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.

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.

The present invention relates to a process for continuously converting mixed waste plastic into waxes and liquid fuels by cracking. The process comprises the steps of feeding a mixed waste plastic stream to a cracking reactor where the mixed waste plastic is catalytically cracked in the presence of a catalyst and circulating the catalyst between the cracking reactor and a regenerator where the catalyst received from the cracking reactor is regenerated and heated by burning coke and/or other combustible material deposited on or mixed with the catalyst.

Systems and methods of processing coal to form mesophase pitch include performing a low-severity direct coal liquefaction (LSDCL) process on a coal feedstock to produce a coal tar pitch therefrom. The systems and methods can include contacting coal directly with a catalyst in the presence of a solvent, pressurizing the coal in direct contact with the catalyst in the presence of the solvent to a predetermined pressure of about 1000 psia or less, heating the coal in direct contact with the catalyst in the presence of the solvent to a predetermined temperature of about 380? C. or less, and liquefying the coal to form a coal tar pitch. The coal tar pitch can be thermally treated to a liquid crystal phase exhibiting anisotropic spheres of mesophase and spun to form carbon fibers.

A method of obtaining depolymerized lignin from biomass using a transition metal catalyst and a solvent mixture of organic solvent and water. The invention further relates to a composition obtainable by the method and the production of fuel.

The present disclosure relates to a process for the production of crude bio-oil which involves heating a mixture of biomass slurry and a mixed catalyst system in the presence of a hydrogen source at a temperature ranging from 200 to 350 C. and at a pressure ranging from 70 to 250 bars to obtain a mass containing crude bio-oil. The crude bio-oil can then be separated from said mass containing crude bio-oil. The mixed catalyst system remains in solid form and can be easily separated and reused in the next cycle of hydrothermal conversion of biomass to crude bio-oil.

A process the production of a crude liquid lignin oil (CLO), the process includes the steps of providing a lignin-rich solid feedstock and subjecting the lignin-rich solid feedstock to a treatment in a polar organic solvent in the absence of an effective amount of added reaction promoter, such as a heterogeneous and/or homogeneous catalyst and/or hydrogen, and providing a lignin composition, the treatment includes a step of contacting the lignin-rich solid feedstock with a polar organic solvent under operating conditions of an operating temperature up to 210? C., an operating pressure lower than 50 bar and a residence time up to 240 minutes, wherein the ratio (w/v) of lignin (in lignin-rich feedstock) to polar organic solvent ranges between 1:1.5 and 1:15, or between 1:2 and 1:10 or between 1:2 and 1:5.

A method is provided for producing at least one energy product by catalytically cracking, at a low temperature, a fragmented solid material, without the formation of coke, dioxins and/or furans. A gas atmosphere is maintained at the cracking pressure through gas-exchange communication between the gas atmosphere of the cracking reactor and the gas atmosphere of a device, referred to as a thermochemical vacuum pump, that generates a vacuum pressure formed, by way of a change of state, from an expanded gas state to a condensed liquid state. A second inert oil, referred to as a condensation oil is refluxed at a temperature higher than the evaporating temperature of the condensation oil at the cracking pressure in the thermochemical vacuum pump. The change of state of the condensation oil from the expanded gas state to the condensed liquid state is brought about in the thermochemical vacuum pump in a gas-exchange communication with the gas atmosphere of the cracking reactor and the condensation oil is chosen so that its state-change temperature is at the level of the cracking temperature at the cracking pressure.

The present invention provides an improved catalytic fast pyrolysis process for increased yield of useful and desirable products, while greatly reducing or eliminating fouling of various critical process lines which are likely to transfer heavy hydrocarbons, aromatics and oxygenates. The process comprises steps including feeding a fluid solvent stream having a Snyder Polarity Index of at least 2.4 to one or more of i) the raw fluid product stream from a catalytic fast pyrolysis process fluidized bed reactor to a first separation system, ii) the fluid product stream from the first separation system to a quench vapor/liquid separation system, iii) the vapor phase stream from the quench vapor/liquid separation system to a product recovery system, and, optionally, to the spent catalyst steam stripping system upstream of the catalyst regeneration system.

A direct coal liquefaction process and system is provided that utilizes a dispersed catalyst and recycle of atmospheric and vacuum fractionator bottoms to produce a maximum yield of jet fuel/diesel or chemical plant feedstock while eliminating all slurry heat exchangers and a slurry preheat furnace. Process hydrogen is preheated in a heat exchanger and, if necessary, in a hydrogen furnace, and mixed with the recycled atmospheric and vacuum fractionator bottoms being fed to the input of the direct liquefaction reactor. Heat for the hydrogen heat exchanger is provided by the overhead from the hot separator receiving the effluent from the direct liquefaction reactor. Product selectivity is controlled by operating conditions.