Enhancing conversion of lignocellulosic biomass

A process for preparing solid biomass for slurry processing comprising the steps of:

• grinding the solid biomass to a small particle size, the solid biomass comprising lignocellulosic material that comprises lignin and cellulose;
• adding a dispersion agent to the solid biomass, thereby creating a suspension phase of the lignocellulosic material, wherein the dispersion agent is a polar organic solvent selected from the group consisting of a large organic acid, a polar-protic solvent, a polar-aprotic solvent, an oxygenate, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• contacting the suspension phase with a solid hydroprocessing catalyst, having a zeolite deoxygenation function, that causes the lignocellulosic material to react and produce a process stream comprising oxygenates and aromatic compounds.