The invention relates to an improved apparatus and methods for managing and utilizing light hydrocarbons utilized and created during the hydroprocessing of biological feedstocks in the making of middle distillate fuels.

A mixture for a natural fuel package is provided, having essentially a mass of combustible wood particles and particles of organs of a plant in the Cinnamomum genus as constituents which are bonded by compression, whereby upon ignition the said particles undergo decomposition to liberate the moisture, releasing an aromatic cinnamon fragrance and flavor which can be inhaled by persons present at the time of burning and tasted or consumed through the food cooked on such fuel resulting in medicinal and therapeutic effects.

In an aspect, a method is disclosed that includes contacting a composition with an aqueous solution to yield a mixture, where the composition includes one or more of animal fats, animal oils, plant fats, plant oils, vegetable fats, vegetable oils, greases, and used cooking oil, about 5 wt. % or more of free fatty acids, about 10 wppm or more of total metals, about 8 wppm or more phosphorus, about 20 wppm or more of nitrogen, and the aqueous solution includes ((NH.sub.4).sub.2H.sub.2EDTA, (NH.sub.4).sub.4EDTA, a monoammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a diammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a triammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a tetraammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, (NH.sub.4).sub.5DTPA, a combination of citric acid and Na.sub.4EDTA, a combination of citric acid and Na.sub.2H.sub.2EDTA, a combination of citric acid and a monosodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and a disodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and a trisodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and a tetrasodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and Na.sub.5DTPA, or a combination of any two or more thereof, where the method further includes centrifuging the mixture to yield a first treated composition, wherein the first treated composition has less total metals and less phosphorus than the composition.

Systems and methods to provide renewable transportation fuels for internal combustion engines by converting renewable feedstocks into two or more intermediate hydrocarbon blend stocks and blending at least two of the two or more intermediate hydrocarbon blend stocks to produce the renewable transportation fuel. Methods and/or processes may include selecting sugar from a sugar source and introducing the sugar into one or more reactors. The sugar may be converted into an intermediate renewable hydrocarbon blend stock and sent to a separation unit to separate out an intermediate renewable gasoline unit. The process may include selecting and converting a lipid from a lipid source into a renewable diesel product. The renewable diesel product may be sent to a second separation unit to separate out renewable diesel and a low-grade naphtha. The low-grade naphtha and intermediate renewable gasoline may be blended to define a finished renewable gasoline.

A C.sub.31 renewable base oil is disclosed that is suitable as a base oil to provide low viscosity base oils, such as having both low Noack volatility and low CCS-30° C. viscosity and/or to provide low viscosity base oils at the same time having a combination of acceptable HTHS and KV100 to allow the industry's base oil blenders to formulate high quality engine oils, such as SAE grade 0W-20, 0W-16, 0W-12 or 0W-8.

A process for producing a chloride depleted feedstock from a chloride containing crude oil or fat feedstock is provided. The process including the following steps: providing the chloride containing crude oil or fat feedstock; contacting the chloride containing crude oil or fat feedstock with at least one degumming agent under degumming conditions to obtain a degummed feedstock; contacting the degummed feedstock with at least one first chloride removal agent under first chloride removal conditions to obtain a first dechlorinated feedstock; contacting the first dechlorinated feedstock with at least one bleaching agent under bleaching conditions to obtain a bleached feedstock; contacting the bleached feedstock with at least one second chloride removal agent under second chloride removal conditions to obtain a chloride depleted feedstock; and routing out the chloride depleted feedstock from a second chloride removal step.

The invention relates to jet fuel compositions, in particular jet fuel compositions having improved cold properties, and more particularly improved freezing point with respect to theoretical linear behavior, which are mixtures of jet fuel from petroleum origin and renewable component. To this effect, a jet fuel composition comprising a petroleum derived jet fuel component and a renewable component consisting of hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids is proposed, wherein the jet fuel composition contains 1 to 50 vol % of the renewable component and has a freezing point of −40° C. or below, preferably of −47° C. and below, and the petroleum derived jet fuel component has a content of C9-C12 normal paraffins from 17 wt % to 30 wt %.

The present disclosure relates to improvements in snow removal vehicles. A vehicle is disclosed, wherein the vehicle may have a reduced turning radius, or a zero-turn radius. The present disclosure also relates to improvements in snow shovels attached to the vehicle, including disclosure directed to a snow shovel mounted to the middle of the vehicle, rather than to the vehicle's front. Further yet, the present application discloses a snow shovel which is interchangeable with a mower attachment, thereby allowing a vehicle to be used as a snow plow or as a mower.

A method of producing fatty acid alkyl ester from an organic oil source containing at least one free fatty acid, wherein the vegetable and/or animal waste oil has an acid number of at least 30 mg KOH/g and wherein the method comprises the steps of a) reacting the oil source with glycerol at a temperature, which is at least 110° C. and does not exceed 180° C. during the reaction, in the presence of a catalyst comprising at least methane sulfonic acid or the homo anhydride thereof; and b) acidic transesterification at a temperature, which is at least 110° C. and does not exceed 160° C. during the reaction of the reaction product from step a) with an alkanol; and c) isolating the fatty acid alkyl ester from the reaction product of step b).

A method for treating petroleum, petroleum fraction, or natural gas, the process comprising: adding a) a first component which is selected from material, particularly roots, of a plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza, and/or an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and b) a second component which is selected from a plant material or -ingredient comprising plastids, algae and/or cyanobacteria,
to the petroleum, petroleum fraction, or natural gas.