Patent ID: 7731838

Claim:
A process for producing low sulfur diesel boiling range product comprising: (a) contacting a diesel boiling range feedstream having a boiling range of from about 451° F. to about 800° F., the feedstream containing organically bound sulfur molecules and nitrogen-containing compounds, with a material in a contacting stage operated under conditions effective at removing at least a portion of said nitrogen-containing compounds in said diesel boiling range feedstream thereby producing at least a contacting stage effluent comprising at least a diesel boiling range effluent containing organically bound sulfur molecules and having a reduced amount of nitrogen-containing compounds; and (b) contacting at least a portion of said contacting stage effluent (i) in a first reaction stage operated under conditions effective at isomerizing at least a portion of said organically bound sulfur molecules with a first catalyst comprising at least one solid acidic component having an alpha value in the range of about 1 to about 50 thereby producing at least a first reaction stage effluent; and (ii) in the presence of hydrogen-containing treat gas, in a second reaction stage operated under effective hydrotreating conditions with a second catalyst selected from hydrotreating catalysts comprising at least one Group VIII metal oxide and at least one Group VI metal oxide thereby producing at least a desulfurized diesel boiling range product stream.