# US 10,370,601 B2 · Processes for converting biomass to BTX with low sulfur, nitrogen and olefin content via a catalytic fast pyrolysis process > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,370,601 B2 - Document ID: US10370601B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/789,603 - Filed: 2015-07-01 - Published: 2016-01-07 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-01 - Assignees: Anellotech, Inc. - Applicants: Anellotech, Inc. - Inventors: Charles M. Sorensen, Jr.; Ruozhi Song; Terry J. Mazanec - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370601B2 ## CPC - C10G 45/32: Selective hydrogenation of the diolefin or acetylene compounds - C10G 1/002: {in combination with oil conversion- or refining processes} - C10G 1/08: with moving catalysts - C10G 1/10: from rubber or rubber waste - C10G 3/42: {Catalytic treatment} - C10G 45/02: to eliminate hetero atoms without changing the skeleton of the hydrocarbon involved and without cracking into lower boiling hydrocarbons; Hydrofinishing - C10L 1/04: essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons - C10L 10/12: for improving the cetane number - C10G 2400/30: Aromatics - C10L 2200/0469: Renewables or materials of biological origin - C10L 2270/04: for turbines, planes, power generation - C10L 2290/02: Combustion or pyrolysis - C10L 2290/54: Specific separation steps for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel - Y02E 50/10: Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel - Y02P 30/20: using bio-feedstock - C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES - C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Methods of separating and purifying products from the catalytic fast pyrolysis of biomass are described. In a preferred method, a portion of the products from a pyrolysis reactor are recovered and purified using a hydrotreating step that reduces the content of sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen components, and hydrogenates olefins to produce aromatic products that meet commercial quality specifications. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for producing aromatic chemicals from a product stream from a catalytic pyrolysis process, comprising: pyrolyzing solid biomass in the catalytic pyrolysis process to form a product stream; quenching the product stream to form a quenched product stream; separating catalyst, minerals, or char from the product stream and forming a separated, quenched product stream; separating a first liquid phase and a first vapor phase from the separated, quenched product stream; condensing the first vapor phase to produce a second liquid phase and a second vapor phase; separating the second liquid phase and the second vapor phase; contacting the second vapor phase with a contacting solvent to produce a third liquid phase and a third vapor phase, wherein the contacting solvent comprises a liquid stream recovered from the catalytic pyrolysis process; recovering aromatics from the second liquid phase and the third liquid phase; and hydrotreating at least a portion of the recovered aromatics to produce a hydrotreated aromatic stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the step of quenching the product stream comprises quenching the product stream with water. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the hydrotreated aromatic stream comprises less than 50 ppmw sulfur-containing species. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrotreated aromatic stream comprises less than 25 ppmw of nitrogen containing organic species. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrotreated aromatic stream comprises less than 100 ppmw oxygenates and less than 1,000 ppmw dienes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrotreated aromatic stream has a Bromine Index of less than 100. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the contacting solvent comprises at least one of xylenes, naphthalenes, and C9+ mixtures. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the contacting solvent comprises xylenes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the first liquid phase is separated into an organic fraction and an aqueous fraction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein a portion of the organic fraction is hydrotreated to form a purified organic phase. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the product stream comprises 20 to 60 wt % CO on a water-free and solids-free basis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein less than 5% of the aromatic carbon-carbon bonds in the aromatics are hydrogenated in the hydrotreating step. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 where the hydrotreating comprises feeding at least a portion of the recovered aromatics and a hydrogen feed to a hydrotreater reactor to produce said hydrotreated aromatic stream and further comprising recycling unreacted hydrogen back to the hydrotreater reactor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the product stream is passed through at least one cyclone prior to the step of quenching. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the first liquid phase comprises water, char, ash, coke, and catalyst fines. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The process method of claim 1 wherein the product stream to be quenched comprises a solid phase, an aqueous liquid phase, an organic liquid phase, and a gas phase. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the solid biomass is selected from the group consisting of trees, vegetation, agricultural products and wastes, garbage, ensilage, algae, marine plants, metabolic wastes, manure, sewage, cellulosic urban waste, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. ### Claim 18 A method for producing aromatic chemicals from a product stream from a catalytic pyrolysis process, comprising: pyrolyzing solid biomass in the catalytic pyrolysis process to form a product stream; quenching the product stream to form a quenched product stream; separating catalyst, minerals, or char from the product stream and forming a separated, quenched product stream; separating a first liquid phase and a first vapor phase from the separated, quenched product stream; condensing the first vapor phase to produce a second liquid phase and a second vapor phase; contacting the second liquid phase and the second vapor phase with a contacting solvent to produce a third liquid phase and a third vapor phase, wherein the contacting solvent comprises a liquid stream recovered from the catalytic pyrolysis process; recovering aromatics from the third liquid phase; and hydrotreating at least a portion of the recovered aromatics to produce a hydrotreated aromatic stream.