Compositions and methods for restoring catalytic activity by dissolving soft coke with a solvent, one method including detecting soft coke deposition on a catalyst composition; preparing an aromatic bottoms composition with a Hildebrand solubility parameter of at least about 20 SI to remove the soft coke from the catalyst composition; and washing the catalyst composition with the aromatic bottoms composition until at least a portion of the soft coke deposition is removed.

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for treating, sorting and recycling an oil-containing discharged catalyst. There is provided a method for treating, sorting and recycling an oil-containing discharged catalyst, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (A) cyclonic washing and on-line activation of a discharged catalyst; (B) cyclonic spinning solvent stripping of the catalyst; (C) gas stream acceleration sorting of a high activity catalyst; (D) cyclonic restriping and particle capture of the high activity catalyst; and (E) cooling of the gas and condensation removal of the solvent. There is further provided an apparatus for treating, sorting and recycling an oil-containing discharged catalyst.

The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for treating, sorting and recycling an oil-containing discharged catalyst. There is provided a method for treating, sorting and recycling an oil-containing discharged catalyst, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (A) cyclonic washing and on-line activation of a discharged catalyst; (B) cyclonic spinning solvent stripping of the catalyst; (C) gas stream acceleration sorting of a high activity catalyst; (D) cyclonic restriping and particle capture of the high activity catalyst; and (E) cooling of the gas and condensation removal of the solvent. There is further provided an apparatus for treating, sorting and recycling an oil-containing discharged catalyst.

A catalyst structure includes a porous support structure, where the support structure includes an aluminosilicate material and any two or more metals loaded in the porous support structure selected from Ga, Ag, Mo, Zn, Co and Ce. The catalyst structure is used in a hydrocarbon upgrading process that is conducted in the presence of methane, nitrogen or hydrogen.

A catalytic upgrading process includes introducing a feed comprising crude oil to a first catalytic deasphalting reactor to deasphalt the feed, thereby producing polymerized asphaltenes and deasphalted oil (DAO). The DAO is introduced to a steam cracking unit, thereby producing pyrolysis gas (PG), which is introduced into a selective hydrogenation unit, thereby producing an olefin-free product, which can then be introduced to a separation unit. The resulting benzene-toluene-xylenes (BTX)-containing stream and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) are separated, and the BTX-containing stream is introduced to a BTX complex to produce refined BTX. After deasphalting, a wash solvent may be introduced into the first catalytic deasphalting reactor to remove the polymerized asphaltenes, regenerate the catalyst, and produce a mixture comprising the wash solvent and the polymerized asphaltenes. The wash solvent is separated from the polymerized asphaltenes.

Methods of treating hydroconversion catalysts used for cracking of hydrocarbons are described. A method can include mixing an inactive hydroconversion catalyst with a solid hydrocarbon containing material having a melting point of 50° C. or greater. The inactive hydroconversion catalyst/solid hydrocarbon containing material mixture can be contacted with a gaseous stream that includes hydrogen (H.sub.2) and a sulfur-containing compound under conditions sufficient to sulfide the catalyst and carbonize at least a portion of the hydrocarbon containing material on the sulfided catalyst to obtain a treated sulfided hydroconversion catalyst.

Methods of treating hydroconversion catalysts used for cracking of hydrocarbons are described. A method can include mixing an inactive hydroconversion catalyst with a solid hydrocarbon containing material having a melting point of 50° C. or greater. The inactive hydroconversion catalyst/solid hydrocarbon containing material mixture can be contacted with a gaseous stream that includes hydrogen (H.sub.2) and a sulfur-containing compound under conditions sufficient to sulfide the catalyst and carbonize at least a portion of the hydrocarbon containing material on the sulfided catalyst to obtain a treated sulfided hydroconversion catalyst.

A method includes the steps of (a) contacting a solvent having a Water Solubility of 1 g or greater per 100 g of water with a metallosilicate catalyst having an alumina to silica ratio from 5 to 1500; and (b) heating the metallosilicate catalyst to a temperature from 125 C to 300 C fora period of 0.5 hours to 5 hours.

A method includes the steps of (a) contacting a solvent having a Water Solubility of 1 g or greater per 100 g of water with a metallosilicate catalyst having an alumina to silica ratio from 5 to 1500; and (b) heating the metallosilicate catalyst to a temperature from 125 C to 300 C fora period of 0.5 hours to 5 hours.

A catalyst structure includes a porous support structure, where the support structure includes an aluminosilicate material. Any two or more metals are loaded in the porous support structure, the two or more metals selected from the group consisting of Ga, Ag, Mo, Zn, Co and Ce, where each metal loaded in the porous support structure is present in an amount from about 0.1 wt % to about 20 wt %. In example embodiments, the catalyst structure includes three or more of the metals loaded in the porous support structure. The catalyst structure is used in a hydrocarbon upgrading process that is conducted in the presence of methane, nitrogen or hydrogen.