Patent ID: 7749376

Claim:
A process for the adsorption of sulfur from a liquid hydrocarbon feed stream comprising: preparing an adsorbent from a mixed metal hydroxycarbonate precursor that includes copper, zinc and aluminum such that about 1% to about 60% of the aluminum is intercalated in a hydrotalcite, wherein the hydrotalcite is defined as (Cu,Zn) 6 Al 2 (OH) 16 CO 3 .4H 2 O, the adsorbent comprises about 30 wt % to about 60 wt % copper oxide, about 20 wt % to about 50 wt % zinc oxide, and about 5 wt % to about 50 wt % aluminum oxide, and the adsorbent has a copper surface area of at least about 15 m 2 /g; and contacting the adsorbent with a liquid hydrocarbon feed stream at a temperature of about 300° F., at a pressure of about 50 psig to about 250 psig, and at a Liquid Hourly Space Velocity (LHSV) of about 1 per hour to about 10 per hour, wherein the liquid hydrocarbon feed stream includes one or more sulfur compounds and the adsorbent adsorbs the sulfur compounds in the liquid hydrocarbon feed stream.