Method of preparing a supported hydrotreating catalyst

1. A method for preparing a sulfided catalyst composition, which method comprises: (a) impregnating an inorganic catalyst support with an aqueous solution containing (i) a salt of a Group VIII metal selected from Co and Ni, (ii) a salt of a Group VI metal selected from Mo and W, and (iii) an effective amount of an organic agent selected from amino alcohols and amino acids; (b) drying said impregnated catalyst support to remove substantially all water, thereby resulting in a metal-organic component on support catalyst precursor; (c) heating said substantially dried catalyst precursor in a heating step wherein the temperature is increased to above 200° C. but to less than about 325° C., in an oxygen-containing atmosphere wherein about 20 wt. % to about 80 wt. % of the organic portion is oxidized; (d) sulfiding said partially oxidized catalyst precursor at sulfiding conditions in the presence of a sulfiding agent, thereby resulting in a sulfided catalyst composition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the Group VIII metal is Co.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the Group VI metal is Mo.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the organic agent is an amino alcohol.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the amino alcohol is selected from the mon-, di-, and tri-, substituted aliphatic hydroxyalkylamines.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the amino alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanolamifle, di-methanolamine, tri-methanolamine, ethanolamine, di-ethanolamine, tri-ethanolamine, butanolamine, di-butanolamine, tri-butanolamine, propanolamine, di-propanaolamnine, tri-propanolamine, N,N,-dialkyl-ethanolamines, N-alkyl-diethanolamines, N-alkyl-ethanolamines, N,N ,-dialkyl-propanolamines, N-alkyl-dipropanolamines, N-alkyl-propanolamines, N,N,-dialkyl-propanolamines, N-alkyl-dipropanolamines, N-alkyl-propanolamines N,N,-dialkyl-propanolamines, N-alkyl -dipropanolamines, N-alkyl-propanolamines, N,N,-dialkyl-butonolamines, N-alkyl-dibutanolamines, N-alkyl-butanolamines, N,N,-dialkyl-butanolamines, N-alkyl-dibutanolamines, N-alkyl-butanolamines, N,N,-dialkyl-hexanolamines, N-alkyl-dihexanolamines, N-alkyl-hexanolamines, N,N ,-dialkyl-hexanolamines, N-alkyl-dihexanolamines, N-alkyl-hexanolamines, N,N,-dialkyl-heptanolamines, N-alkyl -diheptanolamines, N-alkyl heptanolamines, N,N ,-dialkyl-heptanolamines, N-alkyl-diheptanolamines, N-alkyl-heptanolamines.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the amino alcohol is triethanolamine.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the N-alkyl group is a hydrocarbon or substituted hydrocarbon group containing from 1 to 50 carbon atoms.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the hydrocarbon group is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, n-pentyl, isopentyl, n-hexyl, and isohexyl.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the organic agent is an amino acid.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the amino avid is selected from the group consisting of alanine, arginine, asparagines, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, 3,5-dibromotyrosine, 3,5, diiodotyrosine, glutanile acid, glutamine, glycinc, histidine, hydroxylysiflo hydroxyproline, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, thyroxine, tryptophane, tyrosile and valine.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the amino acid is arginine.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the sulfiding agent is a mixture of H 2 S and H 2 and the sulfiding temperatures range from about 360° C. to about 400° C.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said inorganic support is selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, silica-alumina, titania, and zirconia.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said inorganic support is selected from silica and alumina.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating step increases the temperature to about 250° C. to about 325° C.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous solution has a basic pH.