Patent ID: 8227650

Claim:
A process for the selective hydrogenation of acetylenes and dienes in a mixed hydrocarbon stream comprising contacting a mixed hydrocarbon stream including ethylene, acetylenes and dienes and hydrogen with a catalyst comprising (A) 1 to 30 wt. % based on the total weight of the catalyst of a catalytic component of nickel and one or more modifiers selected from the group consisting of copper, rhenium, palladium, zinc, gold, silver, magnesium, molybdenum, calcium and bismuth deposited on (B) a support having the a BET surface area of from 1 to about 100 m 2 /gram, total nitrogen pore volume of from 0.2 to about 0.9 cc/gram and an average pore diameter of from about 110 to 450 Å under conditions of temperature and pressure to selectively hydrogenate acetylenes and dienes; wherein the selective hydrogenation catalyst comprises less than about 5 wt % of the one or more modifiers, based on the total weight of nickel in (A).