Bio-oil production with optimal byproduct processing

A process for producing bio-oil and processing byproducts of bio-oil production, said process comprising:

• (a) pyrolyzing biomass in a riser reactor in the presence of a catalyst to thereby produce a reactor effluent comprising bio-oil, carbon monoxide (CO), olefins, and methane, wherein the weight ratio of said CO to said bio-oil in said reactor effluent is at least 0.5:1, wherein the weight ratio of said olefins to said bio-oil in said reactor effluent is at least 0.1:1, wherein the weight ratio of said methane to said bio-oil in said reactor effluent is at least 0.05:1;
• (b) condensing and separating a substantial portion of said bio-oil from said reactor effluent, thereby leaving an uncondensed stream comprising at least a portion of said methane and at least a portion of said CO;
• and
• (c) generating hydrogen from at least a portion of said uncondensed stream to thereby produce a hydrogen-enriched stream comprising generated hydrogen;
• (d) recovering from at least a portion of said hydrogen-enriched stream at least one of the following recovered streams:
• (i) a syngas stream comprising hydrogen and at least a portion of said CO, wherein said hydrogen and said CO make up at least 75 weight percent of said syngas stream,
• (ii) a hydrogen-rich stream, wherein hydrogen makes up at least 75 weight percent of said hydrogen-rich stream,
• (iii) a carbon dioxide-rich stream comprising at least 75 weight percent carbon dioxide (CO2), or
• (iv) a methane-rich stream, wherein said methane makes up at least 75 weight percent of said methane-rich stream,
• wherein when said syngas stream is recovered in step (d) said process produces said syngas stream at a rate that is at least 5 percent of the rate of introduction of said biomass into said conversion reactor on a weight basis, wherein when said hydrogen-rich stream is recovered in step (d) said process produces said hydrogen-rich stream at a rate that is at least 0.5 percent of the rate of introduction of said biomass into said conversion reactor on a weight basis, wherein when said CO2-rich stream is recovered in step (d) said process produces said CO2-rich stream at a rate that is at least 5 percent of the rate of introduction of said biomass into said conversion reactor on a weight basis, wherein when said methane-rich stream is recovered in step (d) said process produces said methane-rich stream at a rate that is at least 0.5 percent of the rate of introduction of said biomass into said conversion reactor on a weight basis.

A system for producing bio-oil, said system comprising:

• a biomass feedstock source for providing solid particulate biomass;
• a conversion reactor for thermally converting at least a portion of said solid particulate biomass feedstock into a reactor effluent comprising bio-oil, carbon monoxide (CO), olefins, and methane;
• a partial condenser for partially condensing at least a portion of said reactor effluent into a bio-oil stream and an uncondensed stream;
• an olefin removal unit for removing olefins from said uncondensed stream thereby providing an olefin-depleted stream;
• a hydrogen generation unit having a water inlet, wherein said hydrogen generation unit is operable to generate hydrogen by reacting water with CO and/or methane from said olefin-depleted stream;
• and
• a hydrotreater for reacting at least a portion of said bio-oil stream with at least a portion of the generated hydrogen from said hydrogen generation unit.