The invention relates to a method for revamping a conventional refinery of mineral oils into a biorefinery, characterized by a production scheme which allows the treatment of raw materials of a biological origin (vegetable oils, animal fats, exhausted cooking oils) for the production of biofuels, prevalently high-quality biodiesel.

This method allows the re-use of existing plants, allowing, in particular, the revamping of a refinery containing a system comprising two hydrodesulfurization units, U1 and U2, into a biorefinery containing a production unit of hydrocarbon fractions from mixtures of a biological origin containing fatty acid esters by means of their hydrodeoxygenation and isomerization, wherein each of the hydrodesulfurization units U1 and U2 comprises: a hydrodesulfurization reactor, (A1) for the unit U1 and (A2) for the unit U2, wherein said reactor contains a hydrodesulfurization catalyst; one or more heat exchangers between the feedstock and effluent of the reactor; a heating system of the feedstock upstream of the reactor; an acid gas treatment unit downstream of the reactor, containing an absorbent (B) for H.sub.2S, said unit being called T1 in the unit U1 and T2 in the unit U2, and wherein said method comprises: installing a line L between the units U1 and U2 which connects them in series; installing a recycling line of the product for the unit U1 and possibly for the unit U2, substituting the hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the reactor Al with a hydrodeoxygenation catalyst; substituting the hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the reactor A2 with an isomerization catalyst; installing a by-pass line of the acid gas treatment unit T2 of the unit U2; substituting the absorbent (B) in the acid gas treatment unit T1 with a specific absorbent for CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2S.

The operative configuration obtained with the method, object of the present invention, also leads to a substantial reduction in emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, with respect to the original operative mode.

The invention also relates to the transformation unit of mixtures of a biological origin obtained with said conversion method and particularly hydrodeoxygenation and isomerization processes.

Methods, reactor systems, and catalysts are provided for converting in a continuous process biomass to fuels and chemicals, including methods of converting the water insoluble components of biomass, such as hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin, to volatile C.sub.2+O.sub.1-2 oxygenates, such as alcohols, ketones, cyclic ethers, esters, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and mixtures thereof. In certain applications, the volatile C.sub.2+O.sub.1-2 oxygenates can be collected and used as a final chemical product, or used in downstream processes to produce liquid fuels, chemicals and other products.

A process for converting one or more C3-C12 oxygenates comprising: 1) contacting a feed comprising C3-C12 oxygenates with hydrogen in the presence of a sulphided hydrogenation catalyst to produce a partially hydrogenated effluent; 2) contacting the partially hydrogenated effluent with hydrogen at a hydrogen partial pressure of at least 0.1 MegaPascal in the presence of a sulphided carbon-carbon coupling catalyst to produce a conversion product; 3) optionally contacting at least part of the conversion product with hydrogen in the presence of a sulphided hydrotreating catalyst and/or a sulphided hydroisomerization catalyst to produce a conversion product; and 4) optionally purifying the conversion product, optionally hydrotreated and/or hydroisomerized, conversion product to obtain a final product, wherein the carbon-carbon coupling catalyst comprises at least 60 wt % of a zeolite and in the range from 0.1 wt % to 10 wt % of a hydrogenation metal, based on the total weight of the carbon-carbon coupling catalyst.

A process for hydrotreating a renewable feedstock with improved carbon monoxide management is disclosed. A mixture of renewable feedstock and hydrocarbon feedstock is treated in a hydrotreating reactor to produce a hydrotreated effluent stream and contacting the hydrotreated effluent stream with a water gas shift catalyst bed to produce a shift reactor effluent stream. The shift reactor effluent stream is passed to a cold separator to recover a cold vapor stream and recycling the cold vapor stream having reduced concentration of carbon monoxide to the hydrotreating zone. The subject matter disclosed provides an improved process and apparatus to reduce the accumulation of CO by converting CO present in the hydrotreated effluent stream to CO.sub.2 using the water shift gas reaction.

