PURPOSE: To minimize the content of mercury in a liq. hydrocarbon compd. at a low cost by removing it after a high mol.wt. ingredient and water included in said compd. are removed.
CONSTITUTION: A liq. hydrocarbon compd. 1 (e.g. a liquefied petroleum gas) from which mercury is to be removed is introduced to a distillation column to perform distillation thereof and a high mol.wt. ingredient 3 is separated and removed from the bottom of the column. The distilled liq. hydrocarbon compd. 4 is introduced to a dehydration drum 5 and is dehydrated by bringing it into contact with a dehydrating agent. Then it is introduced into a fixed bed drum 6 for removing mercury by bringing it into contact with an adsorbent comprising copper and(or) tin supported on a carrier such as activated carbon, activated clay, silica gel or zeolite. Then a treatment such as hydrogenation is performed thereon in hydrogenation drums 7 and 8 and the product is discharged from a transfer line 9. It is thereby possible to reduce the content of mercury to a concn. of 0.01ppm or less.
IIDA TSUKASA