Sunpine Ab

Kiram Ab

Andritz Oy

Treetotextile Ab

Bioshare Ab

Lars Stigsson

Valeri Naydenov

Johan Lundback

Henrik Thunman

Tobias Köhnke

Bengt Hagström

Martin Seemann

Henrik Ström

Christer Gustavsson

David Pallarès

Anton Larsson

Artur Hedlund

Christian Hulteberg

Erik Furusjö

Kentaro Umeki

Marta Bialik

Rikard Gebart

Curt Lindstrom

Johan LUNDBÄCK

Aspects provide for volatilizing a biomass-based fuel stream, removing undesirable components from the resulting volatiles stream, and combusting the resulting stream (e.g., in a kiln). Removal of particles, ash, and/or H2O from the volatiles stream improves its economic value and enhances the substitution of legacy (e.g., fossil) fuels with biomass-based fuels. Aspects may be particularly advantageous for upgrading otherwise low-quality biomass to a fuel specification sufficient for industrial implementation. A volatilization reactor may include a fluidized bed reactor, which may comprise multiple stages and/or a splashgenerator. A splashgenerator may impart directed momentum to a portion of the bed to increase bed transport via directed flow.

Biomass upgrading system

The present invention is directed to a process for the production of a syngas suited for further conversion to fine chemicals and/or automotive fuels from biomass by a thermochemical process conducted in a several steps procedure, said process comprising; a) Providing a stream of biomass material; b) Providing an aqueous alkaline catalyst stream comprising sodium and/or potassium compounds; c) Mixing comminuted biomass and alkaline catalyst and optional additives to form an alkaline biomass slurry or suspension; d) Treating alkaline biomass slurry or suspension in a hydrothermal treatment reactor at a temperature in the range of 200-400&#xb0; C. and a pressure from 10-500 bar, forming a bio-oil suspension comprising liquefied biomass and spent alkali catalyst; e) Directly or indirectly charging the bio-oil suspension from step d), after optional depressurization to a pressure in the range 10-100 bar, heat exchange and separation of gases, such as CO2, steam and aqueous spent catalyst into a gasification reactor operating in the temperature range of 600-1250&#xb0; C. thereby forming a syngas and alkali compounds; and f) Separating alkali compounds from a gasification reactor or from syngas and recycling alkali compounds directly or indirectly to be present to treat new biomass in the hydrothermal biomass treatment reactor of step d) and/or recycling aqueous alkali salts to a pulp mill chemicals recovery cycle.

Thermochemical conversion of biomass

The present invention describes a method for the treatment of tall oil pitch (TOP), said method comprising heating the TOP and optionally additives including water and steam to a temperature of at least 300&#xb0; C.; maintaining the temperature in the reactor at 300&#xb0; C. or higher for a period of time to enable thermal treatment of the TOP to act on components thereof to produce fatty acids and/or rosin acids, and/or derivatives thereof, and/or unsaponifiables and/or derivatives having lower molecular weight compared to the high molecular weight components with molecular weights of at least 350 g/mole present in the original TOP, to yield a modified TOP material with lower viscosity.

Method for thermal treatment of tall oil pitch (TOP)

The present invention concerns a method for the recovery of solvent in a process for preparation of regenerated cellulosic fibers using sodium hydroxide as solvent for cellulose dissolving in the manufacturing of a cellulose spinning dope wherein sodium hydroxide present in the spinning dope is at least partially recovered and recycled as sodium hydroxide from a cellulose fiber regeneration or cellulose coagulation step and wherein said cellulose fiber regeneration or cellulose coagulation step consists of a bath into which cellulose spinning dope is injected. Recovered sodium hydroxide may be directly or indirectly recycled from a cellulose fiber regeneration or cellulose coagulation step to a cellulose dissolving step.

Alkali recycle in cellulose spinning process

The present invention pertains to a process for refining of crude tall oil (CTO). The process comprises fractionation under vacuum of a refined CTO into at least one stream of refined tall diesel (RTD) or tall oil fatty acids (TOFA), the RTD or TOFA comprises from 2-30% by volume of resin acids and from 20-90% by volume of fatty acids, and at least one stream of resin acid(s) (RA) comprising less than 5% by volume of fatty acids. The stream of RTD or TOFA is deoxygenated forming hydrocarbon compounds in a subsequent step. This invention also relates to a refined tall diesel. Furthermore, a process for the production of a refined tall diesel (RTD) composition, wherein crude sulphate turpentine(s) (CST) is added to the refined tall diesel (RTD) composition, is described.

