Biomass treatment for hyperthermal hydrocatalytic conversion

A method for selective removal of detrimental metals and their anion species from a cellulosic biomass solids, said method comprising a plurality of vessels:

• a. providing each of said vessels with one of detrimental species-containing cellulosic biomass solids;
• b. introducing a first dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase comprising an acidic solution having a pH of at most 4 from an inlet into a first vessel of said plurality of vessel wherein the cellulosic biomass solids in the first vessel is contacted by said first dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase and first continuous gas phase at a temperature in the range of about 0° C. to about 60° C. wherein the flux of the first liquid phase is at least 1 kg/(m2 s);
• c. repeating step (b) for a second vessel of said plurality of vessels;
• d. introducing a second dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase comprising an aqueous solution having a pH of at least 5 from an inlet into said first vessel of said plurality of vessels treated according to step (b) wherein said acidic solution-treated cellulosic biomass solids in the first vessel is contacted by said second dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase and second continuous gas phase wherein the flux of the second liquid phase is at least 1 kg/(m2 s) and discharging an acidic effluent;
• e. repeating step (d) for the second vessel of said plurality of vessels treated according to step (c);
• f. introducing a third dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase comprising a base solution having a pH of greater than 9 from an inlet into said first vessel of said plurality of vessels treated according to step (d) wherein said aqueous solution-treated cellulosic biomass solids in the first vessel is contacted by said third dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase and third continuous gas phase wherein the flux of the third liquid phase is at least 1 kg/(m2 s) and discharging an aqueous effluent;
• g. repeating step (f) for a second vessel of said plurality of vessels treated according to step (e);
• h. introducing a fourth dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase comprising an aqueous solution having a pH of at most 8 from an inlet into said first vessel of said plurality of vessels treated according to step (f) wherein said base solution-treated cellulosic biomass solids in the first vessel is contacted by said fourth dispersed or semi-continuous liquid phase and fourth continuous gas phase wherein the flux of the fourth liquid phase is at least 1 kg/(m2 s) and discharging a basic effluent;
• i. repeating step (h) for the second vessel of said plurality of vessels treated according to step (g);
• j. transferring at least a portion of the biomass treated according to steps (h) and (i) to a digestion and/or reaction vessel;
• k. wherein at least 2 of the vessels are undergoing at least one of the steps (b) through (j) at the same time;
• and
• l. wherein the amount of the total discharged acidic effluent and basic effluent from the plurality of vessels is in the range of from about 3 parts to about 0.5 parts relative to about 1 part of detrimental species-containing cellulosic biomass solids (dry basis).