Process for purification of hydrocarbons

A continuous process for the removal of sulfur contaminants from a hydrocarbon stream, comprising:

• (a) providing a gaseous hydrocarbon stream having sulfur contaminants, but having less than 10 ppmw of said sulfur contaminants as thiophenes, to a bed of adsorbent material, said material having at least one Group VIII metal compound with at least one Group VI, IA, IIA, or IB metal compound on an inorganic metal oxide support material, at a temperature of up to about 150° C. and about 1 bar (100 kPa) to about 200 bar (20,000 kPa), without substantial added hydrogen, to adsorb said contaminants;
• (b) periodically stopping said providing of said gaseous hydrocarbon feed stream of (a) when said sulfur contaminants begin to increase in said treated gaseous hydrocarbon feed stream to a level not greater than 300 ppmw;
• (c) then, regenerating said adsorbent bed by introducing at least one regenerant, in any order, in the place of said stream, either in a concurrent or countercurrent direction, to at least said adsorbent bed for a period of time sufficient to regenerate a majority of adsorbed contaminates in the adsorbent material;
• and,
• (d) continuing to alternate (a) with (b) plus (c) as needed to maintain a sulfur contaminant level in said treated gaseous hydrocarbon feed of less than 300 ppmw.