PROCESSING OF SPENT PETROLEUM RESID DESULFURIZATION CATA- LYSTS FOR VALUE RECOVERY AND HAZARDOUS WASTE ELIMINATION

ABOUT 28 MILLION POUNDS OF SPENT HYDROTREATING CATALYST CONTAINING $23,000,000 IN RECOVERABLE CHEMICALS WAS DIS POSED OF IN THE UNITED STATES DURING 1985. ONLY 20% OF THE SPENT CATALYST UNDERWENT SOME FORM OF RECLAMATION PROCESS- ING. THE AMOUNT OF SPENT HYDROTREATING CATALYST REQUIRING DISPOSAL IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE BY 1994 WITH THE EX DISPOSAL IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE BY 1994 WITH THE HYDRODESUL- FURIZATION CATALYST USED TO UPGRADE PETROLEUM RESIDUALS (RDS CATALYST) TRIPLING TO 30 MILLION LBS/YR. THE TREATMENTAND DISPOSAL OF THESE MATERIALS IS OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN WITHIN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY DUE TOTHE AMOUNTS ANTICIPATED, ITS PYROPHORIC NATURE AND THE PRES-ENCE OF LEACHABLE HEAVY METALS, HYDROCARBONS AND SULFIDES BOTH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY RECOGNIZE WASTE REDUC TION AS THE MOST DESIRABLE METHOD OF HAZARDOUS WASTE MAN- AGEMENT. THIS PROPOSAL IS FOR THE VERIFICATION OF A PROCESS TO RE- COVER ALL FOR THE METAL AND CHEMICAL VALUES FROM SPENT RDS CATALYST IN A MANNER WHICH ELIMINATES ANY HAZARDOUS WASTE CONSIDERATIONS. THE PROPOSING COMPANY HAS DEMONSTATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A SIMILAR PROCESS WITH SPENT HYDRODESUL- FURIZATION CATALYSTS USED IN NAPTHA AND GAS-OIL PROCESSES (HDS CATALYST). BECAUSE OF THE HEAVIER FEED MATERIAL PROC- ESSED, RDS CATALYSTS CONTAIN CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF HYDRO- CARBONS AND COKE AS WELL AS VANADIUM, NICKEL AND ARSENIC RE-TAINED FORM THE TREATED CRUDES THEMSELVES.