A method in which a parent hydrocarbon-rich material is processed so as to produce both a carbon-rich solid material that has a higher carbon to hydrogen ratio than that of the parent material and a carbon-deficient combustible gas that has a lower carbon to hydrogen ratio than the parent material. In the process, the material is activated by exposing it to a hot gas stream having elevated levels of one or both of carbon dioxide and water vapor. The combustible gas is combusted to produce heat. At least about 80% of the heat is used in one ore more endothermic steps that include drying coal or biomass.

The present invention relates to the fermentative production of alcohols including ethanol and butanol, and processes for improving alcohol fermentation employing in situ product removal methods.

A space efficient photo-bioreactor. The bioreactor grows microalgae in a tall array of transparent flooded tubes. A nutrient media is circulated through the tubes. The array is configured to maximize the amount of sunlight falling upon each tube so that growth of the microalgae is as uniform as possible. A vertically-oriented gasser tube is provided. Gas is injected into this gasser tube along with the liquid nutrient medium. A bubble-size limiter is employed in the gas injector. The flow rates are configured so that the liquid nutrient medium and injected gas remain within the vertical gasser tube for 30 seconds or more.

A photo-bioreactor system for growing and harvesting photosynthetic organisms includes an interior space partitioned into a plurality of independently controlled reactor cells, each stepped downward along a slope from a first elevation to a second elevation, and a light source coupled to each reactor cell and configured to illuminate the photosynthetic organisms with first and second light-emitting surfaces. The system includes a fluid circulation system coupled to the reactor container and configured to force a continuous flow of fluid through the cell passages.

The present disclosure relates to processes for producing hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. A process may include introducing biomass to a pretreatment system, and a first separation system forming a pentose-rich stream and a pentose-lean stream. The pentose-lean stream may be introduced to a hydrolysis system forming a hydrolysate and the hydrolysate introduced to a second separation system forming a hexose-rich stream and a lignin stream. Additionally, at least one of the pentose-rich stream or the hexose-rich stream may be introduced to a bioreactor containing microorganisms configured to produce hydrocarbon fuels. Additionally, the present disclosure also relates to systems for the production of hydrocarbon fuels. A system may include a pretreatment system, a first separation system, a hydrolysis system, a second separation system, and one or more bioreactors. Alternatively a system may include a pretreatment system, a hydrolysis system, a sugar separation system, and one or more bioreactors.

A system for generating and using carbon dioxide comprises: (a) a closed system combustion stage for combusting a fuel in a furnace and producing an off gas containing carbon dioxide; and (b) an algae growth and oxygen generation stage for receiving off gas generated in the closed system combustion stage wherein the algae growth and oxygen generation stage through the action of algae: (i) converts carbon dioxide to a chemical product, and oxygen; and (ii) provides a gas stream to the closed system combustion stage, the gas stream comprising oxygen and carbon dioxide. The closed system combustion stage may, for example, be conducted in a power station. The system is also suitable for integration with crop cultivation, for example sugar cultivation, where carbon dioxide for algal growth may be sourced from combustion of plant material, fermentation of plant material or both.

A system for converting a biomass into a biofuel including a biomass processing station arranged to receive the biomass from a biomass harvester, output the biomass to a hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) converter, and receive a processed biomass from the HTL converter. The system includes a conduit arranged to transport the biomass from the biomass processing station to the HTL converter and transport the processed biomass from the HTL converter to the biomass processing station. The HTL converter includes a heat exchanger arranged to transfer thermal energy from a geothermal heat source to the biomass to convert the biomass into the processed biomass. The system also includes a controller arranged to monitor conditions of the biomass at locations along the conduit and adjust operations of components along the conduit to, thereby, adjust the conditions of the biomass at one or more locations along the conduit.

A method for conversion of food waste to biofuel can include a first fermentation in which food waste is converted C.sub.2-C.sub.4 short-chain carboxylic acids, and a second fermentation in which the C.sub.2-C.sub.4 short-chain carboxylic acid are elongated into C.sub.5-C.sub.8 medium-chain carboxylic acids. Medium-chain carboxylic acids can undergo hydrogenation-dehydration of the medium-chain carboxylic acids into C.sub.5-C.sub.8 linear olefins. The C.sub.5-C.sub.8 linear olefins are then oligomerized to a C.sub.10-C.sub.25 mixture comprising olefins, paraffin, cycloparaffins, and aromatics through dimerization; and saturated to C.sub.10-C.sub.25 mixture by hydrogenation to produce the biofuel.

A plant, in particular a methanol plant, is provided, said plant comprising: a first biomass feed, a biomass digester, arranged to receive the first biomass feed and convert it to a biogas stream, a reformer section arranged to receive at least a portion of the biogas stream from the biomass digester and provide a first synthesis gas stream, a synthesis section, arranged to receive a synthesis gas stream from the reformer section and provide a raw product stream; and a first hydrocarbon-containing off-gas stream, and a distillation section arranged to receive at least a portion of the raw product stream and provide at least an upgraded product stream and a second hydrocarbon-containing off-gas stream. At least a portion of said first and/or at least a portion of said second off-gas stream is arranged to be recycled as additional feed to the biomass digester. A process using said plant is also described.

The present invention provides an integrated multiphase biocatalytic reactor and separator system (1), comprising, an upflow reaction section (2), a separation section (3), and a recycle flow section (4), wherein: the upflow reaction section (2) comprises a gas phase inlet (12), arranged to introduce a gas phase (G) for lifting a reactor flow (C) comprising a first and a second phase liquid; the separation section includes a first separation zone (31) configured to degas an effluent flow from the upflow section, and a second separation zone (32), i.e. a liquid-liquid phase separator, configured to separate the degassed effluent in a lower liquid phase (LP) and an upper liquid phase (UP), said second separation zone further comprising an outlet (15) for collecting the upper liquid phase and an outlet for recirculating the lower liquid phase back to the upflow reaction section via the recycle flow section (4).