Conversion of biomass feedstocks into hydrocarbon liquid transportation fuels

• US 8,624,069 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Community Power Corporation
• Original Assignee: Afognak Native Corporation (Community Power Corporation)
• Inventors: Diebold, James P., Sherwood, Steve, Lilley, Arthur W., Walt, Robb R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BHAT, NINA NMN
• Application Number:
  US12/535,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 585/240, 518/700, 518/701, 48/89, 481/08, 481/277, 481/279, 481/987, 481/99.FM, 482/14.A, 481/97.FM
• US Class Current: 585/240
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/745 Iron
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 29/40 of the pentasil type, e.g. types ZSM-5, ZSM-8 or ZSM-11, as exemplified by patent documents US3702886, GB1334243 and US3709979, respectively
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/22 gas being introduced into the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/16 using catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 1/041 Reactors
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2/32 with the use of catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1022 Fischer-Tropsch products
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1092 C2-C4 olefins
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/08 Jet fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/30 Aromatics
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/00 Refining of hydrocarbon oils using hydrogen or hydrogen-generating compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 47/16 Crystalline alumino-silicate carriers
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 65/12 including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 69/04 including at least one step of catalytic cracking in the absence of hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0916 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/0956 Air or oxygen enriched air
• CPC Class Codes: C10J 2300/1659 to liquid hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/145 : the feedstock being materials of biological origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/52 : using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock

Abstract

Methods for converting a carbon-containing feedstock into a fluid transportation fuel are described. The methods may include converting the carbon-containing feedstock into a producer gas comprising H₂, CO, CO₂, and N₂, and reacting the producer gas with a substrate catalyst to produce a combination of Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) products, the F-T products including the fluid transportation fuel. A portion of the F-T products may be catalytically cracked to produce additional amounts of the fluid transportation fuel. A portion of the F-T products may also be hydrogenated to produce additional amounts of the fluid transportation fuel. Apparatuses are also described or converting a carbon-containing feedstock into a fluid transportation fuel. The apparatuses may include a producer gas reactor, a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, a cracking reactor, and a hydrogenation reactor.

Claims

1. A method for converting a carbon-containing feedstock into a fluid transportation fuel, the method comprising:

converting the carbon-containing feedstock in the presence of air into a producer gas comprising H₂, CO, CO₂, and N₂;

delivering the producer gas to a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reactor without separating the N₂ from the producer gas;

reacting the producer gas with a substrate catalyst to produce a combination of F-T products, the F-T products including the fluid transportation fuel;

catalytically cracking a portion of the F-T products to produce additional amounts of the fluid transportation fuel wherein a temperature for reacting the producer gas with the substrate catalyst is about 250°

C. to about 300°

C.; and

hydrogenating a portion of the F-T products to produce additional amounts of the fluid transportation fuel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon-containing feedstock comprises biomass.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the biomass has a water content from about 5 wt. % to about 20 wt. %.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon-containing feedstock comprises methane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid transportation fuel is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, and synthetic paraffinic kerosene.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the N₂ comprises about 50 mol. % of the producer gas.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises increasing the ratio of H₂:

CO by having a portion of the producer gas undergo a water-gas-shift (WGS) reaction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the WGS reaction is catalyzed by the substrate catalyst.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the F-T products are selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propanes, butanes, light olefins, gasoline, synthetic paraffinic kerosene, aviation fuel, diesel fuel, and waxes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the light olefins comprise ethylene, propylene, or butelenes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of catalytically cracking a portion of the F-T products comprises:

contacting the F-T products with a zeolite catalyst; and

splitting an F-T product constituent comprising a wax into two or more smaller hydrocarbons with the zeolite catalyst; and

aromatizing an F-T product constituent comprising a light olefin into an alkyl-aromatic compound.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the alkyl-aromatic compound is selected from the group consisting of a methyl-monocyclic aromatic and a ethyl-monocyclic aromatic.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of hydrogenating a portion of the F-T products comprises hydrogenating a hydrocarbon produced by the catalytic cracking step.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of hydrogenating a portion of the F-T products comprises flowing at least a portion of the F-T products through a fixed bed of a hydrogenation catalyst comprising palladium, platinum, or a combination of palladium and platinum.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the palladium hydrogenation catalyst comprises about 0.5 wt % palladium on an alumina substrate.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of hydrogenating a portion of the F-T products comprises exclusively supplying hydrogen for the hydrogenation from the producer gas.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises cooling the substrate catalyst with a portion of the N₂ from the producer gas.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a pressure for reacting the producer gas with the substrate catalyst is about 250 psig or less.

19. A method for converting a carbon-containing feedstock into hydrocarbon waxes, the method comprising:

converting the carbon-containing feedstock in the presence of air into a producer gas comprising H₂, CO, CO₂, and N₂;

delivering the producer gas to a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reactor without separating the N₂ from the producer gas;

reacting the producer gas with a substrate catalyst to produce a combination of Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) products, the F-T products including hydrocarbon gases and liquids, and a first portion of the hydrocarbon waxes; and

reacting at least a portion of the hydrocarbon gases and liquids with the substrate catalyst to produce a second portion of the hydrocarbon waxes.