The present disclosure relates to a processes and systems for producing fuels from biomass with high carbon conversion efficiency. The processes and systems described herein provide a highly efficient process for producing hydrocarbons from biomass with very low Green House Gas (GHG) emissions using a specific combination of components, process flows, and recycle streams. The processes and systems described herein provide a carbon conversion efficiency greater than 95% with little to no GHG in the flue gas due to the novel arrangement of components and utilizes renewable energy to provide energy to some components. The system reuses water and carbon dioxide produced in the process flows and recycles naphtha and tail gas streams to other units in the system for additional conversion to syngas to produce hydrocarbon-based fuels.

Processes for producing high biogenic concentration Fischer-Tropsch liquids derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstock that contains a relatively high concentration of biogenic carbon (derived from plants) and a relatively low concentration of non-biogenic carbon (derived from fossil sources) wherein the biogenic content of the Fischer-Tropsch liquids is the same as the biogenic content of the feedstock.

A method of processing raw oil sands material that includes bitumen. The method includes, in a predistillation process, heating the raw oil sands material to between approximately 535 C. and at least approximately 600 C. to at least partially vaporize the bitumen, to provide atmospheric gas oil and vacuum gas oil from the bitumen, and to provide coked oil sands material that includes carbon-heavy hydrocarbons and sand. The coked oil sands material is heated to approximately 900 C., to produce a dry barren hot oil sands material and syngas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases. Heat energy is transferred from at least a portion of the barren hot oil sands material to the raw oil sands material.

A multiple stage synthesis gas generation system is disclosed including a high radiant heat flux reactor, a gasifier reactor control system, and a Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) reactor. The SMR reactor is in parallel and cooperates with the high radiant heat flux reactor to produce a high quality syngas mixture for MeOH synthesis. The resultant products from the two reactors may be used for the MeOH synthesis. The SMR provides hydrogen rich syngas to be mixed with the potentially carbon monoxide rich syngas from the high radiant heat flux reactor. The combination of syngas component streams from the two reactors can provide the required hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio for methanol synthesis. The SMR reactor control system and a gasifier reactor control system interact to produce a high quality syngas mixture for the MeOH synthesis.

A process for producing dry synthetic natural gas (SNG, Synthetic Natural Gas) from solid or liquid, carbonaceous fuel, substantially consisting of the following process steps: a) gasification of a solid or liquid, carbonaceous fuel to a raw synthesis gas b) cooling of the gas, separation of solids and the gas condensate c) raw gas conversion d) washing of the gas with methanol for separating hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and moisture, wherein the methanol is circulated via a regeneration plant, e) methanation, f) condensation of moisture by means of cooling and/or cold water, g) further drying of the gas by condensation at low temperature by adding methanol to avoid the formation of ice.

A method of processing oil sands material including bitumen. The method includes subjecting the oil sands material to a predistillation process. The predistillation process includes heating the oil sands material to between approximately 350 C. and approximately 400 C., to produce atmospheric gas oil from the bitumen, and intermediate dried oil sands material, and heating the intermediate dried oil sands material to between approximately 535 C. and at least approximately 600 C., to produce vacuum gas oil and coked oil sands material comprising carbon-heavy hydrocarbons and sand. The method also includes subjecting the coked oil sands material to gasification, to produce barren hot oil sands material, and syngas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases.

The present invention provides a process for producing one or more products for use as a transportation or heating fuel. In various embodiments the process comprises treating a cellulosic feedstock, in one or more processing steps that release extractives from the feedstock. A solids-liquid separation is subsequently conducted on the process stream comprising the extractives and solids. An aqueous stream comprising one or more of the extractives may be fed to an anaerobic digester to produce crude biogas from which one or more impurities may optionally be removed. In various embodiments the process further comprises providing a solids stream to a thermal process. A product produced or derived from the thermal process may displace a product made from fossil fuel. One or more products obtained or derived from at least one of the foregoing process steps are provided for use as a transportation or heating fuel. In various embodiments the process enables advantaged fuel credit generation.

A method for cogenerating gas-steam based on gasification and methanation of biomass. The method includes: 1) mixing oxygen and water vapor with biomass, transporting the resulting mixture via a nozzle to a gasifier, gasifying the biomass to yield crude gasified gas, and transporting superheated steam having a pressure of 5-6 MPa resulting from sensible heat recovery to a steam turbine; 2) adjusting the hydrogen/carbon ratio of the crude gasified gas generated from step 1) to 3:1, and eluting the crude gasified gas whereby yield purified syngas; 3) introducing the purified syngas from step 2) to a methanation unit and transporting intermediate pressure superheated steam generated in the methanation unit to the steam turbine; and 4) concentrating methane of synthetic natural gas containing trace nitrogen and water vapor obtained from step 3) through pressure swing adsorption.

Fuel and fuel additives can be produced by processes that provide Fischer-Tropsch liquids having high biogenic carbon concentrations of up to about 100% biogenic carbon. The fuels and fuel additive have essentially the same high biogenic concentration as the Fischer-Tropsch liquids which, in turn, contain the same concentration of biogenic carbon as the feedstock.

A method for processing feedstock is described, characterized in that incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock. In some embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of mixed solid waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW). In other embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of woody biomass. In some instances, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% and greater suitable for conversion into biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids. The high biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids may be upgraded to biogenic carbon liquid fuels. Alternatively, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover plastic material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% or less.