Solvolysis process for combined feedstock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11987754-B2
Application number	US-202218083895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2022
Priority date	Dec 23, 2021
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a process for converting a combined feedstock to renewable liquid product(s), wherein the ash content of the combined feedstock of lignin feedstock and a second renewable feedstock is low. The combined feedstock is mixed with solvent, followed by solvolysis to obtain a product mix. At least part of the product mix is recirculated as the oil fraction of said solvent. The present disclosure further concerns the use of the product mix as a renewable product or use of hydroprocessed oil obtained by the process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for converting lignin to renewable liquid product(s), characterized in that the process comprises the following steps,
(a) providing a lignin feedstock ( 10 );
(b) providing a solid second renewable feedstock;
(c) providing a solvent ( 20 ) comprising an oil fraction, at least partly produced by the process;
(d) preparing a feed mixture ( 30 ) by mixing a combined feedstock of the lignin feedstock ( 10 ) of step (a) and the second renewable feedstock of step (b) with the solvent ( 20 ) of step (c), wherein the ash content of the combined feedstock is below 4.5 wt %;
(e) followed by solvolysis of the feed mixture of step (d) by heating ( 110 ) the feed mixture ( 30 ) at a temperature between 360 and 420 ° C., under a pressure from 40 to 155 bar and maintaining said temperature and pressure for 2-60 minutes to obtain a product mix ( 40 ); and
(f) recirculating at least part of said product mix ( 40 ) as the oil fraction of said solvent ( 20 ) of step (c).

2. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lignin feedstock is lignin fraction(s) having an average molecular weight below 6500 g/mol.

3. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the solid second renewable feedstock is solid forest industry residues.

4. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lignin feedstock is kraft lignin separated from black liquor.

5. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the ash content of the combined feedstock is below 3 wt %.

6. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lignin feedstock ( 10 ) comprises 0.1-15 wt % ash.

7. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the forest industry residue comprises 0.1-5 wt %. ash.

8. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the feed mixture ( 30 ) of step (d) is prepared by mixing ( 100 ) the combined feedstock and solvent ( 20 ), at a temperature between 100 and 130° C., under at a pressure from 1 bar to 10 bar, for 5-30 min.

9. The process according to claim 4 , characterized in that the feed mixture is subjected to filtration before step (e) and a feed mixture of lignin fraction(s) and solvent is obtained as filtrate.

10. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the process is a continuous, batch or semi-batch process.

11. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the process further comprises separating ( 120 ) a liquid product mix ( 50 ) from said product mix ( 40 ).

12. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that step (b) separation ( 120 ) is followed by fractionation ( 200 ) to obtain one or more oil fraction(s) ( 60 , 61 ) and a heavy fraction ( 62 ) and optionally a bottom residue fraction ( 63 ) and/or a gaseous fraction and optionally recirculating one oil fraction ( 60 ) as the oil fraction of the solvent.

13. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the oil fraction is a fraction obtained by fractionation ( 200 ) of the product mix ( 40 ) from the thermal liquefaction step ( 110 ) or of the liquid product mix ( 50 ) obtained after separation ( 120 ).

14. The process according to claim 6 , characterized in that in that at least part of the oil fraction from said fractionation ( 200 ) is directed to a hydroprocessing step.

15. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the amount of combined feedstock is 5 wt % to 35 wt % of the feed mixture.

16. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that combined feedstock consists of 10-90 wt % of the lignin feedstock and 10-90 wt % of the second renewable feedstock.

17. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the solvolysis step (e) ( 110 ) is performed at a temperature from 360° C. to 420° C. and/or at a pressure from 50 to 150 bar.

18. The process according to claim 3 , characterized in that preparing the feed mixture ( 30 ) step (d) is performed for 5-15 minutes and/or the solvolysis step (e) ( 110 ) is performed for 3-60 minutes.

19. A renewable product comprising the liquid product mix obtained by the process of claim 1 .

20. A renewable product comprising the liquid product mix obtained by the process of claim 11 .

21. A chemical, a marine fuel, or a drop-in fuel derived from the hydroprocessed oil obtained by the process of claim 14 .

22. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lignin feedstock is lignin fraction(s) having an average molecular weight below 4000 g/mol.

23. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lignin feedstock is lignin fraction(s) having an average molecular weight below 2000 g/mol.

24. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the lignin feedstock is lignin fraction(s) having an average molecular weight below 1500 g/mol.

25. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the solid second renewable feedstock is bark, sawdust, wood chips, branches, treetops or mixtures thereof.

26. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the solid second renewable feedstock is bark, sawdust, wood chips or mixtures thereof.

27. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the amount of combined feedstock is 8 wt % to 25 wt % of the feed mixture.

28. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the amount of combined feedstock is 10 to 20 wt % of the feed mixture.

29. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the solvolysis step (e) ( 110 ) is performed at a temperature from 370° C. to 400° C. and/or at a pressure from 50 to 130 bar.

30. The process according to claim 3 , characterized in that the solvolysis step (e) ( 110 ) is performed for 5-40 minutes.

31. The process according to claim 3 , characterized in that the solvolysis step (e) ( 110 ) is performed for 5-30 minutes.

Assignees

• Upm Kymmene Corp

Inventors

• Jokela Pekka
• Gutierrez Andrea
• Westerhof Roel
• Kersten Sascha
• Heesink Bert

Classifications

• C10B53/02 Primary

  of cellulose-containing material (production of pyroligneous acid C10C5/00) · CPC title

• C10G1/02 Primary

  by distillation · CPC title

• C10G2300/1011

  Biomass · CPC title

• C08H8/00 Primary

  Macromolecular compounds derived from lignocellulosic materials {(pretreatment thereof B27N)} · CPC title

• C10G49/00

  Treatment of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen-generating compounds, not provided for in a single one of groups C10G45/02, C10G45/32, C10G45/44, C10G45/58 or C10G47/00 · CPC title