Method And System For Producing Alternative Liquid Fuels Or Chemicals
First Claim
1. A method for converting hydrocarbon-containing materials into valuable chemicals, the method comprising:
- producing a syngas intermediate comprising hydrogen and CO by zoned partial oxidation and/or gasification of at least a portion of a hydrocarbon-containing material input;
introducing the syngas intermediate into a reactive separation unit;
producing in an alcohol generation unit an alcohol intermediate comprising at least one or more alcohols or aqueous mixtures containing one or more alcohols;
introducing the alcohol intermediate into the reactive separation unit; and
chemically reforming the syngas intermediate and the alcohol intermediate in the reactive separation unit to produce at least one product selected from the group consisting of saturated hydrocarbons, higher alcohols, and mixtures thereof.
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Abstract
A method and system for the production of valuable chemicals or alternative liquid fuels via an integrated biomass conversion and upgrading process is disclosed. The process integrates three subcomponent processes, capturing the desirable attributes of each: zoned partial oxidation, alcohol production, and gas-to-liquids reformation. The method and system may include reacting gasification intermediates—e.g., syngas from zoned partial oxidation, with bioprocessing intermediates—e.g., aqueous ethanol from alcohol production in a reactive separation to produce a product(s) of higher alcohols, liquid hydrocarbons, or a combination of these. The product(s) can be split into two (or more) boiling point fractions by the same reactive separations unit operation. The resulting product(s) are valuable for a variety of applications, including potentially as alternative (non-fossil-based) liquid transportation fuels
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for converting hydrocarbon-containing materials into valuable chemicals, the method comprising:
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producing a syngas intermediate comprising hydrogen and CO by zoned partial oxidation and/or gasification of at least a portion of a hydrocarbon-containing material input; introducing the syngas intermediate into a reactive separation unit; producing in an alcohol generation unit an alcohol intermediate comprising at least one or more alcohols or aqueous mixtures containing one or more alcohols; introducing the alcohol intermediate into the reactive separation unit; and chemically reforming the syngas intermediate and the alcohol intermediate in the reactive separation unit to produce at least one product selected from the group consisting of saturated hydrocarbons, higher alcohols, and mixtures thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for converting hydrocarbon-containing materials into valuable chemicals, the method comprising:
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feeding a stream of materials into an alcohol generation unit to produce a first stream of alcohol-containing aqueous intermediate; subjecting the first stream to primary separations processing in a primary separations unit to remove a mixture of water and solids and to produce a resultant stream of aqueous alcohol; feeding one or more non-fermentable solid streams into a zoned partial oxidation unit; introducing a first co-feed stream into the zoned partial oxidation unit, the first co-feed stream comprising a carbon-rich or hydrogen-rich stream; introducing a second co-feed stream into the zoned partial oxidation unit, the second co-feed stream comprising an oxidant relative to the conditions in the zoned partial oxidation unit; carrying out one or more processes selected from the group consisting of devolatilization, pyrolysis, and partial oxidation in the zoned partial oxidation unit; yielding at least one of a hydrogen-rich syngas intermediate output and a CO-rich syngas intermediate output from the zoned partial oxidation unit; combining or recombining the at least one of hydrogen-rich syngas intermediate output and the CO-rich syngas intermediate output to produce a combined syngas stream; concurrently introducing the combined syngas stream and the resultant stream of aqueous alcohol into a reactive separation unit, the reactive separation unit subjecting the combined syngas stream and the resultant stream of aqueous alcohol to gas-to-liquid reformation reactions; and producing a product stream comprising at least one component selected from the group consisting of a higher alcohol liquid, an aliphatic liquid hydrocarbon, and mixtures thereof. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for converting hydrocarbon-containing materials into valuable chemicals, the system comprising:
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an alcohol generation unit configured to receive a stream of materials and to produce a first stream of alcohol-containing aqueous intermediate; a primary separations unit configured to subject the first stream of alcohol-containing aqueous intermediate to primary separations processing to remove a mixture of water and solids and to produce a resultant stream of aqueous alcohol; a zoned partial oxidation unit configured to receive one or more non-fermentable solids, to receive a co-feed stream either carbon-rich or hydrogen-rich, to receive a co-feed stream of an oxidant relative to the conditions in the zoned partial oxidation unit, the zoned partial oxidation unit capable of carrying out one or more processes selected from the group consisting of devolatilization, pyrolysis, and partial oxidation, to produce a syngas stream; and a reactive separation unit configured to receive the syngas stream and the resultant stream of aqueous alcohol, and capable of subjecting the combined syngas stream and the resultant steam of aqueous alcohol to gas-to-liquid reformation reactions, thereby producing a product selected from the group consisting of a higher alcohol liquid, and an aliphatic liquid hydrocarbon, and mixtures thereof.
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Specification