Patent ID: 8575409

Claim:
A method for producing hydrocarbons from biomass, comprising the steps of: providing a feed stream containing biomass having fatty acids, mono-, di-, and/or triglycerides, and a phosphorus content of about 1 wppm to about 1,000 wppm, at a temperature from about 140° F. to about 240° F.; providing a heated hydrocarbon solvent at a temperature from about 500° F. to about 800° F.; providing a hydrogen-rich gas; removing phosphorus and producing hydrocarbons by combining the feed stream, the heated hydrocarbon solvent, and the hydrogen-rich gas to generate a reactor feed and contacting the reactor feed with a low activity hydrogenation catalyst, where the reactor feed is at a temperature from about 400° F. to about 700° F.; and recovering a spent low activity hydrogenation catalyst at the end of run wherein the spent low activity hydrogenation catalyst contains between about 3% and about 10% by weight phosphorus; wherein the low activity hydrogenation catalyst is in a reactor; and the heated hydrocarbon solvent provides the heat for achieving the reactor feed temperature and the reactor temperature.