Methods for upgrading of contaminated hydrocarbon streams
AssigneeAuterra, Inc.
InventorsJonathan P. Rankin, Jennifer L. Vreeland, Kyle E. Litz, Tracey M. Jordan, Mark N. Rossetti, Eric H. Burnett, Trent A. McCaskill
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Abstract
A method of upgrading a heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed by removing heteroatom contaminants is disclosed. The method includes contacting the heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed with an oxidant and an immiscible acid to oxidize the heteroatoms, contacting the oxidized- heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed with caustic and a selectivity promoter, and removing the heteroatom contaminants from the heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed. The oxidant may be used in the presence of a catalyst.
Claims30
A method of upgrading a heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed by removing heteroatom contaminants, the method comprising:
- contacting the heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed with an oxidant, producing an oxidized heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed;
- contacting the oxidized heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed with at least one caustic and at least one selectivity promoter under biphasic conditions;
- forming hydrocarbon products and sulfate salts;
- and
- removing the sulfate salts from the oxidized heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed.
A method of upgrading a heteroatom-containing hydrocarbon feed by removing heteroatom contaminants, the method comprising oxidizing dibenzothiophenes in the heteroatom-containing feed to sulfones, contacting the sulfones under oxidizing biphasic conditions with an oxidant to remove at least a portion of the heteroatom contaminants, then reacting the sulfones with caustic and a selectivity promoter to produce a substantially heteroatom free hydrocarbon product and sulfate salts, and separating the substantially heteroatom-free hydrocarbon product for fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.