The present disclosure provides a process for upgrading solid biomass feedstocks into more useable products. The process includes introducing a solid biomass feedstock, a renewable liquid carrier, a slurry hydrocracking catalyst to a slurry hydrocracking zone in the presence of hydrogen and under slurry hydrocracking conditions to produce a slurry hydrocracking effluent comprising lighter hydrocarbonaceous products.

Methods and systems for promoting hydrogen gas distribution within cellulosic biomass solids during hydrothermal digestion. On exemplary method can comprise: heating a first portion of cellulosic biomass solids being contacted by a continuous liquid phase and a second portion of cellulosic biomass solids being contacted by a continuous gas phase in the presence of an upwardly directed flow of molecular hydrogen and a slurry catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen in the continuous liquid phase; conveying at least a portion of the continuous liquid phase and at least a portion of the slurry catalyst to a location within the continuous gas phase above at least a portion of the cellulosic biomass solids; and after conveying the continuous liquid phase and the slurry catalyst, releasing them such that they contact the second portion of cellulosic biomass solids.

Hydrocarbon oil obtained by Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis reaction using a catalyst within a slurry bed reactor is fractionated into a distilled oil and a column bottom oil in a rectifying column, part of the column bottom oil is flowed into a first transfer line that connects a column bottom of the rectifying column to a hydrocracker, at least part of the column bottom oil is flowed into a second transfer line branched from the first transfer line and connected to the first transfer line downstream of the branching point, the amount of the catalyst fine powder to be captured is monitored while the catalyst fine powder in the column bottom oil that flows in the second transfer line are captured by a detachable filter provided in the second transfer line, and the column bottom oil is hydrocracked within the hydrocracker.

A method is disclosed for making a slurry catalyst concentrate. The method includes reducing an average particle size of a first hydrotreating catalyst component to produce a reduced hydrotreating catalyst component having a reduced average particle size, wherein first hydrotreating catalyst component comprises one or more active metal components selected from Group VIB, Group VIII, and Group II metals; and mixing the reduced hydrotreating catalyst with a renewable liquid carrier composition in a mixing vessel to provide a slurry catalyst concentrate comprising 1 to 60 wt. % of the reduced hydrotreating catalyst component in the renewable liquid carrier composition.

A method is disclosed for preparing a slurry catalyst for use in upgrading a renewable feedstock. The method includes the steps of (a) providing a rework material obtained from a process of making a supported hydroprocessing catalyst, the hydroprocessing catalyst comprising a support and an active component supported thereon, wherein the rework material has an average particle size of from 1 to 300 m; (b) mixing the rework material with a liquid component to form a slurry catalyst precursor, wherein the liquid component is selected from the renewable feedstock and a liquid carrier, wherein the liquid carrier is a polyol and/or a recycled renewable feedstock comprising heavy and/or unconverted fractions from a slurry hydroprocessing process; and (c) sulfiding the slurry catalyst precursor forming the slurry catalyst.

A slurry reactor system including a slurry reactor configured to convert, under slurry hydroconversion conditions, a slurry reactor content flowing upwards and containing a feedstock including one or more of fats, oils and greases, a slurry hydroconversion catalyst and a hydrogen stream to a slurry hydroconversion effluent containing a slurry phase effluent including catalyst particles and a liquid product and a vapor phase effluent including a hydroconversion product, and a separation unit external to the slurry reactor to separate the slurry phase effluent from the vapor phase effluent to produce a recycled slurry stream. An inlet of the separation unit is in fluid communication with an outlet of the slurry reactor to receive the slurry hydroconversion effluent from the slurry reactor and an outlet of the separation unit is in fluid communication with an inlet of the slurry reactor to receive the recycled slurry stream from the separation unit.