Methods and systems for processing cellulosic biomass

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9790436-B2
Application number	US-201514868542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Oct 1, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

Digestion of cellulosic biomass solids may be complicated by release of lignin therefrom. Methods and systems for processing a reaction product containing lignin-derived products, such as phenolics, can comprise hydrotreating the reaction product to convert the lignin-derived products to desired higher molecular weight compounds. The methods can further include separating the higher molecular weight compounds from unconverted products, such as unconverted phenolics, and recycling the unconverted phenolics for use as at least a portion of the digestion solvent and for further conversion to desired higher molecular weight compounds with additional hydrotreatment. The methods and systems can further include generating hydrogen with the further hydrotreatment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a reactor in a first reaction zone with a first reaction content comprising cellulosic biomass solids, molecular hydrogen, a catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen, and a digestion solvent;
heating the first reaction content in the reactor in the first reaction zone to form a first reaction product comprising phenolics and an alcoholic component;
providing a reactor in a second reaction zone with a second reaction content comprising the first reaction product, molecular hydrogen, and a catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen;
heating the second reaction content in the reactor in the second reaction zone to form a second reaction product comprising hydrocarbons converted from phenolics and unconverted phenolics,
wherein the reactor in the second reaction zone has a pressure of less than 200 bar;
separating an unconverted phenolics fraction from the second reaction product;
providing a first portion of the unconverted phenolics fraction to the reactor in the first reaction zone; and
providing a second portion of the unconverted phenolics fraction to the reactor in the second reaction zone.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reaction content has a concentration of phenolics of 50% or less by weight based on the total weight of the second reaction content.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reaction content has a water concentration of at least 10% by weight based on the total weight of the second reaction content.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unconverted phenolics fraction comprises greater than 50% of the amount of phenolics in the second reaction product from which the unconverted phenolics fraction is separated.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alcoholic component comprises triols and glycol and wherein at least a portion of triols and glycol in the alcoholic component is converted to monohydric alcohols.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first reaction content is heated to a temperature in a range of about 190 to 260 degrees C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reaction content is heated to a temperature in a range of about 210 to 300 degrees C.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor in the first reaction zone has a total pressure of at least 30 bar.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor in the second reaction zone has a total pressure of at least 30 bar.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactor in the second reaction zone has a total pressure that is lower than a total pressure of the reactor in the first reaction zone.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbons converted from phenolics comprise at least one of an alkane, an alkene, a cycloalkane, a cycloalkene, an alkyl derivative or substituent of the cycloalkane, and an alkenealkyl derivative or substituent of the cycloalkene.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst in the first reaction content comprises fluidly mobile catalyst particulates.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the catalyst in the reactor in the second reaction content comprises fluidly mobile catalyst particulates.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fluidly mobile catalyst particulates in the second reaction content comprise fluidly mobile catalyst particulates from the first reaction content.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first reaction zone and the second reaction zone comprises a slurry reactor.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first reaction zone and the second reaction zone comprises an ebullating bed reactor.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first reaction zone comprises an ebulatting bed reactor and the second reaction zone comprises at least one of a fixed bed reactor and a trickle bed reactor.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing to the reactor in the second reaction zone a catalyst different from the catalyst in the reactor in the first reaction zone.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
increasing the catalytic activity in the reactor in the second reaction zone to increase hydrogen generation.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first reaction zone comprises a slurry reactor and the second reaction zone comprises at least one of a fixed bed reactor and a trickle bed reactor.

Assignees

• Shell Oil Co

Inventors

• Powell Joseph Broun
• Chheda Juben Nemchand
• Joffrion Lamar Lane
• Anderson Philip Walter

Classifications

• C10G2300/4081

  Recycling aspects · CPC title

• D21C3/20

  with organic solvents {or in solvent environment} · CPC title

• C08L97/005

  Lignin · CPC title

• C10G2300/1014

  of vegetal origin · CPC title

• C10G2300/805

  Water · CPC title