Abstract: Impurities such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are removed from fluids such as natural gas, synthesis gas or liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons by contact with an aqueous alkanolamine solution which absorbs said impurities from the fluid. The resultant spent impurity-enriched absorbent amine stream containing the absorbed impurities is split into two streams; one stream being routed directly to the top of an amine regenerator column and the second stream being routed to a heat exchanger where it is heated en route to an intermediate point of the regenerator column by heat exchange with the hot regenerated solution coming from the bottom of the regenerator column. The spent amine stream which is passed without prior heating directly to the top of the regenerator column is heated by condensing steam in the column which would normally escape therefrom, thereby reducing the amount of "saturation" steam which is lost from the system.

Abstract: A cracking catalyst for promoting the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide during regeneration of the catalyst by the burning of coke therefrom, which comprises a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite, an inorganic porous oxide matrix material and a CO oxidation promoter, such as a Group VIII metal or compound thereof. The catalyst is preferably prepared by first supporting the CO oxidation promoter on an inorganic porous oxide base, such as alumina, and thereafter embedding the supported CO oxidation promoter and a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite, such as rare earth metal exchanged Y-type zeolite, in an inorganic porous oxide matrix material, such as silica-alumina.