Avello Bioenergy, Inc.

Renewable Energy Group, Inc.

Avello Bioenery, Inc.

Jared Nathaniel Brown

Cody James Ellens

Dennis Stephan Banasiak

Anthony J S Pollard

David A Slade

Anthony Joseph Sherwood Pollard

Ramin Abhari

Martin Haverly

Bradley Neil Albin

Dhananjay Ghonasgi

Dennis Banasiak

The invention relates to renewable hydrocarbons, and more particularly to biomass-based diesel fuel produced in a process including hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenolic lipids. The process may generally include combining a phenolic lipid and a hydrocarbon diluent to provide a hydrocarbon-diluted phenolic lipid then subjecting the hydrocarbon-diluted phenolic lipid to hydrodeoxygenation in a reactor to provide a reactor effluent including a hydrodeoxygenated phenolic lipid. The hydrodeoxygenated phenolic lipid is separated from the reactor effluent.

Hydrodeoxygenation of phenolic lipids and renewable hydrocarbon fuels produced therefrom

The present invention provides compositions, methods, apparatus, and systems to minimize environmental impact, water use, and overall cost of drilling and hydraulic fracturing for crude oil and natural gas. Some variations of the invention provide a fracturing-fluid additive composition comprising a water-soluble portion of a biomass-pyrolysis liquid. In some embodiments, the fracturing-fluid additive composition is substantially biodegradable and is not toxic. Some variations provide improved proppants for oil or gas well fracturing. Other variations of this invention relate to drilling-fluid additive compositions, and methods of using these compositions. This invention can significantly improve the environmental, economic, and social sustainability associated with drilling and fracturing for production of oil and gas.

Compositions, methods, apparatus, and systems for incorporating bio-derived materials in drilling and hydraulic fracturing

Methods, processes, apparatus, systems, and compositions are disclosed for improving the sustainability of oil sands processing. In some embodiments, bitumen is combined with biodiluent comprising one or more liquid pyrolysis fractions obtained from pyrolyzing biomass and collecting multiple liquid fractions. The bitumen may be any source of bitumen, such as bitumen obtained from oil sands. In some embodiments, a water-rich pyrolysis liquid displaces water use in an oil sands process. The water-rich pyrolysis liquid may be used for primary separation of bitumen from oil sands or for hydrotransport, for example. Also, biochar produced from biomass pyrolysis may be introduced to an oil sands tailing pond with various benefits. Water may be recycled from a tailing pond. Integration of a pyrolysis and separation process into an oil sands refining process reduces the overall greenhouse-gas emissions on a well-to-refined product basis by 10-70% or more. Various compositions and products are also disclosed.

Methods, apparatus, and systems for incorporating bio-derived materials into oil sands processing

Methods, processes, apparatus, equipment and systems are disclosed for converting carboxylic acids into esters by esterification with alcohol and a dual catalyst. The method combines a homogenous and heterogeneous catalyst in one or more reactors to increase the conversion of carboxylic acids compared to using a homogenous and/or heterogeneous catalyst independently. The invention converts free fatty acids into esters by esterification with alcohol and a dual catalyst such that the reaction mixture contains sufficiently low free fatty acids and the amount of free fatty acids in the product stream leaving the process remains stable over time.

Dual catalyst esterification

Methods, process, apparatus, equipment, and systems are disclosed for converting biomass into bio-oil fractions for chemicals, materials, feedstocks and fuels using a low-cost, integrated fast pyrolysis system. The system improves upon prior art by creating stable, bio-oil fractions which have unique properties that make them individually superior to conventional bio-oil. The invention enables water and low-molecular weight compounds to be separated into a final value-added fraction suitable for upgrading or extracting into value-added chemicals, fuels and water. Initial bio-oil fractions from the process are chemically distinct, have low-water content and acidity which reduces processing costs normally associated with conventional bio-oil post-production upgrading since fewer separation steps, milder processing conditions and lower auxiliary inputs are required. Biochar is stabilized so that it can be handled safely. The integrated fast pyrolysis process includes biomass storage, preparation, pretreatment, and conversion, product recovery and processing to create and store stable biochar and bio-oil fractions.

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Ankeny, IA, United States of America

Jared Nathaniel Brown