Chemical recycling facilities for processing mixed plastic waste are provided herein. Such facilities have the capability of processing mixed plastic waste streams and utilize a variety of recycling facilities, such as, for example, solvolysis facility, a pyrolysis facility, a cracker facility, a partial oxidation gasification facility, an energy generation/energy production facility, and a solidification facility. Streams from one or more of these individual facilities may be used as feed to one or more of the other facilities, thereby maximizing recovery of valuable chemical components and minimizing unusable waste streams.

A method for processing feedstock is described, characterized in that incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock. In some embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of mixed solid waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW). In other embodiments the incoming feedstock is comprised of woody biomass. In some instances, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover biogenic carbon material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% and greater suitable for conversion into biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids. The high biogenic carbon Fischer Tropsch liquids may be upgraded to biogenic carbon liquid fuels. Alternatively, the incoming feedstock is processed to selectively recover plastic material from the incoming feedstock to produce a processed feedstock having biogenic carbon content of 50% or less.

A grid-energy firming process and a grid energy firming system. The process comprises alternating between a process for generating electrical energy, and a process for generating gaseous fuels in response to the energy demands of a grid energy system. The system comprises a reactor containing a carbonaceous fuel, and a heat exchanger to extract heat from the flue gas and/or gaseous fuel.

A CO.sub.2 reduction system has a cathode in contact with a catholyte. The cathode includes a selectivity-determining layer on an electron conductor. The selectivity-determining layer includes a selectivity-determining component that includes a substituted heterocycle.

A CO.sub.2 reduction system has a cathode in contact with a catholyte. The cathode includes a selectivity-determining layer on an electron conductor. The selectivity-determining layer includes a selectivity-determining component that includes a substituted heterocycle.

Processes for producing high biogenic concentration Fischer-Tropsch liquids derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstock that contains a relatively high concentration of biogenic carbon (derived from plants) and a relatively low concentration of non-biogenic carbon (derived from fossil sources) wherein the biogenic content of the Fischer-Tropsch liquids is the same as the biogenic content of the feedstock.

An equilibrium approach reactor with the ability to receive a highly variable gas and normalise it to a useful quality, and further to utilise the energy from the gas itself to robustly elevate the operating temperature, to ensure good mixing and high conversion while having the ability to handle solids in multiple states.

A butadiene production system and a butadiene production method are provided in which the yield is high and environmental load can be reduced. The butadiene production system (1) includes: a gas preparation device (10) that heats raw materials to prepare a mixed gas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide; an ethanol production device (12) that is provided downstream of the gas preparation device (10) and brings the mixed gas into contact with a first catalyst to obtain ethanol; a butadiene production device (16) that is provided downstream of the ethanol production device (12) and brings the ethanol into contact with a second catalyst to obtain butadiene; and return means (18) for returning hydrogen, ethylene, and the like, which are produced as by-products in the butadiene production device (16), to the gas preparation device (10). In addition, in the butadiene production method, the butadiene production system (1) is used.

A butadiene production system and a butadiene production method are provided in which the yield is high and environmental load can be reduced. The butadiene production system (1) includes: a gas preparation device (10) that heats raw materials to prepare a mixed gas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide; an ethanol production device (12) that is provided downstream of the gas preparation device (10) and brings the mixed gas into contact with a first catalyst to obtain ethanol; a butadiene production device (16) that is provided downstream of the ethanol production device (12) and brings the ethanol into contact with a second catalyst to obtain butadiene; and return means (18) for returning hydrogen, ethylene, and the like, which are produced as by-products in the butadiene production device (16), to the gas preparation device (10). In addition, in the butadiene production method, the butadiene production system (1) is used.

A method is provided for removing tar from a gas by contacting a first gas containing tar with a second gas containing oxygen for time period sufficient to effect oxidation of at least a portion of the tar in the first gas, thus producing an oxidized product gas that contains less tar than the first gas. The method can also include heating a fluidized particulate material in a combustor, introducing the heated fluidized particulate material from the combustor and a biomass feedstock into a gasifier, such that heat from the heated fluidized particulate material causes the gasification of at least a portion of the biomass feedstock to form a tar-containing product gas, the first gas may contain at least a portion of the tar-containing gas, and the tar-containing gas may be extracted from the gasifier prior to contacting the first gas with the second gas.