Liquefaction of carbonaceous material and biomass to produce a synthetic fuel

Abstract

The present invention relates to production of fuels from carbonaceous material and biomass. In some examples, the carbonaceous material is nonpetroleum fossil fuel or petroleum residuals. Various embodiments of the present invention provide a method of liquefaction of carbonaceous material and biomass. The method includes providing or obtaining a feed mixture, the mixture including carbonaceous material and biomass. The method also includes subjecting the feed mixture to liquefaction, to provide a product slurry. Various embodiments of the present invention provide a method of fuel production from carbonaceous material and biomass. The method includes separating the product slurry from the liquefaction, to give a conversion component. The method also includes processing the conversion component, to give a fuel.

Description

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT[0001]This invention was made with government support under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-0SNT43291 entitled “EERC-DOE Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources,” Subtask 3.5 entitled “Catalytic Coal Liquefaction to Produce Transportation Fuels,” Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) Fund 15159, and U.S. Department of Energy Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC26-0SNT43291 entitled “EERC-DOE Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources,” Subtask 3.8 entitled “Analysis of Multiple Pathways for Converting Coal to Liquid Transportation Fuels,” EERC Fund 16344. The government has certain rights in this invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Refining of petroleum crude is the most common pathway for the production of fuels. However, petroleum is a limited and nonrenewable resource, and the extraction, transportation, and refining of petroleum can ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]Various embodiments of the present invention provide certain advantages of other methods of liquefaction and fuel production. In some embodiments, the ratio of carbonaceous material and biomass can be adjusted to generate a desired mixture of products. Some embodiments of the present invention can provide a synthetic fuel facility that can produce a fully or substantially fully synthetic fuel that meets JP-5 / JP-8 specs or JP-5 / BUFF specs. Some embodiments of the present method have a smaller carbon footprint than other methods of liquefaction and other methods of fuel production, such as petroleum fuel production or other methods of synthetic fuel production. Some embodiments of the present invention can provide a fully or substantially synthetic kerosene-dominant refinery in which the naphtha and distillate that are coproduced are easily refinable to meet final fuel specs, rather than having to be sold as naphtha or distillate blendstocks. Some embodiments are integrated or substantially integrated with respect to fuel production, such that all or most components of a desired fuel, such as jet fuel, are generated in a single refinery without the need for the addition of other blendstocks, such as petroleum-derived blendstocks. In some embodiments, the ability to generate materials that are fully or substantially fully refinable into a synthetic fuel can be advantageous for refinery locations far from markets for intermediate blendstock products or for refineries used as a strategic asset for the production of fuel for military use, including, for example, for production of synthetic aviation fuels. Some embodiments can refine fuel precursors into a desired fuel more efficiently than other refining techniques, for example with less consumption of energy or valuable materials than other methods. In some embodiments, in the refining process, the proportion of hydrogenated material subjected to a hydroisomerization process or aromatization process can be varied to achieve a desired fuel blend. Various embodiments of the method are flexible, allow tailoring of the secondary products, and can accommodate different refining technology preferences. In some examples, the method can be less complex than other refining techniques and can allow the production of fuels such as aviation fuels, while, in some embodiments, coproducing chemicals or other transportation fuels. In some examples, the present invention can allow elimination of substantial gas cleanup equipment, reducing the overall size of the plant.

Problems solved by technology

However, petroleum is a limited and nonrenewable resource, and the extraction, transportation, and refining of petroleum can be problematic from an environmental, political, and energy efficiency standpoint.

In addition, most competitive technologies do not produce all of the key constituents needed to produce synthetic fuels, such as aviation fuels.

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