Cellulosic biomass can be directly converted to hydrocarbon transportation fuels through the use of hydropyrolysis or integrated hydropyrolysis plus hydroconversion (IH2). Hydropyrolysis performed in a fast fluidized bed under 14–35 bar of hydrogen pressure with an effective deoxygenation catalyst directly produces a fungible hydrocarbon product with less than 1 total acid number which can either be directly fed to a refinery or polished in an integrated hydroconversion reactor to produce gasoline and diesel with less than 1% oxygen. Experimental data from a 0.45 kg/h semi‐continuous IH2 pilot plant is presented. Economics and life cycle analysis data will be presented later in this series, and will show that by employing IH2 technology, biomass can be converted to gasoline and diesel fuels at delivered costs of less and in some cases significantly less than $1.80/gallon with greater than 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Larger (2.08 kg/h) long‐term continuous pilot‐scale testing of the IH2 process will commence in the near future. As a biomass‐to‐fuels conversion technology, IH2 has the potential to substantially reduce US dependence on foreign oil, thereby reducing the price of transportation fuels and significantly lowering worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. © American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2011

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Cellulosic biomass can be directly converted to high‐quality hydrocarbon transportation fuels through the use of integrated hydropyrolysis plus hydroconversion (IH2®). IH2® is a new process which has been developed which has excellent economics, and low greenhouse gas emissions. Experimental data from a 50 kg/day continuous IH2® pilot plant is presented which demonstrates the production of high‐quality gasoline and diesel fuels over 750 h of continuous testing. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 762–768, 2014

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has become an accepted means of converting a wide variety of lignocellulosic feedstocks into solid hydrochars, which have improved physical and chemical properties compared to raw biomass. To date, HTC applications have involved batch or semicontinuous process systems, which has limited their economic viability. The work presented here describes a fully-continuous HTC process, made possible by use of a specially modified twinscrew extruder (TSE). The reaction time within this fast HTC (FHTC) reactor system is very short (20-30 sec.) as compared to a typical batch reactor. Therefore, the concept of reaction "severity factor" is used when comparing the FHTC products with those produced in other reactor systems. While solid hydrochar produced in the FHTC system has different physical properties than hydrochar from batch reactor systems, these materials exhibit similar energy densification and pelletization behavior, when produced under comparable severity conditions. However, total hydrochar yields are considerably higher from the FHTC reactor compared to batch reactor systems. This is a consequence of the de-pressurization process in the FHTC system, whereby most water-soluble organic products are retained in the hydrochar, rather than exiting the process in a separate aqueous product stream. FHTC treatment of loblolly pine at a severity factor of 5.3 (290 °C) produced a hydrochar yield of nearly 85% (based on dry feedstock mass). Condensation of the flashed vapor products provided a relatively clean water stream, containing only 1.2% organicsprimarily furfural and acetic acid. Recovery of these organics and recycling of the condensed water would further improve the cost-effectiveness of FHTC operations.