Systems and methods are provided for block operation during lubricant and/or fuels production from deasphalted oil. During block operation, a deasphalted oil and/or the hydroprocessed effluent from an initial processing stage can be split into a plurality of fractions. The fractions can correspond, for example, to feed fractions suitable for forming a light neutral fraction, a heavy neutral fraction, and a bright stock fraction, or the plurality of fractions can correspond to any other convenient split into separate fractions. The plurality of separate fractions can then be processed separately in the process train (or in the sweet portion of the process train) for forming fuels and/or lubricant base stocks. This can allow for formation of unexpected base stock compositions.

A method for thermal processing and catalytic cracking of a biomass to effect distillate oil recovery can include, particle size reduction. slurrying the biomass with a carrier fluid to create a reaction mixture, slurrying a catalyst with a carrier fluid to create a catalyst slurry, heating the reaction mixture and/or the catalyst slurry, and depolymerizing the reaction mixture with the catalyst. The reaction mixture can undergo distillation and fractionation to produce distillate fractions that include naphtha, kerosene, and diesel. In some embodiments, thermal processing and catalytic cracking includes vaporization of the biomass followed by distillation and fractionation. In some embodiments, a resulting distillate can be used as a carrier fluid. In some embodiments, the method can include desulfurization, dehydration, and/or decontamination.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, the first metal catalyst precursor, the second metal catalyst precursor, or both, including a heteropolyacid. Contacting the zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution from the multifunctional catalyst precursor and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, the first metal catalyst precursor, the second metal catalyst precursor, or both, including a heteropolyacid. Contacting the zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution from the multifunctional catalyst precursor and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, the first metal catalyst precursor, the second metal catalyst precursor, or both, including a heteropolyacid. Contacting the zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution from the multifunctional catalyst precursor and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, the first metal catalyst precursor, the second metal catalyst precursor, or both, including a heteropolyacid. Contacting the zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution from the multifunctional catalyst precursor and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the zeolite support.

The present invention relates to a composition comprising hydrocarbon oil and substituted lignin, wherein the lignin has been substituted by esterification and acetylation of the hydroxyl groups, wherein the hydroxyl groups are esterified with a C14 or longer fatty acid at a degree of substitution of at least 20%, wherein the hydroxyl groups are acetylated at a degree of substitution of at least 20% and wherein at least 90% of the hydroxyl groups of the lignin is substituted by esterification and acetylation. The composition is essentially free from free fatty acid.

An IBTL system having a low GHG footprint for converting biomass to liquid fuels in which a biomass feed is converted to liquids by direct liquefaction and the liquids are upgraded to produce premium fuels. Biomass residues from the direct liquefaction, and optionally additional biomass is pyrolyzed using microwave pyrolysis to produce structured biochar, hydrogen for the liquefaction and upgrading, and CO.sub.2 for conversion to algae, including blue green algae (cyanobacteria) in a photobioreactor (PBR). Produced algae and diazotrophic microorganisms are used to produce a biofertilizer that also contains structured biochar. The structured biochar acts as a nucleation agent for the algae in the PBR, as a absorption agent to absorb inorganics from the biomass feed to direct liquefaction or from the liquids produced thereby, and as a water retention agent in the biofertilizer. The ratio of cyanobacteria to diazotrophic microorganisms in the biofertilizer can be selected so as to achieve desired total chemically active carbon and nitrogen contents in the soil for a given crop.

A process for dechlorination of a hydrocarbon stream and/or a hydrocarbon stream precursor comprising introducing the hydrocarbon stream and/or hydrocarbon stream precursor, a first zeolitic catalyst, and a stripping gas to a devolatilization extruder (DE) to produce an extruder effluent, wherein the hydrocarbon stream and/or hydrocarbon stream precursor comprises one or more chloride compounds in an amount of equal to or greater than about 10 ppm chloride, based on the total weight of the hydrocarbon stream and/or hydrocarbon stream precursor, and wherein the extruder effluent comprises one or more chloride compounds in an amount of less than the chloride amount in the hydrocarbon stream and/or hydrocarbon stream precursor.

Novel catalysts comprising nickel oxide nanoparticles supported on alumina nanoparticles, methods of their manufacture, heavy oil compositions contacted by these nanocatalysts and methods of their use are disclosed. The novel nanocatalysts are useful, inter alia, in the upgrading of heavy oil fractions or as aids in oil recovery from well reservoirs or downstream processing.