received by the International Bureau on 23 June 2017 (23.06.2017)

Claim 1. A hydrocarbon deoxygenation catalyst system and method for the use thereof, said catalyst system including a chemical looping catalytically active substance which is oxidised in the presence of an oxygenate in a hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon containing product, thereby reducing the amount of oxygenate therein, which oxidised catalytically active substance is at least partially regeneratable by either reducing it under reducing conditions to its original state, or through calcining thereof to release at least some of the captured oxygenate in the form of a carbonate or the like thereby returning the catalytically active substance to its active state for removal of oxygenate from fluid hydrocarbons, wherein the catalytically active substance is used at levels of between 1% and 99% by mass on a solid catalyst support, typically around 10%.

Claim 2. A system and method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon containing product is a pyrolysis oil, such as bio-oil made by the pyrolysis of biomass.

Claim 3. A system and method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chemical looping catalytically active substance is selected from compounds, salts, and the like, of a Group I, Group II, transition metal, and Group III substance, with sulfur.

Claim 4. A system and method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the catalytically active substance is a metal sulphide selected from the group Na, K, Ca, Mg, from the transition metal group such as Mn, Fe, Co, Ni or Zn, from the group including metalloid sulphides, or post-transition metal sulphides.

Claim 5. A system and method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the metal sulphide is Na2S.

Claim 6. A system and method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chemical looping catalytically active substance is a layered double hydroxide clay (LDH).

Claim 7. A system and method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the metal lattice that makes up the

LDH is chosen appropriately from Al, Mg, Ca, Na, K, Li, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and other metals and metal combinations.

A system and method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the catalytically active substance

18 Claim 9. A system and method as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the LDH is calcined whereby the interlayer ions are removed and hydroxides convert to oxides.

Claim 10. A system and method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein in use, once oxidised from its reduced state, the chemical looping catalytically active substance reverts back to its active state when treated by reducing the sulfate to sulfide or through calcining the LDH to release the C02.

Claim 11. Use of a chemical looping catalyst system for the catalytic deoxygenation of a biomass hydrocarbon, wherein the catalyst is oxygenated in the presence of the oxygenate rich hydrocarbon thereby reducing the oxygenates in the hydrocarbon and the oxygen to carbon ratio, while increasing the hydrogen to carbon ratio thereof, wherein use of the catalyst also reduces the quantity of the hydrocarbon as the removal of the oxygenates reduces the quantity of the hydrocarbon which was produced in the pyrolysis of the biomass.

Claim 12. Use as claimed in claim 11, wherein use of the catalyst reduces the amount of carboxylic acids in the liquid hydrocarbon.

Claim 13. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 or 12, wherein the use of the chemical looping catalyst system includes the reducing thereof under reducing conditions in a combustion chamber or vessel under low oxygen conditions, with oxygen or a suitable oxidant being injected or introduced elsewhere in the combustion chamber above the reducing zone.

Claim 14. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the use of the chemical looping catalyst includes the calcining of the oxidised catalyst in the combustion chamber thereby to drive off the C02 and regenerate the catalyst for re-use.

Claim 15. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the catalyst is used in a combustion- pyrolysis dual reaction zone process for the production of bio-oil from biomass, wherein at least some of the particles used for transferring heat within the process are catalyst particles as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

Claim 16. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the catalyst system is used for the de-oxygenation of bio-diesel.

19 Claim 17. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the catalyst system is used for the de-oxygenation of hydrocarbons, such as pyrolysis oil, produced from pyrolysis of animal (abattoir) waste, or otherwise produced from animal waste which have high oxygenate levels.

Claim 18. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the catalyst system is used in the de-oxygenation of hydrocarbons produced by the pyrolysis of natural and/or synthetic rubber and/or plastics.

Claim 19. Use as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the catalyst system is used in the de-oxygenation of hydrocarbons produced by the pyrolysis of lignin and cellulose.

Claim 20. A pyrolysis process including pyrolysis of a carbonaceous bio-mass wherein a first combustion zone is carried out in one or more combustion fluidised beds in which a particulate material including chemically looping deoxygenation catalyst particles is fluidised and heated, and a second pyrolysis zone carried out in one or more pyrolysis fluidised beds in which the hot particles, including the catalyst particles, heated in the combustion zone are used for pyrolysis of the bio-mass, said combustion zone being operated at a temperature of from 250 °C to 1100°C, typically around 900 °C, and the pyrolysis zone being operated at a temperature of from 250 °C to 900 °C, typically 450 °C to 600°C, said catalyst particles being oxygenated in the pyrolysis zone in the presence of oxygenates in the pyrolysis oil and regenerated in the combustion zone either by calcining to drive off the carbon oxides, such as C02, or by reduction to its form which is active for deoxygenation of the pyrolysis oil, wherein the catalyst particles pass through an aperture divider from the combustion zone into the pyrolysis zone.

Claim 21. A pyrolysis process as claimed in claim 20, wherein the catalyst particles are metal sulfide or LDH catalyst particles.

Claim 22. A pyrolysis process as claimed in any one of claims 20 or 21, wherein the catalyst particles are circulated between the combustion fluidised bed and the pyrolysis bed so that the catalyst loops between an oxidised and a reduced or deoxygenation active state.

Claim 23. A pyrolysis process as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein fluidising gas and/or non-condensed vapours in the second fluidised bed zone are recirculated and solid and liquid products are removed as part of the recirculation loop and a portion of the recirculated gas and/or non-condensed vapours is introduced into the second fluidised bed through nozzles.

20 Claim 24. A pyrolysis process as claimed in claim 23, wherein where there is a net production of gas in the recirculation loop, it is removed as a purge stream.

Claim 25. A pyrolysis process as claimed in any one of preceding claims 20 to 24, wherein the pyrolysis zone is operated at or about atmospheric pressure.

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