Patent ID: 9340623
Filing Date: 2016-05-17
CPC Classification: C08B,C08H

Claim Text:
1. A method comprising: providing cellulosic biomass solids in a digestion medium comprising a phenolic solvent; and digesting at least a portion of the cellulosic biomass solids by heating the cellulosic biomass solids and the digestion medium in a digestion unit in the presence of molecular hydrogen and a slurry catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen, thereby forming an alcoholic component derived from the cellulosic biomass solids and liberating lignin from the cellulosic biomass solids into the digestion medium: wherein the digestion medium comprises about 50% or more of the phenolic solvent by volume; removing at least a portion of the alcoholic component from the digestion unit; exposing at least a portion of the removed alcoholic component to a condensation catalyst, thereby forming a condensation reaction product, wherein the phenolic solvent comprises at least one of eugenol, dihydroeugenol, propoxylated phenols, methoxypropoxylated phenols, and any combination thereof.