Hydroprocessing catalysts and methods for making thereof

A process for preparing a slurry catalyst for use in the upgrade of heavy oil feedstock, comprising:

• providing a metal precursor solution comprising at least a water soluble salt of a Primary metal selected from any of a Group VIB metal and a Group VIII metal in a water diluent, the metal precursor solution having a pH of at least 4 and a concentration of less than 10 wt. % of the Primary metal in solution;
• providing a metal precursor solution comprising at least a water-soluble salt of a Promoter metal selected from any of Group IVB metals, Group VIII metals, and Group IIB metals;
• sulfiding the metal precursor solution with a sulfiding agent, forming a sulfided catalyst precursor;
• and
• sulfiding the at least a metal precursor solution comprising at least a water-soluble salt of a Promoter metal with a sulfiding agent, forming a sulfided Promoter metal precursor;
• mixing the sulfided catalyst precursor with a hydrocarbon diluent to form the slurry catalyst wherein a slurry catalyst prepared therefrom has an average particle size ranging from 1 to 300 μm, a BET total surface area of at least 100 m2/g, a polymodal pore distribution with at least 80% of pore sizes in the range of 5 to 2,000 Angstroms in diameter, and a total pore volume of at least 0.5 cc/g.
• mixing the sulfided Promoter metal precursor into the sulfided catalyst precursor prior to mixing the sulfided catalyst precursor with the hydrocarbon diluent.