The present invention discloses a method of producing a fuel additive comprising the following steps: mixing alcohol in water; homogenize the mixture under the influence of mechanical waves, preferably ultrasound and specific pressure; adding an oxidizing solution to the mixture; exposing the mixture to electromagnetic radiation, preferably UV; perform electrolysis with molecular sieve with specific porosity; exposing the mixture from the previous step to radiation in the microwave spectrum; and atomize the mixture in the medium of specific alcohols. The present invention aims to provide an additive with the ability to increase the amount of oxygen in the combustion reaction inside a combustion chamber. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fuel additive capable of generating, after the combustion reaction, nitrous compounds for lubricating the metallic surfaces of the engine.

Solvent consumption in supercritical ethanol, propanol or butanol treatment of either refined pre-extracted lignin or comparatively impure lignin-rich solid residual from hydrothermally pretreated lignocellulosic biomass can be minimized by conducting the reaction at very high loading of lignin to solvent. Comparatively impure, crude lignin-rich solid residual can be directly converted by supercritical alcohol treatment to significantly diesel-soluble lignin oil without requirement for pre-extraction or pre-solubilization of lignin or for added reaction promoters such as catalysts, hydrogen donor co-solvents, acids, based or H2 gas. O:C ratio of product oil can readily be obtained using crude lignin residual in such a process at levels 0.20 or lower.

An additive composition for a marine fuel or a heating oil comprising a stabilized colloidal dispersion of catalytic metal particles, a neutral or overbased alkaline earth metal detergent and a carrier fluid miscible with a marine fuel oil, a heavy fuel oil, a marine distillate fuel, and/or a residual fuel oil. Also provided are marine fuel and/or heating oil compositions having the additive composition described above and associated methods and uses.

The present application generally relates to the introduction of a renewable fuel oil as a feedstock into refinery systems or field upgrading equipment. For example, the present application is directed to methods of introducing a liquid thermally produced from biomass into a petroleum conversion unit; for example, a refinery fluid catalytic cracker (FCC), a coker, a field upgrader system, a hydrocracker, and/or hydrotreating unit; for co-processing with petroleum fractions, petroleum fraction reactants, and/or petroleum fraction feedstocks and the products, e.g., fuels, and uses and value of the products resulting therefrom.

A process for preparing a gasoline octane boosting composition, including contacting a pyrolysis oil with a non-thermal oxygen plasma to produce an oxidized pyrolysis oil; and mixing the oxidized pyrolysis oil with a gasoline additive to produce the gasoline octane boosting composition. The gasoline octane boosting composition can be used in a gasoline blend.

The invention relates to an oil-in-water emulsion comprising an oil phase and an aqueous phase, and a primary surfactant, wherein the oil phase is dispersed in the aqueous phase, and wherein the oil-in-water emulsion has: an average droplet size distribution (D[4,3]) in the range of from 3 to 15 m and less than 3 wt % of the droplets have a particle size of greater than 125 m; a viscosity of greater than 100 and up to 700 mPas at 50 C.10% and 20 s.sup.110%; and a static stability of less than 5% residue after centrifugation at 50 C.10% and 2000 g=10% for 30 minutes10%. A process for preparing such an oil-in-water emulsion comprises preparing an aqueous phase comprising a primary surfactant, heating a hydrocarbon-containing oil-phase, and blending the hydrocarbon-containing oil and the aqueous phase under conditions sufficient to form an oil-in-water emulsion. The invention also relates to methods for determining the static and dynamic stability of oil-in-water emulsions. Static stability can be determined by a method comprising the steps of: providing an oil-in-water emulsion; centrifuging the oil-in-water emulsion under predetermined conditions for a predetermined period of time; determining the amount of residue deposited from the oil-in-water emulsion after the predetermined period of time; and determining the oil-in-water emulsion's static stability. A method for determining the dynamic stability of an oil-in-water emulsion comprises the steps of: providing an oil-in-water emulsion; analysing the oil-in-water emulsion at a first time; recirculating the oil-in-water emulsion in a recirculation loop; and analysing the oil-in-water emulsion at second time after recirculation has started; in which the oil-in-water emulsion's dynamic stability is determined based on the analysis at the first and second times.

The present invention relates to a composition comprising lignin and a solvent where the lignin is functionalized with an ether group.

The present application generally relates to the introduction of a renewable fuel oil as a feedstock into refinery systems or field upgrading equipment. For example, the present application is directed to methods of introducing a liquid thermally produced from biomass into a petroleum conversion unit; for example, a refinery fluid catalytic cracker (FCC), a coker, a field upgrader system, a hydrocracker, and/or hydrotreating unit; for co-processing with petroleum fractions, petroleum fraction reactants, and/or petroleum fraction feedstocks and the products, e.g., fuels, and uses and value of the products resulting therefrom.

The invention provides a method of reducing the propensity of a diesel fuel composition to take up zinc when exposed to zinc during storage and/or transportation, the method comprising formulating a diesel fuel composition to be stored or transported in contact with zinc such that said diesel fuel composition has an aniline point greater than 80 C.

Mixed butenes from a cracking process, or raffmates of MTBE or tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), are simultaneously hydrated using water in the presence of a catalyst to produce sec-butyl alcohol (SBA) and tert-butyl alcohol as the principal products, the mixed butanols having utility as fuel additives, e.g., as oxygenates and octane enhancers to replace MTBE, and as a neat fuel.