Patent ID: 8608943

Claim:
A process for removing a nitrogen compound from a vacuum gas oil comprising: (a) contacting the vacuum gas oil comprising the nitrogen compound with a VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid to produce a mixture comprising the vacuum gas oil and the VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid; and (b) separating the mixture to produce a vacuum gas oil effluent and a VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent, the VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent comprising the nitrogen compound; wherein the VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid comprises at least one ionic liquid from at least one of tetraalkylphosphonium dialkylphosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium dialkyl phosphinates, tetraalkylphosphonium phosphates, tetraalkylphosphonium tosylates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfates, tetraalkylphosphonium sulfonates, tetraalkylphosphonium carbonates, tetraalkylphosphonium metalates, oxometalates, tetraalkylphosphonium mixed metalates, tetraalkylphosphonium polyoxometalates, and tetraalkylphosphonium halides, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(hexyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(octyl)phosphonium chloride, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium bromide, tributyl(decyl)phosphonium chloride, tetrabutylphosphonium bromide, tetrabutylphosphonium chloride, triisobutyl(methyl)phosphonium tosylate, tributyl(methyl)phosphonium methylsulfate, tributyl(ethyl)phosphonium diethylphosphate, and tetrabutylphosphonium methanesulfonate; wherein the nitrogen content of the vacuum gas oil is reduced by at least 40-80%, said process further comprising contacting the VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent with a regeneration solvent and separating the VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid effluent from the regeneration solvent to produce an extract stream comprising the nitrogen compound and a regenerated VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid stream, wherein the regeneration solvent comprises water and the regenerated VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid stream comprises water and wherein the vacuum gas oil effluent comprises VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid, further comprising washing at least a portion of the vacuum gas oil effluent with water to produce a washed vacuum gas oil and a spent water stream, the spent water stream comprising the VGO-immiscible phosphonium ionic liquid; wherein at least a portion of the spent water stream is at least a portion of the regeneration solvent.