Patent ID: 7427348

Claim:
A process for the preparation of middle distillates substantially without oxygenated organic compounds, starting from a synthetic mixture of partially oxygenated, substantially linear hydrocarbons, containing at least 20% by weight of a fraction having a distillation temperature higher than 370° C.; said process comprising: (i) separating said mixture into at least one low-boiling fraction (B) richer in oxygenated compounds, and at least one high-boiling fraction (A) less rich in oxygenated compounds; (ii) subjecting said fraction (B) to a hydrogenating treatment under such conditions as to avoid any substantial variation in its average molecular weight, to obtain a hydrogenated mixture of substantially non-oxygenated hydrocarbons; (iii) recombining at least 50% by weight of said hydrogenated mixture obtained in (ii) with said fraction (A), to form a mixture (C) of linear hydrocarbons with a reduced content of oxygenated hydrocarbons and subjecting said mixture (C) to a hydrocracking treatment in the presence of a suitable catalyst, so as to convert at least 40% of said high-boiling fraction into a fraction of hydrocarbons which can be distilled at a temperature lower than 370° C.; (iv) separating at least one fraction of hydrocarbons, from the product obtained in (iii), whose distillation temperature is within the range of middle distillates.