Patent ID: 7014751

Claim:
A method for upgrading a hydrocarbon containing mercaptans, comprising: (a) contacting the hydrocarbon under substantially anaerobic conditions with a first phase of a treatment composition containing water, alkali metal hydroxide, cobalt phthalocyanine sulfonate, and alkylphenols and having at least two phases, (i) the first phase containing dissolved alkali metal alkylphenylate, dissolved alkali metal hydroxide, water, and dissolved sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine, and (ii) the second phase containing water and dissolved alkali metal hydroxide; (b) extracting mercaptan sulfur from the hydrocarbon to the first phase; (c) separating an upgraded hydrocarbon; (d) conducting an oxidizing amount oxygen and the first phase containing mercaptan sulfur to an oxidizing region and oxidizing the mercaptan sulfur to disulfides; (e) separating the disulfides from the first phase; and then (f) conducting the first phase to step (a) for re-use.