Patent ID: 8491784

Claim:
A process for cracking a hydrocarbon-containing feedstock, comprising: mixing, at a temperature selected from 375° C. to 500° C. and a total pressure selected from the range of from 6.9 MPa to 27.5 MPa: a) a hydrocarbon-containing feedstock containing at least 20 wt. % hydrocarbons having a boiling point of greater than 538° C. as determined in accordance with ASTM Method D5307; b) hydrogen; and c) a catalyst prepared by mixing a first salt and a second salt in an aqueous mixture under anaerobic conditions, where, during mixing the first and second salts in the aqueous mixture, the aqueous mixture is maintained at a temperature of from 15° C. to 150° C., and wherein the first salt comprises a cationic component in any non-zero oxidation state selected from the group consisting of Cu, Fe, Ag, Co, Mn, Ru, La, Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, Dy, Ni, Zn, Bi, Sn, Pb, and Sb, and wherein the second salt comprises an anionic component selected from the group consisting of MoS 4 2− , WS 4 2− , SnS 4 4− , and SbS 4 3− , where the first and second salts are dispersible in the aqueous mixture, and separating a solid from the aqueous mixture to produce a solid material comprised of a plurality of cationic components from the first salt and a plurality of anionic components from the second salt where at least a portion of the cationic components from the first salt are bonded with at least a portion of the anionic components from the second salt in two or more repeating units, where the catalyst is comprised of the solid material; where the hydrocarbon-containing feedstock, catalyst, and hydrogen form a mixture upon mixing; and while mixing the mixture at the selected temperature and selected pressure, separating a vapor comprising a hydrocarbon-containing product from the mixture, where the hydrocarbon-containing product is comprised of one or more hydrocarbon compounds that are liquid at standard temperature and pressure.