A process for producing liquid hydrocarbon products from a biomass-containing feedstock and/or a biomass-derived feedstock is provided. The process comprises: a) contacting the feedstock with a hydropyrolysis catalyst composition and molecular hydrogen in a hydropyrolysis reactor vessel to produce a product stream comprising a partially deoxygenated hydrocarbon product, H.sub.2O, H.sub.2, CO.sub.2, CO, C.sub.1-C.sub.3 gases, char and catalyst fines; b) removing char and catalyst fines from said product stream; c) cooling the remaining product stream to a temperature in the range of from 150 to 400 C.; and d) hydroconverting said partially deoxygenated hydrocarbon product in a hydroconversion reactor in the presence of one or more catalyst compositions suitable for hydrodeoxygenation and aromatic saturation of the partially deoxygenated hydrocarbon product in the presence of H.sub.2O, CO.sub.2, CO, H.sub.2, and C.sub.1-C.sub.3 gas generated in step a), to produce a vapour phase product comprising a C.sub.4+ hydrocarbon product.

A process for producing liquid hydrocarbon products from a biomass feedstock is provided. The process comprises: contacting the feedstock with one or more hydropyrolysis catalyst compositions and molecular hydrogen to produce a product stream comprising hydropyrolysis product that is at least partially deoxygenated; hydroconverting said hydropyrolysis product in the presence of one or more hydroconversion catalyst compositions to produce a vapour phase product comprising substantially fully deoxygenated hydrocarbon product, wherein one or both of the hydropyrolysis catalyst composition and the hydroconversion catalyst composition is produced in a process comprising incorporating one or more metals selected from those of groups 6, 9, and 10 of the periodic table, into a shaped support; and incorporating one or more coordinating organic compounds into said shaped support, thus forming a catalyst precursor; and then either (i) treating the catalyst precursor in the presence of hydrogen and sulfiding it or (ii) calcining the catalyst precursor.

The present invention provides methods, reactor systems and catalysts for converting biomass and biomass-derived feedstocks to C.sub.8+ hydrocarbons using heterogenous catalysts. The product stream may be separated and further processed for use in chemical applications, or as a neat fuel or a blending component in jet fuel and diesel fuel, or as heavy oils for lubricant and/or fuel oil applications.

The invention provides a catalyst system and method for the deoxygenation of hydrocarbons, such as bio-oil, using a sulphide-sulfate or an oxide-carbonate (LDH) system. The invention extends to a pyrolysis process of a carbonaceous bio-mass wherein a first combustion zone is carried out in one or more combustion fluidised beds in which a particulate material including chemically looping deoxygenation catalyst particles is fluidised and heated, and a second pyrolysis zone carried out in one or more pyrolysis fluidised beds in which the hot particles, including the catalyst particles, heated in the combustion zone are used for pyrolysis of the bio-mass, said combustion zone being operated at a temperature of from 250 C. to 1100 C., typically around 900 C., and the pyrolysis zone being operated at a temperature of from 250 C. to 900 C., typically 450 C. to 600 C., said catalyst particles being oxygenated in the pyrolysis zone in the presence of oxygenates in the pyrolysis oil and regenerated in the combustion zone either by calcining to drive off the carbon oxides, such as CO.sub.2, or by reduction to its form which is active for deoxygenation of the pyrolysis oil.

The present invention provides a composition comprising 10-40 mass % of C.sub.8-30 linear alkanes, up to 20 mass % of C.sub.7-20 aromatic hydrocarbons, at least 90 mass % of which are monoaromatic, and no more than 1 mass % in total of oxygen-containing compounds; wherein the total amount of C.sub.8-30 alkanes in the composition is 50-95 mass %, and the total amount of C.sub.8-30 alkanes, C.sub.7-20 aromatic hydrocarbons and C.sub.8-30 cycloalkanes is at least 95 mass %; wherein the composition comprises 45-90 mass % in total of C.sub.8-30 cycloalkanes and C.sub.8-30 branched alkanes; and wherein the amounts are based on the mass of the composition. Also provided is a method of producing the composition comprising the step of hydroprocessing a biological feedstock using a catalyst and the step of fractionating the product of the hydroprocessing step.

A bifunctional catalyst for example for conversion of oxygenates, said bifunctional catalyst comprising zeolite, alumina binder, Zn and P, wherein Zn is present at least partly as ZnAl.sub.2O.sub.4.

A method for converting an alcohol to a hydrocarbon fraction reduced in gaseous hydrocarbon content, the method comprising: (i) contacting said alcohol with a metal-loaded zeolite catalyst under conditions suitable for converting said alcohol to a first hydrocarbon fraction containing liquid hydrocarbons having at least five carbon atoms along with gaseous hydrocarbons having less than five carbon atoms, wherein said metal-loaded zeolite catalyst is catalytically active for converting said alcohol to said first hydrocarbon fraction; and (ii) selectively removing said gaseous hydrocarbons from the first hydrocarbon fraction and contacting said gaseous hydrocarbons with a metal-loaded zeolite catalyst under conditions suitable for converting said gaseous hydrocarbons into liquid hydrocarbons having at least five carbon atoms to produce a second hydrocarbon fraction reduced in gaseous hydrocarbon content, wherein the metal-loaded zeolite catalyst in steps (i) and (ii) are the same or different.

The present invention provides methods, reactor systems and catalysts for converting biomass and biomass-derived feedstocks to C.sub.8+ hydrocarbons using heterogenous catalysts. The product stream may be separated and further processed for use in chemical applications, or as a neat fuel or a blending component in jet fuel and diesel fuel, or as heavy oils for lubricant and/or fuel oil applications.

Techniques for processing biomass are disclosed herein. A method of preparing cellulosic ethanol having 100% biogenic carbon content as determined by ASTM 6866-18, includes treating ground corn cobs with electron beam radiation and saccharifying the irradiated ground corn cob to produce sugars. The method also includes fermenting the sugars with a microorganism. In addition, an unblended cellulosic-biomass derived gasoline with a research octane number of greater than about 87, as determined by ASTM D2699 is disclosed.

A process for deoxygenating a pyrolysis oil stream comprises purposely limiting complete deoxygenation of the pyrolysis oil stream having a high oxygenate concentration to provide a hydrotreated pyrolysis oil stream that is sufficiently reduced in oxygenate content to mix with oil. By not fully deoxygenating the pyrolysis oil stream, the deoxygenation reaction can be run with little risk of undesirable polymerization reactions plugging the reactor.