TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: In the method (I): a first portion of the oxygenated intermediates are recycled to form in part the solvent in step (b); and at least a second portion of the oxygenated intermediates are processed to form the liquid fuel. The oxygenated intermediates are subjected to condensation to produce the liquid fuel; or dehydration and alkylation to produce a liquid fuel. The method (III) further comprises recycling a second portion of the oxygenated intermediate stream to form in part the recycle solvent in step (c2). Preferred Components: The digestive solvent comprises: at least one alkali (comprising sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium sulfide, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, and/or ammonium hydroxide), water, and oxygenated intermediates; and an at least partially water miscible organic solvent, where the organic solvent comprises oxygenated intermediates. The pretreated biomass contains soluble carbohydrates and having less than 10% of the sulfur content and less than 10% of the nitrogen content based on untreated biomass on a dry mass basis. EXAMPLE - Southern hardwood (5.14 g) was treated with 50.3 g of solvent (comprised of 25 wt.% acetone, 25% isopropanol, and 2% acetic acid in deionized water) in a reactor under 3500 kPa nitrogen at 150-170?C over 1 hour, followed by 4 hours at 170 degrees C to obtain a dark brown liquor. Undigested solids were recovered by filtration, and a solid pulp sample was dried overnight in a vacuum oven at 90 degrees C to assess recovery. 48.8% of the initially charged hardwood was extracted, leaving a light brown solid pulp. Wet pulp (3 g) was charged to the reactor, with 0.35 grams of a re-promoted 1.9% platinum/zirconia catalyst. To this, hydrogen was added at 5000 kPa, before ramping in temperature from 170-210 degrees C over 3 hours, followed by 15 hours at 210 degrees C to complete reaction and to obtain 96% yield of polyols and mono-oxygenates. These intermediates were sent directly a condensation or dehydration/oligomerization step to form liquid fuels.