Patent ID: 7504023

Claim:
A method for reducing a naphthenic acidity of a feedstock of petroleum oils or of their liquid fractions, the method comprising the steps of: feeding the feedstock to a reactor; contacting, in the reactor, the feedstock with an adsorbent to cause a reduction of the napthenic acidity of the feedstock, wherein the adsorbent comprises a spent or coked FCC catalyst having a surface area of 60 to 250 m 2 /g, wherein a ratio of adsorbent to feedstock ranges from 0.1 to 5, wherein the reactor has a temperature between 200° C. and 500° C. and a pressure of 0.01 to 0.3 MPag, wherein the reactor has a residence time of between 1 second and 2 hours, wherein an effluent exiting the reactor comprises a treated feedstock with a reduced naphthenic acidity and the adsorbent, and wherein the reduction of the napthenic acidity of the feedstock occurs substantially by thermal treatment; and separating, in a liquid/solid separation system, the treated feedstock from the adsorbent.