Fluidized bed reactor and associated hydropyrolysis processes

A process comprising:

• (a) a supplying a biomass feedstock, a fluidizing gas comprising hydrogen, and a catalyst recirculation stream comprising deoxygenating catalyst to a mixing zone of a fluidized bed reactor, wherein the mixing zone comprises a feedstock inlet at a first location and a catalyst recirculation inlet at a second location, and wherein the second location is upstream of the first location such that the catalyst recirculation stream is supplied to the mixing zone below the biomass feedstock;
• (b) allowing the biomass feedstock, the fluidizing gas and the deoxygenating catalyst to move upwards through the fluidized bed reactor from the mixing zone to a bulk reactor zone;
• (c) allowing the biomass feedstock to contact the deoxygenating catalyst in the presence of the fluidizing gas in the bulk reactor zone of the fluidized bed reactor to produce a hydropyrolysis reactor output comprising at least one non-condensable gas, a partially deoxygenated hydropyrolysis product and char;
• and
• (d) withdrawing at least a portion of the deoxygenating catalyst from the bulk reactor zone to form the catalyst recirculation stream that is supplied to the mixing zone in step a).