Conversion of biomass into a liquid hydrocarbon material

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for producing liquid hydrocarbon products from a biomass, biomass containing and/or biomass-derived feedstock, said process comprising the steps of: a) contacting the feedstock with a first hydropyrolysis catalyst composition and molecular hydrogen in a first hydropyrolysis reactor vessel at a temperature in the range of from 350 to 600° C. and a pressure in the range of from 0.50 to 7.50 MPa, to produce a product stream comprising partially deoxygenated hydropyrolysis product, HO, H, CO, CO, C-Cgases, char and catalyst fines; b) removing said char and catalyst fines from said product stream; c) hydroconverting said partially deoxygenated hydropyrolysis product in a hydroconversion reactor vessel in the presence of one or more hydroconversion catalyst compositions and of the HO, CO, CO, H, and C-Cgas generated in step a), to produce a vapour phase product comprising substantially fully deoxygenated hydrocarbon product, HO, CO, CO, and C-Cgases, wherein one or more of the first hydropyrolysis catalyst composition and the hydroconversion catalyst composition is prepared by a process comprising combining a porous support with one or more catalytically active metals selected from Group VI and Group VIII of the Periodic Table, thereby forming a catalyst precursor having a volatile content, and reducing the volatile content of the catalyst precursor in one or more steps, wherein at least one volatile content reduction step is performed in the presence of one or more sulfur containing compounds; and wherein the catalyst precursor does not reach calcining temperatures prior to said at least one combined volatile content reduction-sulfurizing step.