Patent ID: 7807046

Claim:
A method of producing a crude product, comprising: contacting a crude feed with one or more catalysts to produce a total product that includes the crude product, wherein the crude product is a liquid mixture at 25° C. and 0.101 MPa, the crude feed comprising one or more alkali metal salts of one or more organic acids, alkaline-earth metal salts of one or more organic acids, or mixtures thereof, the crude feed having, per gram of crude feed, a total content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids of at least 0.00001 grams, at least one of the catalysts having a pore size distribution with a median pore diameter of at least 250 Å, as determined by ASTM Method D4284, and the catalyst having a pore size distribution comprising a support and one or more metals from Column 6 of the Periodic Table, one or more compounds of one or more metals from Column 6 of the Periodic Table, or mixtures thereof; the support comprising at least 0.5 grams of theta alumina per gram of support; and controlling contacting conditions such that the crude product has a total content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids of at most 90% of the content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids in the crude feed, wherein content of alkali metal, and alkaline-earth metal, in metal salts of organic acids is as determined by ASTM Method D1318.