Preparation of catalyst

1. A process for hydrocracking a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock, which process comprises: contacting a gaseous feedstock at a reaction temperature in the range of 250 to 500° C. and a total pressure at the reactor inlet in the range of from 3×10 6 to 3×10 7 Pa in the presence of hydrogen with a hydroconversion catalyst in which the gaseous feedstock contains less than 150 parts per million by weight of ammonia;

wherein said hydroconversion catalyst is made by the method comprising;

(a) preparing an aqueous mixture containing aluminum sulfate and having a pH in the range of from 1.0 to 6.5;

(b) adding alkali metal aluminate to the mixture obtained in step (a) to increase the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 7.1 to 12;

(c) adding aluminum sulfate to the mixture obtained in step (b) to lower the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 1.5 to 6.5;

(d) adding alkali metal silicate to the mixture obtained in step (c) to increase the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 6.5 to 11;

(e) adding aluminium sulfate to the mixture obtained in step (d) to lower the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 1.5 to 7.0; and

(f) adding alkali metal aluminate to the mixture obtained in step (e) to increase the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 7.5 to 12,

wherein the final steps of the preparation process are;

(v) adding aluminum sulfate to the mixture obtained in a process comprising steps (a)-(d) to lower the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 2 to 8;

(w) adding alkali metal silicate to the mixture obtained in step (v) to increase the pH of the mixture,

(x) adding to the mixture obtained in step (w) (i) alkali metal aluminate to change the pH of the mixture to of from 7.8 to 12 and (ii) aluminum sulfate to change the pH of the mixture to within the range of from 1.5 to 7.7, wherein step (i) can precede or succeed step (ii),

(y) treating the mixture obtained in step (x) with an alkali metal hydroxide solution having a pH of from 7.5 to 12,

(z) recovering a precipitate solid from the mixture obtained in step (y) to provide a recovered precipitate;

(zz) washing with water the recovered precipitate and drying the recovered and washed precipitate by flash drying, belt drying or spray drying to obtain a dried silica-alumina composition containing of from 30 to 70% wt silica and of from 70 to 30% wt of alumina, and having a surface area of from 320 m 2 /g to 450 m 2 /g, and

subsequently shaping the dried silica-alumina composition to provide a shaped silica-alumina composition and compositing the shaped silica-alumina composition with one or more metals or metal compounds which metals have been selected from the group consisting of Group VIB and Group VIII metals to obtain a hydrocarbon conversion catalyst.

2. The process according to claim 1 , which process comprises belt drying or flash drying the solid precipitate obtained in step (z).

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the silica-alumina composition obtained in step (z) has a surface area of from 330 m 2 /g to 420 m 2 /g.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein alkali metal aluminate is sodium aluminate.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein alkali metal silicate is sodium silicate.

6. The process according to claim 1 , which process comprises calcining the dried silica-alumina composition at a temperature of from 600 to 850° C.

7. The process according to claim 1 , which shaping step includes mixing the dried silica-alumina with water and acid to provide an extrusion mixture and subsequently extruding the extrusion mixture to yield the shaped silica-alumina composition.

8. The process according to claim 7 , in which process the acid is an inorganic acid.

9. The process according to claim 1 , which process further comprises drying and/or calcining the shaped silica-alumina composition.

10. The process according to claim 9 , which process comprises calcining the shaped silica-alumina composition at a temperature of from 600 to 850° C.