Methods for Producing Hydrocarbon Products from Bio-Oils and/or Coal-Oils

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing a hydrocarbon product from coal and/or biomass comprising the following steps: converting the coal to a coal-oil and/or converting the biomass to bio-oil, optionally processing the coal-oil and/or bio-oil in a hydroprocessing reaction to remove one or more of oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur from hydrocarbon compounds in the coal-oil and/or bio-oil; and using at least a portion of the coal-oil and/or bio-oil as a feedstock in a cracking reaction to convert hydrocarbon compounds in the feedstock into a mixture of smaller hydrocarbon compounds comprising the hydrocarbon product.

1 . A method for producing a hydrocarbon product from coal comprising the following steps:
 converting the coal to a coal-oil by thermal or hydrothermal conversion;   processing the coal-oil in a hydroprocessing reaction to remove one or more of oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur from hydrocarbon compounds in the coal-oil; and   using at least a portion of the coal-oil as a feedstock in a cracking reaction to convert hydrocarbon compounds in the feedstock into a mixture of smaller hydrocarbon compounds comprising the hydrocarbon product.   
     
     
         2 . A method for producing a hydrocarbon product from biomass comprising the following steps:
 converting the biomass to bio-oil by thermal or hydrothermal conversion;   processing the bio-oil in a hydroprocessing reaction to remove one or more of oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur from hydrocarbon compounds in the bio-oil; and   using at least a portion of the bio-oil as a feedstock in a cracking reaction to convert hydrocarbon compounds in the feedstock into a mixture of smaller hydrocarbon compounds comprising the hydrocarbon product.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the feedstock is comprised of at least:
 (i) 50% of said bio-oil and said hydrocarbon product is at least a 50% renewable product;   (ii) 75% of said bio-oil and said hydrocarbon product is at least a 75% renewable product; or   (iii) 90% of said bio-oil and said hydrocarbon product is at least a 90% renewable product.   
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said converting is by fast pyrolysis reaction. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cracking reaction is a catalytic cracking reaction utilizing a powdered catalyst at a reaction temperature of between about 500° C. and 600° C., and a reaction pressure of between about 1400 KPa and 2000 KPa. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cracking reaction is a catalytic cracking reaction utilized to convert hydrocarbons of C 12  or above into a hydrocarbon product selected from any one or more of gasoline and fuel oil. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said hydroprocessing reaction additionally produces a hydrocarbon product selected from any one or more of a gasoline, lower olefins, a naphtha intermediate and naphtha. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the cracking reaction is a steam cracking reaction utilizing steam at a reaction temperature of between about 850° C. and about 1200° C. to convert the naphtha into a hydrocarbon product selected from any one or more of fuel oil, gasoline, methane, ethane, LPG, lower olefins, and lower olefins selected from any one or more of ethylene, propylene, butylenes and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claims 11 , comprising the additional step of:
 (i) catalytically polymerizing the lower olefins, wherein said polymerizing produces a product selected from any one or more of plastic, polyethylene, polypropylene, synthetic rubber and adhesives; or   (ii) oxidizing the lower olefins, wherein said oxidising produces an organic chemical product selected from any one or more of ethylene oxide and acrolein.   
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydroprocessing reaction is a catalytic hydroprocessing reaction utilising a catalyst comprising an active metal or a combination of active metals. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the catalyst comprises at least one group VIB metal, at least one metal group VIII metal, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the catalyst is at least one of a cobalt-molybdenum (CoMo), nickel-molybdenum (NiMo) or nickel-tungsten (NiW) type catalyst. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydroprocessing reaction is performed in a hydroprocessing plant and produces C 1 -C 4  hydrocarbons, and wherein said C 1 -C 4  hydrocarbons are used as a fuel source for burners in said hydroprocessing plant. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydroprocessing reaction is performed in a single stage hydroprocessing plant, a two-stage hydroprocessing plant a multi-bed hydroprocessing plant or a series flow hydroprocessing plant. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the hydroprocessing plant is integrated with a methanol plant, hydrogen produced from methanol plant is fed to the hydroprocessing plant for use in the catalytic hydroprocessing reaction, and C 1  to C 4  hydrocarbons produced from the hydroprocessing reaction are used as a feedstock for the methanol plant. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the cracking reaction is a catalytic cracking reaction utilizing a powdered catalyst at a reaction temperature of between about 500° C. and 600° C., and a reaction pressure of between about 1400 KPa and 2000 KPa. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the cracking reaction is a catalytic cracking reaction utilized to convert hydrocarbons of C 12  or above into a hydrocarbon product selected from any one or more of gasoline and fuel oil. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the cracking reaction is a steam cracking reaction utilizing steam at a reaction temperature of between about 850° C. and about 1200° C. to convert the naphtha into a hydrocarbon product selected from any one or more of fuel oil, gasoline, methane, ethane, LPG, lower olefins, and lower olefins selected from any one or more of ethylene, propylene, butylenes and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the hydroprocessing reaction is a catalytic hydroprocessing reaction utilising a catalyst comprising;
 (i) an active metal or a combination of active metals;   (ii) at least one group VIB metal, at least one metal group VIII metal, or a combination thereof; or   (iii) at least one of a cobalt-molybdenum (CoMo), nickel-molybdenum (NiMo) or nickel-tungsten (NiW) type catalyst.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the hydroprocessing reaction is performed in a hydroprocessing plant and produces C 1 -C 4  hydrocarbons, and wherein said C 1 -C 4  hydrocarbons are used as a fuel source for burners in said hydroprocessing plant. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the hydroprocessing plant is integrated with a methanol plant, hydrogen produced from methanol plant is fed to the hydroprocessing plant for use in the catalytic hydroprocessing reaction, and C 1  to C 4  hydrocarbons produced from the hydroprocessing reaction are used as a feedstock for the methanol plant.