Process for the preparation of aromatic compounds

A process for the preparation of small aromatic compounds from black liquor comprising:

• adding hardwood chips and an alkaline solution to a digester and contacting the hardwood chips with the alkaline solution thereby digesting the hardwood chips to yield a cellulose pulp and a black liquor;
• adding the black liquor to a first reactor and subjecting the black liquor to a pyrolysis treatment to yield a pyrolysed black liquor gas and a solid mass comprising char and salts wherein the salts substantially derive from the treatment of black liquor;
• separating the pyrolysed black liquor gas and the solid mass and contacting at least part of the pyrolysed black liquor gas with a catalyst in a second reactor, wherein the second reactor is different from the first reactor, to provide a conversion treatment to yield a conversion product;
• and
• recovering small aromatic compounds from the conversion product with a condenser to form a condensed stream comprising small aromatic compounds.