TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst comprises fly ash. The carbonaceous material is free of carbohydrate and water. INSTUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Apparatus: The apparatus further comprises unit for collecting and condensing at least a portion of the vapor fraction. The unit for condensing include a condenser (140) operated at 130-180 degrees F (54-82 degrees C). In the apparatus, the inner heated hollow cylinder has an outer radius, the outer heated hollow cylinder has an inner radius, where a ratio of the outer radius to the inner radius is 0.85-0.98, and the outer radius and the inner radius differ in the range of 0.25-1.5 inch (0.63-3.8 cm), when the outer diameter is 12-36 inches (30.5-91.5 cm) and the low height flighting is disposed between the inner heated hollow cylinder and the outer heated hollow cylinder. The low height flighting comprises several spirally oriented flights extending outwardly from an outer surface of the inner heated hollow cylinder and the flights have a constant pitch in the range of 4-10 or 10-2 inch, and the pitch decreases, within the range from the proximal portion to the distal portion of the ribbonchannel reactor. The low flighting has an operational clearance from the outer heated hollow cylinder in the range of 0.01-0.025 inch.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process further involves removing and condensing at least a portion of the vapor; drying the biomass feed composition in a drying apparatus prior to the feeding, where the drying apparatus heats the biomass feed composition to a temperature of 250 degrees F (121 degrees C) to 300 degrees F (149 degrees C), and comminutes and/or macerates the biomass feed material; and adding a catalyst to the biomass feed composition at at least one of the feeding, rotating, forming and heating. The drying apparatus comprises a flash dryer, and at least two drying chambers in series. Preferred Reactor: The ribbonchannel reactor further comprises several low flighting mounted on the first heated surface, where the first heated surface, the second heated surface and the low flighting define a spiral ribbonchannel, and where the flowing form in the ribbonchannel a spiral ribbon comprising the feed material. The ribbonchannel reactor comprises a single heating zone, at least two zones of sequentially increasing temperature, and temperature of the biomass feed composition increases as the biomass feed composition passes through the ribbonchannel reactor from the proximal portion to the distal portion. The ribbonchannel reactor also comprises electrical resistance heating elements. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.