A Ru (0.77 wt.%)/zeolite catalyst was prepared and tested for the hydrotreatment of Illinois No. 6 coal-derived naphtha It was found that this catalyst exhibited significant hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activities. Furthermore, the nitrogen compounds convert as easily as sulfur compounds, in contrast to most of the hydrotreatment catalysts where the HDS reaction is much more rapid than HDN. A comparison on the basis of nitrogen converted per gram of active metal or on the cost of the catalyst indicates that for HDN, the Ru(0.77)/zeolite is superior to a Ru(0.77)/alumina, a commercial Co-Mo/alumina or a Ni-Mo/alumina catalyst.