Methods and apparatuses for producing aromatic hydrocarbon-containing effluent

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatuses for producing an aromatic hydrocarbon-containing effluent are provided herein. The method comprises the step of rapidly heating a biomass-based feedstock to a first predetermined temperature of from about 300 to about 650° C. in the presence of a catalyst, hydrogen, and an organic solvent within a time period of about 20 minutes or less to form the aromatic hydrocarbon-containing effluent. The biomass-based feedstock comprises lignocellulosic material, lignin, or a combination thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for producing an aromatic hydrocarbon-rich effluent, the apparatus comprising:
 a reactor configured to heat a biomass-based feedstock to a first predetermined temperature of from about 300 to about 650° C. in the presence of a catalyst, hydrogen, and an organic solvent within a time period of about 1 second to about 5 minutes to form the aromatic hydrocarbon-containing effluent, wherein the biomass-based feedstock comprises lignocellulosic material, lignin, or a combination thereof;   a separation zone; and   an effluent line in fluid communication with the reactor and the separation zone.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the reactor contains catalyst in a weight ratio of the catalyst to the biomass-based feedstock is from about 1:200 to about 1:1. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the separation zone comprises a separator. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the separation zone comprises a separator and an extraction unit. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the separation zone comprises at least one unit selected from the group consisting of a flash separator, a distillation unit, a solvent extraction unit, and an adsorption unit. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a heater in fluid communication with the reactor to preheat the biomass based feedstock. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising at least one preheater in fluid communication with the reactor. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a material selected from the group consisting of transition metals, transition metal sulfides, nitrides, carbides, noble metals, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein catalyst comprises a metal disposed on a support material. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst that comprises a metal that is selected from the group consisting of nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, cobalt, chromium, platinum, palladium, rhodium, rhenium, osmium, ruthenium, iridium, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a support material that is selected from the group consisting of alumina, alumina inorganic oxides, boron nitrides, silica, titania, zirconia, carbon, silicon carbide, silica-alumina, magnesia, a molecular sieve, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst comprises a molecular sieve that is selected from the group consisting of beta zeolite, Y-zeolite, MFI type zeolites, MEL type zeolites, mordenite, silicalite, SM3, faujasite, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent comprises aromatic hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a first recycle line in fluid communication with the separation zone and the reactor. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a second recycle line in fluid communication with the separation zone and the reactor.