Improved liquid/liquid catalytic sweetening process.

摘要

A liquid/liquid sweetening process for catalytically oxidizing mercaptans in a sour hydrocarbon fraction is improved by the addition of a quaternary ammonium compound to the alkaline solution which contains a metal chelate catalyst such as a metal phthalocyanine and which in combination with an oxidizing agent has been used in the prior art as the sweetening agent. A preferred type of quaternary ammonium compound is a surfactant quaternary ammonium compound. A synergistic effect between the quaternary ammonium compound and the metal chelate is observed.