Patent ID: 8366796
Filing Date: 2013-02-05
Classification: C07C,C10G,Y02E,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method of converting a carbon-containing feed material into alcohols, said method comprising: (a) providing one or more modular units; (b) feeding a carbon-containing feed material into said one or more modular units; (c) devolatilizing said carbon-containing feed material in multiple-stage devolatilization reactors contained within each of said one or more modular units, thereby creating a solid phase and a gas phase; (d) steam reforming said solid phase and said gas phase to produce syngas within each of said one or more modular units; (e) producing, from at least a portion of said syngas, one or more alcohols selected from the group consisting of ethanol, propanol, and butanol within each of said one or more modular units; and (f) injecting oxygen and steam into at least a portion of said syngas to recycle said at least a portion of said syngas back to said multiple-stage devolatilization reactors.