The disclosure relates to thermal liquefaction, typically solvolysis of lignin feedstocks originating from an integrated kraft pulp mill, where side stream(s) of the thermal liquefaction is directed to the kraft pulp mill of the integrated process, especially to the recovery boiler of the kraft pulp mill. More in detail the disclosure relates to a process for; converting lignin to renewable liquid product(s) in a thermal treatment process; separating a fraction having a boiling point over 500 C. at atmospheric pressure; and recycling at least part of the fraction having a boiling point over 500 C. at atmospheric pressure to the recovery boiler and/or lime kiln of the kraft pulp mill. The present disclosure further concerns the use of the integrated process for controlling the incineration capacity of the recovery boiler and use of steam and/or electricity from the recovery boiler for heating in the thermal liquefaction step.

Described herein are integrated thermochemical processes for the deliberate decomposition, extraction and conversion of coal into high-value products and goods via solvent extraction, chemical reaction and/or separation. The described systems and methods are versatile and may be used to generate a variety of intermediate, derivative and finished high value products including chemicals (aromatics, asphaltenes, naphthalenes, phenols and precursors for the production of polyamides, polyurethanes, polyesters, graphitic materials), polymer composite products (resins, paints, coatings, adhesives), agricultural materials, building materials, carbon fiber, graphene products and other materials that are substantially more valuable that the energy generated via combustion.

The invention relates to a process for improving efficiency of a organic food production plant, the process comprising preparing a feedstock of a raw harvested organic food base product; processing the prepared food base product, including heating; extracting the organic food material from the food base product, and leaving a residual waste product; feeding the waste product into a continuous process for converting carbonaceous material in the waste product into a liquid hydrocarbon product and extracting a liquid hydrocarbon product. The process is related to palm oil production from fresh fruit bunches.

The invention relates to continuous process for converting carbonaceous material contained in one or more feedstocks into a liquid hydrocarbon product, said feedstocks including the carbonaceous material being in a feed mixture including one or more fluids, said fluids including water and further liquid organic compounds at least partly produced by the process in a concentration of at least 1% by weight, where the process comprises converting at least part of the carbonaceous material by pressurizing the feed mixture to a pressure in the range 50-400 bar; heating the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 250-500 C., maintaining said pressurized and heated feed mixture in the desired pressure and temperature ranges in a reaction zone for a predefined time; cooling the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 25-200 C. and expanding the feed mixture to a pressure in the range of 1-70 bar, thereby causing the carbonaceous material to be converted to a liquid hydrocarbon product; at least partly expanding said converted feed mixture in a flash separation step, wherein the converted feed mixture is separated into a gas phase and a liquid phase, and wherein liquid CO2 is recovered from said gas phase, and separating from the liquid phase a fraction comprising liquid hydrocarbon product.

The invention relates to a continuous process for converting carbonaceous material contained in one or more feedstocks into a liquid hydrocarbon product, said feedstocks including the carbonaceous material being in a feed mixture including one or more fluids, said fluids including water and further liquid organic compounds at least partly produced by the process in a concentration of at least 1% by weight, where the process comprises converting at least part of the carbonaceous material by pressurizing the feed mixture to a pressure in the range 50-400 bar, heating the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 250-500 C., and maintaining said pressurized and heated feed mixture in the desired pressure and temperature ranges in a reaction zone for a predefined time; cooling the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 25-200 C. and expanding the feed mixture to a pressure in the range of 1-70 bar, thereby causing the carbonaceous material to be converted to a liquid hydrocarbon product; separating a fraction comprising liquid hydrocarbon product, and leaving a residual fraction; feeding said residual fraction into a bioreactor for the production of biomass such as algae and/or bacteria such as cyano bacteria.

A paraffinic solvent recovery process for treating high paraffin diluted bitumen includes supplying the latter to flashing apparatus; separating into flashed paraffinic solvent and diluted bitumen underflow; and returning a portion of the underflow as returned diluted bitumen into the high paraffin diluted bitumen prior to introduction into the flashing apparatus, at temperature and amount to shift asphaltene precipitation equilibrium to reduce asphaltene precipitation. The process includes pre-heating the high paraffin diluted bitumen by transferring heat from hot dry bitumen, flashed paraffinic solvent and/or a portion of diluted bitumen underflow. Flashed paraffinic solvent may contain residual light end bitumen contaminants that increase asphaltenes solubility and the process may include removing contaminants to produce reusable paraffinic solvent at given solvent-to-bitumen ratio range to maintain given asphaltene precipitation. The process may also include a bitumen fractionation column producing hot dry bitumen underflow containing at most 0.5 wt % paraffinic solvent

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a sewage sludge-derived bio-heavy oil and the bio-heavy oil produced by the method, the method including breaking organic materials included in the sewage sludge into small molecules and removing oxygen at the same time using a supercritical state alcohol as a solvent and reaction medium, thereby effectively providing a bio-heavy oil with low oxygen content and high energy content.

A paraffinic solvent recovery process for treating high paraffin diluted bitumen includes supplying the latter to flashing apparatus; separating into flashed paraffinic solvent and diluted bitumen underflow; and returning a portion of the underflow as returned diluted bitumen into the high paraffin diluted bitumen prior to introduction into the flashing apparatus, at temperature and amount to shift asphaltene precipitation equilibrium to reduce asphaltene precipitation. The process includes pre-heating the high paraffin diluted bitumen by transferring heat from hot dry bitumen, flashed paraffinic solvent and/or a portion of diluted bitumen underflow. Flashed paraffinic solvent may contain residual light end bitumen contaminants that increase asphaltenes solubility and the process may include removing contaminants to produce reusable paraffinic solvent at given solvent-to-bitumen ratio range to maintain given asphaltene precipitation. The process may also include a bitumen fractionation column producing hot dry bitumen underflow containing at most 0.5 wt % paraffinic solvent.

A method for separating catalyst particles from the FCC slurry oil present in the retentate of a filtered FCC slurry oil run-down stream is disclosed. The method comprises backwashing the run-down stream filter with a low boiling point solvent to extract slurry oil from the catalyst in the retentate. The backwash solution is sent to a digester where the catalyst fines are separated from the hydrocarbon component (solvent and slurry oil). The catalyst fines are collected and dried. The dried catalyst fines can be transported via pneumatic systems, and can be regenerated for further use as FCC catalysts. The solvent vapor from the drying process is collected for potential reuse. The hydrocarbon component is sent from the digester to an evaporator to evaporate the solvent from the slurry oil. The FCC slurry oil and the solvent exiting the evaporator can be independently collected. The solvent from the evaporator can be reused in the process.

Disclosed are processes for producing bitumen-derived crude oil and heavy bitumen compositions from oil sand. The processes involve treating oil sand feedstock with a first hydrocarbon solvent comprised of propane to produce the bitumen-derived crude oil composition having an asphaltene content of not greater than 5 wt % pentane insoluble, and an oil-depleted oil sand. The oil-depleted oil sand is treated with a second hydrocarbon solvent comprised of propane and a fraction of the bitumen-derived crude oil composition to produce the heavy bitumen composition and oil sand tailings. The oil sand tailings are dried by contacting the tailings with a drying composition comprised of a majority of propane.