| 主权项 |
1. A method for thermo-catalytically producing C4+ hydrocarbons from lignocellulosic biomass solids comprising:
a) providing a wet cellulosic biomass solids containing at least 30 wt % water; b) contacting the wet cellulosic biomass solids in a drying unit with a high boiling at least partially hydrophilic organic solvent, having a boiling point above 100° C. atmospheric pressure, containing at least one of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diols, monooxygenates greater than C4, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, substituted phenol, or a mixture thereof and having a water content of less than 20 wt % water before said contact, at a temperature in the range of from 5° C. to 60° C. and a pressure in the range of from atmospheric pressure to 10,000 kPa producing a low water-content cellulosic biomass solids containing at most 25 wt % water and wet organic solvent; c) contacting said low water-content lignocellulosic biomass solids in a hydrothermal digestion unit in the presence of a digestive solvent, hydrogen, and a catalyst capable of activating molecular hydrogen, thereby at least partially transforming said lignocellulosic biomass solids into a reaction product comprising one or more monooxygenates, glycols, diols, monooxygenates greater than C4, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), and/or phenols in the liquor phase in the hydrothermal digestion unit and producing a product stream comprising the liquor phase and lignin residue; d) flashing at least a portion of the product stream at a pressure of at most 5000 kPa and a temperature in the range of from 100° C. to 250° C. thereby separating a light mono-oxygenate stream and producing a heavy stream comprising glycols, diols, monooxygenates greater than C4, THFA, phenols and lignin residue; e) separating a high boiling at least partially hydrophilic organic solvent stream from the heavy stream and recycling to the drying unit in step b; f) removing at least a portion of water from the wet organic solvent producing a dried organic solvent; g) recycling at least a portion of the dried organic solvent to the drying unit in step b as high boiling at least partially hydrophilic organic solvent; and h) contacting at least a portion of the light mono-oxygenate stream and/or at least a portion of the high boiling least partially hydrophilic organic solvent stream with a condensation catalyst to produce a condensation product stream containing ≧C4+ hydrocarbons. |
