Abstract: A process for enzymatically converting whole plant biomass containing hydrocarbon-containing laticifers to soluble sugars and recovering hydrocarbons in increased yields which comprises hydrolyzing whole plant cellulosic material in the presence of enzymes, particularly cellulase, hemicellulase, and pectinase, to produce a hydrocarbon product and recovering from the hydrolysis products a major proportion of the cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase enzymes for reuse.

Abstract: A process for production and recovery of hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-containing whole plants in a form suitable for use as chemical feedstocks or as hydrocarbon energy sources which process comprises: (a) pulverizing by grinding or chopping hydrocarbon-containing whole plants selected from the group consisting of Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Compositae, Cactaceae and Pinaceae families to a suitable particle size, (b) drying and preheating said particles in a reducing atmosphere under positive pressure (c) passing said particles through a thermal conversion zone containing a reducing atmosphere and with a residence time of 1 second to about 30 minutes at a temperature within the range of from about 200.degree. C. to about 1000.degree. C., (d) separately recovering the condensable vapors as liquids and the noncondensable gases in a condition suitable for use as chemical feedstocks or as hydrocarbon fuels.