TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The catalyst/the heat carrier material is a solid base, a clay, an inorganic oxide, an inorganic hydroxide, a zeolite, and/or a supported metal. The solid base comprises hydrotalcite, a hydrotalcite-like material, a clay, a layered hydroxy salt, a metal oxide, a metal hydroxide, and/or a mixed metal oxide. The heat carrier material is sand.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INSTRUMENTATION AND TESTING - Preferred Components: The reactor is a fluid bed reactor, a moving bed reactor, or a cyclone reactor. The reactor/first reactor is operated at a temperature of 150-600 degrees C, preferably 250-550 degrees C and in an oxygen-poor atmosphere. The second reactor is operated at a temperature of 470-600 degrees C, preferably 520-570 degrees C and in an oxygen-poor atmosphere.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: In the process: hydrogen atoms originating with the synthetic thermoplastic polymer based material remove oxygen from oxygenated hydrocarbons produced in the conversion of the biomass in the reactor. The biomass portion of the feed is subjected to pretreatment section (118) prior to charging to the reactor, where the pretreatment comprises a method comprising drying, heat treatment in an oxygen-poor or oxygen-free atmosphere, solvent explosion, mechanical-treatment with catalyst particles, demineralization, swelling in an aqueous solvent, and/or impregnation of catalytic agents, mineral acids, organic acids and mineral bases. The mechanical treatment forms an activated feed: (a) coated with the catalyst particles; or (b) having the catalyst particles embedded in it; or (c) both (a) and (b). In the process: at least a portion of the product is separated into a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprising oxygenated hydrocarbons and into a first reactor bio-oil, and the heavy hydrocarbon stream is charged to the second reactor as at least a portion of the product charged to the second reactor; and prior to charging to the second reactor, the synthetic thermoplastic polymer based material is shredded and mixed with a hydrocarbon comprising a portion of the second reactor bio-oil and/or a petroleum fraction. Preferred Components: The weight ratio of the biomass to the synthetic thermoplastic polymer based material is greater than 1:2, or greater than 1:1. The second reactor bio-oil has a lower concentration of oxygenated hydrocarbons than the concentration of oxygenated hydrocarbons of the combination of the synthetic thermoplastic polymer based material and the product charged to the second reactor. The feed further comprises materials comprising paper and/or cotton.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Components: The synthetic thermoplastic polymer based material comprises at least 10 wt.% of hydrogen. The synthetic thermoplastic polymer based material is polyethylene and/or polypropylene. The synthetic polymer based material is polyester, poly(methyl methacrylate), terephthalates, polycarbonates, polyvinyl acetates, polystyrene, poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), styrene-butadiene rubber, nylons, polyethylene, polyurethane prepolymer, polystyrene, polypropylene, and/or acrylic resins.