Process for hydroprocessing of non-petroleum feedstocks
A method of hydroprocessing is performed wherein non-petroleum feedstocks, such as those containing from about 10% or more olefinic compounds or heteroatom contaminants by weight, are treated in a first reaction zone to provide reaction products. The process involves introducing the feedstock along with diluents or a recycle and hydrogen in a first reaction zone and allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products. The reaction products are cooled and/or water is removed from the reaction products. At least a portion of the cooled and/or separated reaction product are introduced as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst. The feed and hydrogen are allowed to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce a second-reaction-zone reaction product.
1. A method of hydroprocessing comprising:
(a) introducing a non-petroleum feed to be treated containing from about 10% or more by total weight of feed of at least one of olefinic compounds and heteroatom contaminants along with hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst;
(b) allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products;
(c) removing the reaction products from the first reaction zone;
(d) cooling the removed reaction products;
(e) introducing at least a portion of the cooled reaction products as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst;
(f) allowing the introduced reaction products and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce reaction products;
(g) removing the reaction products produced in (f) from the second reaction zone;
(h) cooling the removed reaction products from (g);
(i) combining at least one of (1) a further portion of the cooled reaction product of step (d) and (2) at least a portion of the cooled reaction products of step (h) with at least one of the feeds of step (a) and step (e); and
(j) repeating steps (e) through (h) and optionally (i) for any additional reaction zones, as necessary, to provide a final reaction product.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is comprised of pyrolysis oils.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the pyrolysis oils are derived from at least one of cellulosic biomass materials and coal.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed to be treated is comprised of at least 20% by weight oxygen.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is introduced in the first reaction zone under conditions so that substantially all the feed and hydrogen are in a continuous liquid phase within the first reaction zone.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second reaction zones are reactors and wherein each reactor contains greater than 10% hydrogen gas by total volume of the reactor.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
no excess hydrogen gas is vented from the first and second reaction zones to facilitate controlling quantities of liquids within the reaction zones.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
water makes up at least 10% by weight of the total reaction products.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
water makes up at least 20% by weight of the total reaction products.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
water makes up at least 30% by weight of the total reaction products.
11. A method of hydroprocessing comprising:
(a) introducing a non-petroleum feed containing from about 10% or more oxygen by weight to be treated along with hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst;
(b) allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the first reaction zone to produce reaction products, at least one of the reaction products being water;
(c) removing the reaction products from the first reaction zone;
(d) separating water from the removed reaction products as an aqueous phase to provide a separated reaction product that is free from the separated water; and
(e) introducing at least a portion of the separated reaction product as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst; and
(f) allowing the separated reaction product feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce second-reaction-zone reaction products; and
(g) combining at least one of (1) a further portion of the separated reaction product of step (d) and (2) at least a portion of the second-reaction zone reaction products of step (f) with at least one of the feeds of step (a) and step (e); and
(h) repeating steps (e) through (f) and optionally (g) for any additional reaction zones, as necessary, to provide a final reaction product.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the separated reaction product is substantially water-free.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
water makes up at least 10% by weight of the total reaction products.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
water makes up at least 20% by weight of the total reaction products.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
water makes up at least 30% by weight of the total reaction products.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is comprised of pyrolysis oils.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the pyrolysis oils are derived from at least one of cellulosic biomass materials and coal.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed to be treated is comprised of at least 20% by weight oxygen.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is introduced in the first reaction zone under conditions so that substantially all the feed and hydrogen are in a continuous liquid phase within the first reaction zone.
20. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the removed reaction products of step (c) are cooled prior to separating water according to (d).
21. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the first and second reaction zones are reactors and wherein each reactor contains greater than 10% hydrogen gas by total volume of the reactor.
22. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
no excess hydrogen gas is vented from the first and second reaction zones to facilitate controlling quantities of liquids within the reaction zones.
23. A method of hydroprocessing comprising:
(a) introducing a non-petroleum feed containing from about 10% or more oxygen by weight to be treated along with hydrogen into a first reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst;
(b) allowing the feed and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the reaction zone to produce reaction products, at least one of the reaction products being water;
(c) removing the reaction products from the first reaction zone;
(d) cooling the removed reaction products;
(e) separating water from the removed reaction products to provide a separated reaction product that is free from the separated water;
(f) introducing at least a portion of the separated reaction product as a feed along with hydrogen into a second reaction zone containing a hydroprocessing catalyst;
(g) allowing the separated reaction products and hydrogen to react in a liquid phase within the second reaction zone to produce reaction products;
(h) removing the reaction products produced in (g) from the second reaction zone;
(i) cooling the removed reaction products from (h);
(j) separating any gas phase and any liquid water phase from the cooled reaction products from (i) to form a separated reaction product that is free from any separated liquid water to provided a separated liquid reaction product;
(k) combining at least one of (1) a further portion of the separated reaction product of step (e) and (2) at least a portion of the separated liquid reaction product of step (j) with at least one of the feeds of step (a) and step (f); and
(l) repeating steps (f) through (j) and optionally (k) for any additional reaction zones, as necessary, to provide a final separated reaction product.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the separated reaction product is substantially water-free.
25. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
water makes up at least 10% by weight of the total reaction products.
26. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
water makes up at least 20% by weight of the total reaction products.
27. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
water makes up at least 30% by weight of the total reaction products.
28. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is comprised of pyrolysis oils.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein:
the pyrolysis oils are derived from at least one of cellulosic biomass materials and coal.
30. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed to be treated is comprised of at least 20% by weight oxygen.
31. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the non-petroleum feed is introduced in the first reaction zone under conditions so that substantially all the feed and hydrogen are in a continuous liquid phase within the first reaction zone.
32. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
the first and second reaction zones are reactors and wherein each reactor contains greater than 10% hydrogen gas by total volume of the reactor.
33. The method of claim 23 , wherein:
no excess hydrogen gas is vented from the first and second reaction zones to facilitate controlling quantities of liquids within the reaction zones.