Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy or sugary materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

A process for the preparation of ethylene glycol comprising the steps of hydrogenating a composition comprising C.sub.2-oxygenate compounds in the gas phase in the presence of a catalyst.

A process for the preparation of ethylene glycol comprising the steps of hydrogenating a composition comprising C.sub.2-oxygenate compounds in the gas phase in the presence of a catalyst.

A growth inhibitor for forming a thin film, a method for forming a thin film using the same, and a semiconductor substrate prepared therefrom are disclosed. The growth inhibitor is represented by Chemical Formula 1 [AnBmXo]. In the Chemical Formula 1, A is carbon or silicon, B is hydrogen or a C1-C3 alkyl, X is a halogen, n is an integer from 1 to 15, o is an integer of 1 or more, and m is from 0 to 2n+1. Side reactions are suppressed to appropriately lower a thin film growth rate and remove process byproducts in the thin film, thereby preventing corrosion or deterioration and greatly improving step coverage and thickness uniformity of a thin film even when the thin film is formed on a substrate having a complicated structure.

A growth inhibitor for forming a thin film, a method for forming a thin film using the same, and a semiconductor substrate prepared therefrom are disclosed. The growth inhibitor is represented by Chemical Formula 1 [AnBmXo]. In the Chemical Formula 1, A is carbon or silicon, B is hydrogen or a C1-C3 alkyl, X is a halogen, n is an integer from 1 to 15, o is an integer of 1 or more, and m is from 0 to 2n+1. Side reactions are suppressed to appropriately lower a thin film growth rate and remove process byproducts in the thin film, thereby preventing corrosion or deterioration and greatly improving step coverage and thickness uniformity of a thin film even when the thin film is formed on a substrate having a complicated structure.

The invention provides a composition comprising a mixture of pentadecanols wherein at least about 60 wt % of the mixture is linear pentadecanol and at least about 10 wt % of the mixture is branched pentadecanols wherein the branched pentadecanols have branching on the second carbon atom. The mixture of pentadecanols may be converted to one or more derivatives, and these derivatives may be used in laundry detergents, cleaning products or as an agricultural adjuvant, an emulsifying agent, a lubricant additive, a pour point depressant, or a personal care ingredient.

The invention provides a composition comprising a mixture of tridecanols wherein at least about 60 wt % of the mixture is linear tridecanol and at least about 10 wt % of the mixture is branched tridecanols wherein the branched tridecanols have branching on the second carbon atom. The mixture of tridecanols may be converted to one or more derivatives, and these derivatives may be used in laundry detergents, cleaning products or as an agricultural adjuvant, an emulsifying agent, a lubricant additive, a pour point depressant, or a personal care ingredient.

Disclosed herein are methods for selective synthesis of specific phenolic products by means biomass or biomass products liquefaction, manipulation of the said selectivity in favor of one specific phenolic compound or a mixture of specific phenolic compounds, and the synthesis of the phenolic compounds from a liquid or biomass organic fraction produced in presence of a homogeneous catalyst in supercritical state or a mixture of said homogeneous and one or several heterogeneous catalysts mixed with water in sub-critical, near-critical, or supercritical condition.

Disclosed herein are methods for selective synthesis of specific phenolic products by means biomass or biomass products liquefaction, manipulation of the said selectivity in favor of one specific phenolic compound or a mixture of specific phenolic compounds, and the synthesis of the phenolic compounds from a liquid or biomass organic fraction produced in presence of a homogeneous catalyst in supercritical state or a mixture of said homogeneous and one or several heterogeneous catalysts mixed with water in sub-critical, near-critical, or supercritical condition.

A novel catalyst blend for processing of feedstocks into monoaromatics in a single stage, comprising at least one cracking catalyst, one heterogeneous transition metal catalyst, and optionally at least one hydrogenation catalyst. The process occurs in one-step or single stage with substantially no solvents or external additives, or when the feedstock contains less than 15% oxygen, the process includes additional water or steam to enable sufficient amounts of H.sub.2 being produced in-situ.