Patent ID: 7538066

Claim:
A method for preparing a catalyst composition, which method comprises: (a) impregnating an inorganic catalyst support with an effective amount of a salt of a metal selected from the rare earth metals and yttrium; (b) drying said impregnated catalyst support to remove substantially all water; (c) calcining said dried impregnated catalyst support to produce a modified catalyst support; (d) impregnating said modified catalyst support with an aqueous solution having a pH of greater than 3.8 containing (i) a salt of a Group VIII metal selected from Co and Ni, (ii) a salt of a Group VI metal selected from Mo and W, and (iii) an effective amount of an organic agent selected from amino alcohols and amino acids; (e) drying said impregnated modified catalyst support to remove substantially all water, thereby resulting in a metal-organic on catalyst support precursor; (f) calcining said dried modified catalyst precursor at calcination temperatures and in an oxygen-containing atmosphere wherein at least a portion of the organic portion of the catalyst precursor is oxidized; (g) sulfiding said partially oxidized catalyst precursor at sulfiding conditions in the presence of a sulfiding agent, thereby resulting in a sulfided catalyst composition.