Disclosed herein is an integrated plant including, in some embodiments, an interconnected set of two or more stages of reactors forming a bio-reforming reactor configured to generate syngas from wood-containing biomass. A first stage of the bio-reforming reactor is configured to cause a set of chemical reactions in the biomass to produce reaction products of constituent gases, tars, chars, and other components. The first stage includes a fluidized-bed gasifier, a fluidized-bed combustor, and a moving-bed filtration system, each of which includes media inputs and outputs to respectively receive and supply heat-absorbing media to another operation unit for recirculation in a media recirculation loop. The moving-bed filtration system includes a tar pre-reformer configured to capture and reform heavier tars into lighter tars for subsequent processing in one or more fuel-producing reactor trains. Fuel products produced by the one or more reactor trains have a biogenic content of between 50% and 100%.

A bio-reforming reactor receives biomass to generate chemical grade syngas for a coupled downstream train of a low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train that uses this syngas derived from the biomass in the bio-reforming reactor. A renewable carbon content of the produced gasoline, jet fuel, and/or diesel derived from the coupled downstream train the low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train are optimized for recovery of renewable carbon content to produce fuel products with 100% biogenic carbon content and/or fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content. The low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train produces syncrude, transportation fuels such as bio-gasoline or bio-diesel, or a combination thereof.

Multiple stages of reactors form a bio-reforming reactor that generates chemical grade bio-syngas for any of 1) a methanol synthesis reactor, 2) a Methanol-to-Gasoline reactor train, 3) a high temperature Fischer-Tropsch reactor train, and 4) any combination of these three that use the chemical grade bio-syngas derived from biomass fed into the bio-reforming reactor. A tubular chemical reactor of a second stage has inputs configured to receive chemical feedstock from at least two sources, i) the raw syngas from the reactor output of the first stage via a cyclone, and ii) purge gas containing renewable carbon-based gases that are recycled back via a recycle loop as a chemical feedstock from any of 1) the downstream methanol-synthesis-reactor train, 2) the downstream methanol-to-gasoline reactor train, or 3) purge gas from both trains. The plant produces fuel products with solely 100% biogenic carbon content as well as fuel products with 50-100% biogenic carbon content.

The invention is directed to processes for increasing the surface area of a carbon black starting material and for forming mesoporous carbon black. The process includes the step of contacting a carbon black starting material having a first BET nitrogen surface area with an oxidant in a fluidized bed under conditions effective to form a carbon black product having a second BET nitrogen surface area greater than the first BET nitrogen surface area. The invention is also directed to carbon black product formed by this process.

The invention is directed to processes for increasing the surface area of a carbon black starting material and for forming mesoporous carbon black. The process includes the step of contacting a carbon black starting material having a first BET nitrogen surface area with an oxidant in a fluidized bed under conditions effective to form a carbon black product having a second BET nitrogen surface area greater than the first BET nitrogen surface area. The invention is also directed to carbon black product formed by this process.

A process to efficiently convert organic feedstock material into liquid non-oxygenated hydrocarbons in the C.sub.5 to C.sub.12 carbon skeleton range is disclosed. The process can utilize gaseous, liquid or solid organic feedstocks containing carbon, hydrogen and, optionally, oxygen. The feedstock may require preparation of the organic feedstock for the process and is converted first into a synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The synthesis gas is then cleaned and conditioned and extraneous components removed, leaving substantially only the carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is then converted via a series of chemical reactions into the desired liquid hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons are suitable for combustion in a vehicle engine and may be regarded a replacement for petrol made from fossil fuels in the C.sub.5 to C.sub.12 carbon backbone range. The process also recycles gaseous by-products back through the various reactors of the process to maximize the liquid hydrocarbon in the C.sub.5 to C.sub.12 carbon skeleton range yield.

A process to efficiently convert organic feedstock material into liquid non-oxygenated hydrocarbons in the C.sub.5 to C.sub.12 carbon skeleton range is disclosed. The process can utilize gaseous, liquid or solid organic feedstocks containing carbon, hydrogen and, optionally, oxygen. The feedstock may require preparation of the organic feedstock for the process and is converted first into a synthesis gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The synthesis gas is then cleaned and conditioned and extraneous components removed, leaving substantially only the carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is then converted via a series of chemical reactions into the desired liquid hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons are suitable for combustion in a vehicle engine and may be regarded a replacement for petrol made from fossil fuels in the C.sub.5 to C.sub.12 carbon backbone range. The process also recycles gaseous by-products back through the various reactors of the process to maximize the liquid hydrocarbon in the C.sub.5 to C.sub.12 carbon skeleton range yield.

An apparatus and a method for gasification of a solid fuel in a fluidized bed gasifier involving the steps of: introducing first solid material particles and second solid material particles into a turbulent fluidized bed, wherein the particle weight of each of the first solid material particles is greater than the particle weight of each of the second solid material particles; maintaining at least most of the first solid material particles in the turbulent fluidized bed; receiving at least most of the second solid material particles included in the gas-solid mixture in a cyclone; in a return leg conduit, collecting at least most of the solid fuel particles separated from the gas-solid mixture in the cyclone and collecting at least most of the second solid material particles separated from the gas-solid mixture in the cyclone; and feeding at least most of the second solid material particles from the return leg conduit and at least most of the solid fuel particles from the return leg conduit into the turbulent fluidized bed.

A system and method of thermally processing carbonaceous materials, and especially sustainably cultivated woody biomass or cellulosic biomass sorted from municipal solid waste, to produce green fuel, such as diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and other beneficial by-products, including biochar. Synthesis gas is made by gasifying sustainably grown biomass, the thermal energy from which is used to create steam for treatment of biochar by-product to produce higher value activated carbon. Oxygen for the gasifier and hydrogen for a Fischer Tropsch (FT) or other catalytic synthesis stage of the process are generated by electrolysis of water using sustainably produced electricity. The gasification and electrolysis processes are operated to produce a 2:1 ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide needed for FT or other catalytic synthesis. The hydrocarbon product is distilled as required to produce either green alcohols or green diesel fuel and sustainable aviation fuel.

A system and method of thermally processing carbonaceous materials, and especially sustainably cultivated woody biomass or cellulosic biomass sorted from municipal solid waste, to produce green fuel, such as diesel, sustainable aviation fuel and other beneficial by-products, including biochar. Synthesis gas is made by gasifying sustainably grown biomass, the thermal energy from which is used to create steam for treatment of biochar by-product to produce higher value activated carbon. Oxygen for the gasifier and hydrogen for a Fischer Tropsch (FT) or other catalytic synthesis stage of the process are generated by electrolysis of water using sustainably produced electricity. The gasification and electrolysis processes are operated to produce a 2:1 ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide needed for FT or other catalytic synthesis. The hydrocarbon product is distilled as required to produce either green alcohols or green diesel fuel and sustainable aviation fuel.