A method of extending the catalyst life of a hydrogenolysis catalyst activity in the presence of biomass and aqueous solution is described. Lignocellulosic biomass solids and aqueous solution is provided to in a hydrothermal digestion unit in the presence of a digestive solvent, and a supported hydrogenolysis catalyst containing (a) sulfur, (b) Mo or W, and (c) Co, Ni or mixture thereof, incorporated into a solid metal oxide support. The lignocellulosic biomass solids in the hydrothermal digestion unit is heated to a temperature in the range of 180 C. to less than 300 C. in the presence of digestive solvent, hydrogen, and in the range of 0.15 wt. % to 12.5 wt. %, based on catalyst, of H.sub.2S or H.sub.2S source at least partially soluble in aqueous solution, and the supported hydrogenolysis catalyst forming a product solution containing plurality of oxygenated hydrocarbons, the hydrothermal digestion unit maintaining protective sulfur concentration.

The present invention provides processes, methods, and systems for converting biomass-derived feedstocks to liquid fuels and chemicals. The method generally includes the reaction of a hydrolysate from a biomass deconstruction process with hydrogen and a catalyst to produce a reaction product comprising one of more oxygenated compounds. The process also includes reacting the reaction product with a condensation catalyst to produce C.sub.4+ compounds useful as fuels and chemicals.

Various techniques are disclosed for pretreating municipal solid waste (MSW) and other biomass-containing feedstocks that may be of a poorer quality and consequently more difficult, or even impossible, to convert to higher value liquid products (e.g., transportation fuels) using conventional processes. Such conventional processes may otherwise be satisfactory for the conversion of the biomass portion of the feedstock alone. The pretreatment of biomass-containing feedstocks may generally include steps carried out prior to a hydropyrolysis step and optionally further steps, in order to change one or more characteristics of the feedstock, rendering it more easily upgradable.

A method of extending the catalyst life of a hydrogenolysis catalyst activity in the presence of biomass and aqueous solution is described. Lignocellulosic biomass solids and aqueous solution is provided to in a hydrothermal digestion unit in the presence of a digestive solvent, and a supported hydrogenolysis catalyst containing (a) sulfur, (b) Mo or W, and (c) Co, Ni or mixture thereof, incorporated into a solid metal oxide support. The lignocellulosic biomass solids in the hydrothermal digestion unit is heated to a temperature in the range of 180 C. to less than 300 C. in the presence of digestive solvent, hydrogen, and in the range of 0.15 wt. % to 12.5 wt. %, based on catalyst, of H.sub.2S or H.sub.2S source at least partially soluble in aqueous solution, and the supported hydrogenolysis catalyst forming a product solution containing plurality of oxygenated hydrocarbons, the hydrothermal digestion unit maintaining protective sulfur concentration.

The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a method of processing plant oil to produce high grade fuel such as biodiesel and jet fuel. Particularly, a method is provided that includes treating an oil under hydrothermal conditions in the presence of i) an acid that acts as an in situ source of hydrogen and ii) an activated carbon essentially free of a metal catalyst, wherein the treating results in production of liquid hydrocarbons for use as a fuel.

(57) Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an installation for producing a concentrate of aromatic hydrocarbons from light aliphatic hydrocarbons and from mixtures thereof with oxygenates. According to the method, an initial raw material is fed into two in-series-connected reaction units, a first unit and a second unit, with zeolite catalysts based on a pentasil group; the reaction units arc distinguished through the conditions for converting the hydrocarbons to aromatic hydrocarbons; a mixture obtained following the reaction units is separated into a liquid fraction and a gas fraction, and the gas fraction is fed to the inlet of the first and second reaction unit. The method is characterized in that the gas fraction obtained following the reaction units is separated into a hydrogen-containing gas and into a broad fraction of light hydrocarbons, containing olefins, and in that the hydrogen-containing gas is fed into an oxygenate synthesis unit, in that the resultant oxygenates are fed to the inlet of the first and second reaction unit, and in that the broad fraction of light hydrocarbons, containing olefins, is fed to the inlet of the first reaction unit. The use of the present invention allows for increasing the efficiency of producing concentrates of aromatic hydrocarbons and for increasing selectivity in regard to alkyl benzoles, and specifically xylenes.