Catalytic hydroprocessing of SRC-II heavy distillate fractions. 3. Hydrodesulfurization of the neutral oils

Heavy distillate prepared from a bituminous coal by hydroliquefaction was separated into 9 fractions by preparative liquid chromatography. The neutral oils fraction was investigated in catalytic hydroprocessing experiments using a standard NiMo-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ catalyst. The predominant reaction was hydrodesulphurisation. Individual compounds were determined by gas chromatography and quantitative kinetics were obtained for conversion of the major organosulphur compounds. A coal-derived liquid such as the neutral oils, lacking organonitrogen compounds, might be an attractive commercial feedstock, provided that it could be separated economically from the remainder of the coal-derived liquid.