A method for converting an alcohol to a hydrocarbon, the method comprising contacting said alcohol with a metal-loaded zeolite catalyst at a temperature of at least 100 C. and up to 550 C., wherein said alcohol can be produced by a fermentation process, said metal is a positively-charged metal ion, and said metal-loaded zeolite catalyst is catalytically active for converting said alcohol to said hydrocarbon.

The present invention relates to the field of dewaxing of hydrocarbon feeds. More in particular, it relates to the use of alkaline-treated mesoporous zeolites and catalysts encompassing the same for the dewaxing of hydrocarbon feeds. It was found that the zeolites and catalysts of the present invention can significantly reduce cracking of the hydrocarbon feed, and accordingly significantly reduce liquid hydrocarbon feed loss during processes such as dewaxing.

A feed mixture comprising at least one C.sub.3 olefin and/or at least one C.sub.4 olefin may be contacted with a zeolite catalyst under oligomerization reaction conditions to form a product mixture comprising a plurality of olefin oligomers. The zeolite catalyst, optionally with one or more further modifications, may be selected for operability at high WHSV values that may produce at least C.sub.12 olefins in the product mixture having an average branching index of about 2.2 or less. Under suitable conditions, C.sub.10-C.sub.13 olefins may comprise at least about 25% of the product mixture, M based on total olefin oligomers. Percentage conversion of the at least one C.sub.3 olefin and/or at least one C.sub.4 olefin may impact the average branching index of at least C.sub.12 olefin oligomers and selectivity for C.sub.10-C.sub.13 olefin oligomers. An amount of C.sub.4 olefin in the feed mixture may produce a targeted selectivity for at least C.sub.1 olefins.