Patent ID: 7192516

Claim:
A method of removing sulfur from a liquid hydrocarbon feed, the method comprising the steps of: (a) dissolving metallic sodium in a solvent to form a solution; (b) combining said solution with a liquid hydrocarbon feed to form a first combined stream, said liquid hydrocarbon feed having a portion comprising at least one organosulfur species, and said step of combining occurring at a first desired temperature and at a first desired pressure, said first desired pressure being above the vapor pressure of said solvent at said first desired temperature; (c) lowering the pressure of said first combined stream sufficiently to achieve vaporization of a substantial amount of said solvent from said first combined stream to produce a second composition; (d) combining said second composition with a hydrogen donor to form a third composition; (e) reacting said third composition for a sufficient time and at a sufficient temperature to form a fourth composition comprising a modified liquid hydrocarbon product containing sodium sulfide and a reduced amount of said organosulfur species; and (f) extracting a substantial amount of said sodium sulfide from said fourth composition leaving a modified liquid hydrocarbon product.