Processes and systems for producing liquid transportation fuels

A system for converting a carbon-containing feedstock into a liquid transportation fuel product, the system comprising

• an air-blown producer gas reactor operable to convert the carbon-containing feedstock into a producer gas comprising H2, CO, CO2, and N2, with substoichiometeric amounts of H2 and CO (less than 2:1 molar ratio of H2 to CO);
• a processing unit, wherein the processing unit comprises a Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reactor, and a cracker,
• wherein the F-T reactor comprises an iron catalyst, wherein the iron catalyst comprises volcanic sand,
• wherein the F-T reactor is fluidly coupled to a source of feed gas and operable to convert at least a portion of the feed gas into a FTS product, wherein the FTS product comprises the liquid transportation fuel product and a first residue, and
• wherein the cracker is fluidly coupled to the F-T reactor and operable to catalytically crack at least a portion of the first residue to produce an additional amount of the liquid transportation fuel product and a second residue;
• and a product upgrading unit, wherein the product upgrading unit is operable to produce an additional amount of the liquid transportation fuel product from a product gas.