An improved process is provided for catalytic pyrolysis of biomass, comprising pneumatically injecting a biomass feed via a pneumatic injection line into a fluidized heat medium, for example, hot catalyst, with a carrier gas at a velocity of from 5 to 40 m/s in at least one mixing zone in communication with a pyrolysis reactor in which catalytic pyrolysis occurs, and maintaining a catalyst/biomass mixture flowrate ratio (C/B) of from 4 to 40 downstream from the point of catalyst injection via a catalyst injection line in the at least one mixing zone.

Disclosed is a method for preparing ammonia gas through a reaction between an ammonium salt and a silicate. An aqueous solution of the ammonium salt in the form of atomized droplets is contacted with a silicate at a high temperature for a reaction to generate ammonia gas and a solid substance. The silicate can be solid particles, and forms a bed. The generated ammonia gas is collected, the solid substance is extracted, part of the same solid substance is mixed with a fresh silicate solid particle, and the mixture continuously reacts with the atomized droplets of the aqueous solution of the ammonium salt.

The invention provides a process for manufacturing ceramics and refractories comprising the steps of producing a porous powder comprising nanograin sized particles wherein the particles have a Young’s modulus value that is smaller in value compared to the same crystalline material; compacting and processing the powder such that the powder forms a stable homogeneous composite; and sintering the composite for a time and temperature to lead to uniform shrinkage of the composite to make a dense homogenous material.

The present invention presents a system for and method of processing a particulate material, for example carbonaceous materials, food products or minerals, to produce a processed material having more desirable properties. The method comprises the steps of: introducing the particulate material into a chamber; providing a flow of fluid into said chamber for entraining the particulate material via inlets at a lower end of the chamber; and providing an exhaust of fluid out of the chamber via an outlet at an upper end of the chamber. The chamber comprises a processing zone having a substantially circular transverse cross-section, the fluid flow being introduced into the processing zone at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to a tangent of the substantially circular transverse cross-section of the processing zone to establish a fluid flow following a substantially helical path in the processing chamber. Said processing zone is provided in a central region of said chamber. Individual particulate material during processing in the processing zone is entrained by the fluid flow exceeding the terminal velocity of the particulate material, exits the processing zone in a radially outward direction, circulates to a base of the chamber and then returns to the processing zone in a repeated cycle. Individual particulate material can increase in mass or aggregate to form a mass of particulate material with larger mass during processing until its terminal velocity exceeds the fluid flow and thereby exits the processing zone by descending through an opening at the base of the chamber under gravity. A toroidal bed reactor is also provided.

An improved process is provided for catalytic pyrolysis of biomass, comprising pneumatically injecting a biomass feed via a pneumatic injection line into a fluidized heat medium, for example, hot catalyst, with a carrier gas at a velocity of from 5 to 40 m/s in at least one mixing zone in communication with a pyrolysis reactor in which catalytic pyrolysis occurs, and maintaining a catalyst/biomass mixture flowrate ratio (C/B) of from 4 to 40 downstream from the point of catalyst injection via a catalyst injection line in the at least one mixing zone.

The invention relates to a process for carrying out reactions on preheated particles, comprising: (a) providing particles in a buffer container; (b) feeding the particles from the buffer container into a reactor via a feed line; (c) withdrawing the particles from the reactor, wherein the particles are heated in the feed line.

Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for controlling heat for rapid thermal processing of carbonaceous material are provided herein. The apparatus comprises a reheater for containing a fluidized bubbling bed comprising an oxygen-containing gas, inorganic heat carrier particles, and char and for burning the char into ash to form heated inorganic particles. An inorganic particle cooler is in fluid communication with the reheater to receive a first portion of the heated inorganic particles. The inorganic particle cooler is configured to receive a cooling medium for indirect heat exchange with the first portion of the heated inorganic particles to form first partially-cooled heated inorganic particles that are fluidly communicated to the reheater and combined with a second portion of the heated inorganic particles to form second partially-cooled heated inorganic particles. A reactor is in fluid communication with the reheater to receive the second partially-cooled heated inorganic particles.

Methods and systems utilizing gas jets to carry biomass into a biomass conversion reactor are described. Reactor configurations and conditions for carrying out processes utilizing the gas jets are also described. The use of gas jets has been found to be especially desirable for operation with pyrolysis of biomass in catalytic fluidized bed reactors.

A dual bed pyrolysis system may include a falling bed reactor employing a heat carrier particulate to pyrolyze biomass to create a pyrolysis product and a pyrolysis waste product. The dual bed pyrolysis system may also include a fluidized bed reactor. The fluidized bed reactor may accept the pyrolysis waste product including char and heat carrier particulate from the falling bed reactor. The fluidized bed reactor may combust the char in the presence of the heat carrier particulate. The fluidized bed reactor may combust the char to reheat the heat carrier particulate. The reheated heat carrier particulate may be provided to the falling bed reactor to pyrolyze biomass to create a pyrolysis product and a pyrolysis waste product.

A system, for production of high-quality syngas, comprising a first dual fluidized bed loop having a fluid bed conditioner operable to produce high quality syngas comprising a first percentage of components other than CO and H.sub.2 from a gas feed, wherein the conditioner comprises an outlet for a first catalytic heat transfer stream comprising a catalytic heat transfer material and having a first temperature, and an inlet for a second catalytic heat transfer stream comprising catalytic heat transfer material and having a second temperature greater than the first temperature; a fluid bed combustor operable to combust fuel and oxidant, wherein the fluid bed combustor comprises an inlet connected with the outlet for a first catalytic heat transfer stream of the conditioner, and an outlet connected with the inlet for a second catalytic heat transfer stream of the conditioner; and a catalytic heat transfer material.