Abstract: A catalyst for the hydrogenation of a hydrocarbon material which is a member selected from the group consisting of red mud, iron oxides, iron ores, hard coals, lignites impregnated with heavy metal salts, carbon black, soots from gasifiers, and cokes produced by the hydrogenation of virgin residues, the catalyst being comprised of at least two separate particle size fractions such that the combined fractions have a particle size distribution between 0.1 and 2,000 microns with 10-40 wt. % of the particles having a particle size greater than 100 microns, and the mixture of fractions not being represented by a straight line when the accumulative weight of the particles vs. particle size which is plotted on log (minus log) vs. log graph paper has a correlation coefficient R.sup.2 less than 0.96 as determined from the equation: ##EQU1## wherein n is the number of experimental points, y is ln [-ln (n/1000)] and x is ln (dp), wherein dp is the particle size (.mu.m) of the particles.