Aromatic compounds are prepared from a feed stream comprising biomass or a mixture of biomass and synthetic polymer in a process, comprising: a) subjecting the feed stream to a pyrolysis treatment in the presence of a cracking catalyst to yield a vaporous fraction comprising hydrocarbons with olefinic unsaturation and oxygen containing organic compounds and coke-laden cracking catalyst; b) separating the vaporous fraction from the coke-laden cracking catalyst; c) contacting the vaporous fraction with a second, aromatization catalyst in a conversion treatment to yield a conversion product comprising aromatic compounds; and d) recovering aromatic compounds from the conversion product, wherein the cracking catalyst is a naturally occurring material, selected from the group consisting of inorganic salts, refractory oxides, minerals, industrial rock and mixtures thereof.

The present invention relates generally to the generation of bio-products from organic matter feedstocks. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of pulping liquors in the hydrothermal/thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic and/or fossilised organic feedstocks into biofuels (e.g. bio-oils) and/or chemical products (e.g. platform chemicals).

A method of reforming a heavy hydrocarbon distillate, which includes treating a heavy hydrocarbon distillate and a lignocellulosic biomass with a solvent, is provided. The method can be useful in maximizing conversion of the heavy hydrocarbon distillate into higher value-added distillate, for example, naphtha and a middle distillate, and allowing a sulfur compound produced by the decomposition of a heavy hydrocarbon distillate to catalyze pretreatment of the lignocellulosic biomass. Also, oxygen, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), levulinic acid, formic acid, and sulfuric acid produced by decomposition of the lignocellulosic biomass can catalyze decomposition of a heavy hydrocarbon distillate and lignocellulosic biomass, thereby activating decomposition of a heavy hydrocarbon distillate.

A direct coal liquefaction process capable of producing unexpectedly high levels of C5/650° F. product, which process employs a relatively high ratio of solvent plus bottoms product recycle to feed coal.

There is a process for the hydroconversion of mixtures of polymers or plastics which comprises the pre-treatment of the mixtures through methods selected from mechanical methods, chemical methods, thermal methods, or combinations thereof forming a pre-treated charge. The pre-treated charge is mixed with a hydrocarbon vacuum residue, optionally pre-heated, to form a reactant mixture. The reactant mixture is fed to a hydroconversion section in slurry phase, together with a catalyst precursor containing Molybdenum, and a stream containing hydrogen, forming a reaction effluent. The effluent is separated into at least one high-pressure and high-temperature separator in a vapour phase and a slurry phase. The separate vapour phase is sent to a gas treatment section with the function of separating a liquid fraction from the gas containing hydrogen and hydrocarbon gases having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; said liquid fraction comprising naphtha, atmospheric gas oil (AGO), vacuum gas oil (VGO). The slurry phase is then sent to a separation section that has the function of separating the fractions of the Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO), Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil (HVGO), Light Vacuum Gas Oil (LVGO), Atmospheric Gas Oil (AGO), from a stream of heavy organic products which contains asphaltenes, unconverted charge, catalyst and solid formed during the hydroconversion reaction. This stream of heavy organic products is partly recirculated to the hydroconversion section and partly forms a purge stream.

A process is described for producing a BTX cut from biomass comprising at least one step of catalytic pyrolysis of said biomass in a fluidized-bed reactor in which a stream comprising at least one oxygenated compound selected from alcohols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, alcohol acids having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, diols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, carboxylic acids having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, ethers having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, aldehydes having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, esters having 2 to 12 carbon atoms and glycerol, alone or mixed, is fed into the catalytic pyrolysis reactor.

Provided is a conversion process for an organic oil, relating to the field of biomass utilization, energy and chemical industry. The conversion process is carried out in presence of an aqueous slurry and a catalyst selected from the group consisting of an iron oxide compound, a waste agent resulting from use of an iron oxide compound as desulfurizer, and a regeneration product of the waste agent, under a controlled molar ratio of iron element to sulfur element. It is found that free radical condensation polymerization of organic oil during cracking process can be blocked effectively by using carbonylation, and hydrogenation is achieved with active hydrogen produced from the conversion of CO and water. In the conversion process, organic material, especially biomass solid, can be directly converted without dehydration, and water can be additionally added to the biomass liquid or the mineral oil.

A catalyst composition includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for the catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons includes contacting in a reactor system a carbon-containing feedstock with at least one catalyst in the presence of oxygen to generate olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; and collecting the olefinic and/or aromatic compounds; wherein: the at least one catalyst includes a metal catalyst dispersed in a molten eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides. A process for preparing the catalyst includes mixing metal catalyst precursors selected from transition metal compounds and rare-earth metal compounds and a eutectic mixture of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonates or hydroxides and heating it. A use of the catalyst in the catalytic cracking process of hydrocarbons.

A device and process for the conversion of aromatic compounds, includes/uses: a unit for the separation of the xylenes suitable for treating a cut comprising xylenes and ethylbenzene and producing an extract comprising para-xylene and a raffinate; an isomerization unit suitable for treating the raffinate and producing an isomerate enriched in para-xylene which is sent to a fractionation train; a pyrolysis unit suitable for treating biomass, producing a pyrolysis effluent feeding, at least partially, the feedstock, and producing a pyrolysis gas comprising CO and H.sub.2; a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction section suitable for treating, at least in part, the pyrolysis gas, producing a synthesis effluent sent, at least in part, to the pyrolysis unit.

Catalytic compositions for depolymerizing polyolefin-based waste material into useful petrochemical products and methods of use are described. The compositions are a composite of at least one zeolite catalyst with one or more co-catalyst(s) that is a solid inorganic material. These composite catalysts, along with heat, are used to both increase the depolymerization reaction rate of the feed streams and suppress poisoning effects of non-polyolefin polymers that may be present. This results in a shorter residence time in the depolymerization unit and more efficient process.