Patent ID: 9644152
Date: 2017-05-09
CPC Classifications: C01B,C10G,C10J,C10K,C10L,Y02E,Y02P

Claim:
1. A method comprising: (a) providing a biomass feedstock comprising cellulose and water; (b) contacting the biomass feedstock with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen in a hydrocatalytic treatment at a temperature in a range of about 180 to 290 degrees C. to form a hydrocatalytically treated mixture comprising a plurality of hydrocarbon and oxygenated hydrocarbon molecules; (c) separating the hydrocatalytically treated mixture into at least a first overhead fraction comprising at least one of the hydrocarbon and oxygenated hydrocarbon molecules and a first bottom stream comprising at least one compound having a separation point having a temperature in a range of about 100 to 600 degrees C. at a pressure of about atmospheric pressure, wherein the first bottom fraction comprises at least one of phenol, o-cresol, p-cresol, anisole, 4-methylanisole, catechol, guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, 1,3-dimethoxybenzene, syringol, vanillin, methoxyphenol, methyl phenol, dimethyl phenol, ethyl phenol, methyl ethyl phenol, methoxypropylphenol, benzene diol, and propyl phenol; (d) partially oxidizing the first bottom fraction to produce a gas mixture comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen; (e) providing the gas mixture to a water gas shift reaction zone external to where the biomass feedstock is contacted with hydrogen to generate hydrogen and carbon dioxide; and (f) providing the hydrogen from step (e) for use in step (b).