Removal of nitrogen compounds from bitumen-derived gas oil and its impact on hydrotreating.

摘要

Nitrogen compounds present in bitumen and petroleum products cause significant inhibitory effects on processes such as catalytic cracking and hydrotreating due to poisoning of the catalyst. Consequently, selective removal of the nitrogen species may improve the efficiency of the above processes. Extraction of nitrogen compounds by complexation with copper chloride was found to be an efficient alternative; removal of all of the basic nitrogen and approximately 60% of the total nitrogen was accomplished. The novel invention in this study was the addition of liquid water which considerably improved both the rate of removal and the extent of removal, with no effect on the sulfur content.;Hydrotreating of the reduced-nitrogen extracts showed that the rate of sulfur removal was increased by a factor of 2.5 using a standard catalyst. Therefore, selective removal of nitrogen compounds would allow the use of smaller hydrotreaters and less severe operation conditions.