Strategy to produce highly loaded alumina supported CoMo-S catalyst for straight run gas oil hydrodesulfurization

•Alumina with tuned textural properties were prepared by addition of a porogen during peptisation of boehmite.•The obtained alumina present improved textural properties that allowed to prepare highly loaded CoMo catalysts while maintaining a satisfying molybdenum dispersion.•Performance in thiophene HDS could be increased by a factor 1.5.•The most efficient solid in thiophene HDS was evaluated in the HDS of a SRGO under industrial conditions. It was found significantly more active than a CoMo catalyst prepared on a commercial alumina.