Biorefining of crude tall oil

A process for pre-treatment of a crude tall oil (CTO) for removal of impurities is disclosed. The process comprises a first pre-treatment step involving a CTO wash and a separation of a first oil phase comprising refined CTO and an aqueous phase holding impurities, and a second step involving a separation of a second oil phase from the aqueous phase. A process for refining of crude tall oil (CTO) is also disclosed. The process comprises fractionation under vacuum of a refined CTO into at least one stream of refined tall diesel (RTD) or tall oil fatty acids (TOFA) and at least one stream of resin acid(s) (RA). The stream of RTD or TOFA is deoxygenated forming hydrocarbon compounds in a subsequent step. This invention also relates to a refined tall diesel. Furthermore, a process for the production of a refined tall diesel (RTD) composition, wherein crude sulphate turpentine(s) (CST) is added to the refined tall diesel (RTD) composition, is described.

There is disclosed a method for isolation and purification of phytosterols from tall oil pitch comprising the steps of: a) contacting the tall oil pitch with a solvent to form a tall oil solvent mixture; b) separating the tall oil pitch solvent mixture in at least two separate streams wherein one process stream is enriched in acidic pitch components and a second stream enriched in free- and bound sterols in the form of steryl esters; c) subjecting the stream enriched in free- and steryl esters to treatment with an alcohol under transesterification conditions wherein a reaction mixture is formed and sterols comprising the steryl esters are liberated as free sterols; and d) separating the free sterols from the reaction mixture of step c) by crystallization and extraction with one or more solvents. There are disclosed free fatty acids and resin acids separated from the tall oil pitch. Moreover, there is disclosed a manufacture and separation of fatty acid alkyl esters by the method.

Recovery of phytosterols from residual vegetable oil streams

A method for converting crude tall oil into high quality diesel fuels include the steps of (a) removal of non-oil contaminants present in the crude tall oil and recovery of valuable organic, (b) heating and removing the volatile fractions of the refined tall oil stream from step (a) and forming a volatiles free oil stream comprising organic components with boiling points of 170&#xb0; C. and higher, (c) vacuum distilling the volatiles free oil stream of from step (b) to produce a first and second stream the first stream including components with boiling points between 170-400&#xb0; C. and the second stream comprising components having boiling points greater than 400&#xb0; C. and (d) passing the first stream into a catalytic reactor wherein hydrogenation and deoxygenation take place to produce a diesel range fuel depleted in oxygen.

Conversion of crude tall oil to renewable feedstock for diesel range fuel compositions

Provided is a process for manufacturing shaped cellulose materials from lignocellulose where a dissolving grade pulp is manufactured and dissolved in an aqueous alkaline or acidic solvent system forming a solution suitable for shaping new cellulose structures including fibers, films and cellulose derivatives. At least a part of the spent cellulose dissolving or cellulose shaping chemicals are recovered in one or more unit operations in a pulp mill chemical recovery cycle.

Shaped cellulose manufacturing process combined with a pulp mill recovery system

Disclosed herein is a method for recovering a low sodium content lignin from spent kraft cooking liquor without the use a of strong mineral acid for acidulation.

Method for recovering a low sodium content lignin fuel from black liquor

The present invention relates to a new and environmentally sound process for the manufacturing of a chemical pulp from lignocellulosic material with an integrated recovery system for recovery of pulping chemicals. The process is carried out in several stages involving a pre-treatment stage followed by one or more delignification stages using an alkaline buffer solution comprising alkali metaborate and sodium carbonate as major components. The alkaline components of the pulping liquor are recovered from a chemicals recovery furnace and at least a portion of the alkali is recycled and used for delignification without any prior reactions with lime or calcium compounds for generation of alkali hydroxide. A quinone based delignification catalyst may be added to be present during delignification.

Alkaline process for the manufacturing of pulp using alkali metaborate as buffering alkali

A substantially sulfur free process for the manufacturing of a chemical pulp with an integrated recovery system for recovery of pulping chemicals is carried out on in several stages involving physical and chemical treatment of lignocellulosic material in order to increase accessibility of the lignocellulosic material to reactions with an oxygen-based delignification agent. Spent cellulose liquor comprising lignin components and spent chemical reagents is fully or partially oxidized in a gas generator wherein a stream of hot raw gas and a stream of alkaline chemicals and chemical reagents is formed for subsequent recycle and reuse in the pulp manufacturing process.

Growing community of inventors

Bjärred, Sweden

Lars Stigsson