Abstract: An ICBTL system and method having a low GHG footprint for converting coal or coal and biomass to liquid fuels and a biofertilizer in which a carbon-based feed is converted to liquids by direct liquefaction and optionally by indirect liquefaction and the liquids are upgraded to produce premium fuels. CO2 produced by the process is used to a produce cyanobacteria containing algal biomass and other photosynthetic microorganisms in a photobioreactor. Optionally, lipids extracted from the some of the algal biomass is hydroprocessed to produce fuel components and biomass residues and the carbon-based feed our gasified to produce hydrogen and syngas for the direct and indirect liquefaction processes. Some or all of the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms are used to produce a natural biofertilizer. CO2 may also be produced by a steam methane reformer for supplying CO2 to produce the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms.

Abstract: An ICBTL system having a low GHG footprint for converting coal or coal and biomass to liquid fuels in which a carbon-based feed is converted to liquids by direct liquefaction and optionally by indirect liquefaction and the liquids are upgraded to produce premium fuels. CO2 produced by the process is used to produce algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms in a photobioreactor. Optionally, lipids extracted from the some or all of the algal biomass is hydroprocessed to produce fuel components and biomass residues and the carbon-based feed our gasified to produce hydrogen and syngas for the direct and indirect liquefaction processes. Some or all of the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms are used to produce a natural biofertilizer. CO2 may also be produced by a steam methane reformer for supplying CO2 to produce the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms.

Abstract: Coal, petroleum residuum and similar carbonaceous feed materials are subjected to hydroconversion in the presence of molecular hydrogen to produce a hydroconversion effluent which is then subjected to one or more separation steps to remove lower molecular weight liquids and produce a heavy bottoms stream containing high molecular weight liquids and unconverted carbonaceous material. The viscosity of the bottoms streams produced in the separation step or steps is prevented from increasing rapidly by treating the feed to the separation step or steps with ammonia gas prior to or during the separation step or steps. The viscosity of the heavy bottoms stream produced in the final separation step is also controlled by treating these bottoms with ammonia gas. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the effluent from the hydroconversion reactor is subjected to an atmospheric distillation followed by a vacuum distillation and the feeds to these distillations are contacted with ammonia during the distillations.