In the method of obtaining liquid biohydrocarbons from oils of natural origin, in the first step, the oil and/or waste oil is/are heated in the presence of a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a catalyst in the form of a metal oxide selected from a group comprising CoO, NiO, MoO.sub.3, ZrO.sub.2, or a mixture of such metal oxides, on an oxide support selected from a group comprising SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, whereupon the product of the first step is contacted with hydrogen gas or with a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the presence of a metallic catalyst selected from a group comprising Pd, Pt, Co/Mo, Ni/Mo, Zr on an oxide support selected from a group comprising SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, P.sub.2O.sub.5, ZrO.sub.2 or on a mixture of such oxides.

Methods are provided for producing an alcohol-containing pyrolysis product. Initially, a hydrocarbon feedstock is pyrolyzed in the presence of a catalyst system, the catalyst system comprising a basic metal oxide catalyst and a hydrogenation metal catalyst. A pyrolysis product is produced that contains at least one alcohol. The basic metal oxide catalyst is comprised of at least one metal from Group 2, Group 3 including Lanthanides and Actinides, or Group 4 of the Periodic Table of Elements, and the supported hydrogenation metal catalyst is comprised of at least one metal from Group 6 or Groups 8-10 of the Periodic Table of Elements.

A method for converting an alcohol to a hydrocarbon, the method comprising contacting said alcohol with a metal-loaded zeolite catalyst at a temperature of at least 100 C. and up to 550 C., wherein said alcohol can be produced by a fermentation process, said metal is a positively-charged metal ion, and said metal-loaded zeolite catalyst is catalytically active for converting said alcohol to said hydrocarbon.

Systems and methods are provided for processing a feed derived from a biomass source that contains nitrogen in the form of fatty amides, e.g., derived from hydrothermal processing of a biomass source feed, while reducing/minimizing the amount of heteroatom removal performed during subsequent/concurrent hydroprocessing. Optionally, the feed can also contain free fatty acids. This is accomplished in part by first exposing the feed to a catalyst comprising a rare earth oxide, alkali oxide, and/or alkaline earth oxide, which can remove the nitrogen heteroatoms from the compounds within the feed or can convert the nitrogen to a form readily removed in subsequent hydroprocessing. The catalyst may also suitable for catalyzing coupling (such as condensation) or conversion reactions of amides, carboxylic acids, carboxylic acid derivatives, and/or other molecules in the feed suitable for participating in the coupling reaction.

A fuel and method for conversion of sesquiterpenes to high density fuels. The sesquiterpenes can be either extracted from plants or specifically produced by bioengineered organisms from waste biomass. This approach allows for the synthesis of high performance renewable fuels.

Systems and methods are provided for inclusion of olefins in the reaction environment for an oxygenate conversion process. For conversion processes involving a metal-promoted zeolitic catalyst, addition of olefins to an oxygenate feed can reduce or minimize loss of aromatic selectivity as the catalyst is exposed to the feed. Additionally or alternately, for conversion processes involving a zeolitic catalyst including a zeolite other than an MFI framework type zeolite, addition of olefins to an oxygenate feed can reduce or minimize loss of activity for oxygenate conversion as the catalyst is exposed to the feed.

Processes for pyrolyzing biomass. A catalyst is used to both pyrolyze and deoxygenate the biomass within the pyrolysis zone. A source of carbon monoxide is also passed to the pyrolysis reactor. The source of carbon monoxide may comprise a stream of gas that includes carbon monoxide, or a material capable of generating or being converted in carbon monoxide within the pyrolysis zone. The carbon monoxide may be used as a reactant for a water gas shift reaction or as a reducing agent to remove oxygen from oxygenated hydrocarbons. The catalyst preferably comprises iron (III) oxide.

In a process for the catalytic conversion of organic oxygenates to hydrocarbons, a feed comprising at least one organic oxygenate is contacted with a zeolite catalyst under conditions effective to produce a hydrocarbon product comprising aromatics, olefins and paraffins. At least a fraction of the hydrocarbon product containing C.sub.4+ hydrocarbons, including at least part of the olefins, is then contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst under conditions effective to saturate at least part of the olefins in the C.sub.4+-containing fraction and produce a hydrogenated effluent containing less than 1 wt % olefins. The hydrogenated effluent is useful as a diluent for heavy crude oils.

Processes and reactor systems are provided for the conversion of oxygenated hydrocarbons to hydrocarbons, ketones and alcohols useful as liquid fuels, such as gasoline, jet fuel or diesel fuel, and industrial chemicals. The process involves the conversion of mono-oxygenated hydrocarbons to aromatics and gasoline range hydrocarbons where the oxygenated hydrocarbons are derived from biomass.

Various methods are provided for treating and reacting a metathesis feedstock. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a feedstock comprising a natural oil, chemically treating the feedstock with a metal alkoxide under conditions sufficient to diminish catalyst poisons in the feedstock, and, following the treating, combining a metathesis catalyst with the feedstock under conditions sufficient to metathesize the feedstock.