compared to the initial petroleum material.

An oil-soluble, bi-functional catalyst for desulfurization of a hydrocarbon material, the oil-soluble, bi-functional catalyst comprising an organometallic compound or composition, the organometallic compound or composition comprising:

• oil-soluble attractor complexes comprising at least one type of attractor species that preferentially attracts the oil-soluble, bi-functional catalyst to sulfur sites in a hydrocarbon material that includes a proportion of sulfur-containing compounds, wherein each oil-soluble each attractor species is bonded to one or more ligands by one or more functional groups;
• oil-soluble catalyst complexes comprising at least one type of catalytic metal selected from the group consisting of group VIII-B metals, group VII-B metals, group VI-B metals, group V-B metals, or group IV-B metals, and combinations thereof, wherein each catalytic metal atom is bonded to one or more ligands by one or more functional groups;
• and
• wherein at least some of the organic ligands are optionally bonded to both an attractor species and a catalytic metal atom.