In order to develop a new sulfur-tolerant noble metal catalyst with signifi
cantly increased catalytic activity for aromatic hydrogenation, the screeni
ng tests of the various non-zeolitic noble metal catalysts were carried out
with hydrotreated light cycle oil (LCO)/straight-run light gas oil (SRLGO)
feed containing 32-34 vol% aromatics and 172-474 ppm sulfur at a temperatu
re of 573 K, hydrogen pressure of 4.9 MPa, and LHSV of 1.5 h(-1). The Pt-Pd
/SiO2-Al2O3 catalyst was the most highly active catalyst for aromatic hydro
genation under the conditions applied. The co-existence of Pt with Pd on Si
O2-Al2O3 remarkably enhanced the catalytic activity, which depended on the
Pd/(Pt + Pd) weight ratio and reached a maximum of about 0.7 Pd/(Pt + Pd) w
eight ratio. Furthermore, the long-term stability test under industrial ope
rating conditions demonstrated the excellent stability of the Pd-Pd/SiO2-Al
2O3 catalyst. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.