A process for hydroprocessing a distillate stream to produce a stream exceptionally low in sulfur, with total aromatics and polynuclear aromatics being moderately reduced. A distillate stream is hydrodesulfurized in a first hydrodesulfurization stage. The product stream thereof is passed to a first separation stage wherein a vapor phase product stream and a liquid product stream are produced. The liquid phase product stream is passed to a second hydrodesulfurization stage and the product stream thereof is passed to a second separation stage wherein a vapor phase product stream and a liquid product stream low in sulfur are produced. At least a portion of the vapor product stream from said second separation stage can be cascaded to the first hydrodesulfurization stage.

A process is provided for the production of xylenes from reformate. The process is carried out by methylating under conditions effective for the methylation, the benzene/toluene present in the reformate outside the reforming loop, to produce a resulting product having a higher xylenes content than the reformate. Greater than equilibrium amounts of para-xylene can be produced by the process.

A process is provided for the production of xylenes from reformate by reactive distillation. The process is carried out by methylating the benzene/toluene present in the reformate in a reactive distillation zone and under reactive distillation conditions to produce a resulting product having a higher xylenes content than the reformate. Greater than equilibrium amounts of para-xylene can be produced by the process.

A process is provided for the production of xylenes from reformate. The process is carried out by methylating under conditions effective for the methylation, the benzene/toluene present in the reformate outside the reforming loop, to produce a resulting product having a higher xylenes content than the reformate. Greater than equilibrium amounts of para-xylene can be produced by the process.

A process for producing distillate boiling range streams that are low in both sulfur and aromatics. A distillate feedstock is treated in a first hydrodesulfurization stage in the presence of a hydrogen-containing treat gas and a hydrodesulfurization catalyst, thereby resulting in partial desufurization of the stream. The partially desulfurized distillate stream is then treated in a second hydrodesulfurization stage, also in the presence of a hydrogen-containing treat gas and a hydrodesulfurization catalyst. The hydrogen-containing treat gas is cascaded from the next downstream reaction stage, which is an aromatics hydrogenation stage.