Plant and process for separation of sulfur-containing components, H.sub.2S, COS and mercaptans from methanol which is used as absorbent within the Rectisol process by hot regeneration of the methanol laden in the absorption and an additional step for separation of the mercaptans from the methanol by stripping.

Processes and associated reaction systems for the preparation of ethylene carbonate and ethylene glycol from ethylene oxide are provided, particularly processes and associated reaction systems directed to heat integration in the treatment of recycle gas streams.

The invention provides a method and apparatus for purifying water. The apparatus includes a water still for receiving water and a hot air maintained in a heat-exchanging relationship to obtain a hot water and a cold air. The apparatus also includes one or more water purification units configured to receive the hot water from the water still in which the hot water is further heated using thermal energy received from one or more thermal energy sources to obtain steam and waste matter. A water purification unit of the one or more water purification units includes a waste matter remover for removing the waste matter from the water purification unit. The water still includes a heat-exchanging unit configured to receive the steam from the one or more water purification units. The steam received at the heat-exchanging unit is condensed to obtain purified water within the heat-exchanging unit using the cold air.

A heat and mass transfer component comprises a lubricant-impregnated surface including hydrophobic surface features, which comprise nanostructured surface protrusions having a hydrophobic species attached thereto. The hydrophobic surface features are impregnated with a fluorinated lubricant having a viscosity in a range from about 400 mPa.Math.s to about 6000 mPa.Math.s. A method of fabricating a lubricant-impregnated surface on a heat and mass transfer component comprises: cleaning a thermally conductive substrate to form a cleaned substrate; exposing the cleaned substrate to a hot water or hot alkaline solution to form a thermally conductive substrate having nanostructured surface protrusions; depositing a hydrophobic species on the nanostructured surface protrusions to form hydrophobic surface features; and coating the hydrophobic surface features with a fluorinated lubricant having a viscosity in a range from 400 mPa.Math.s to 6000 mPa.Math.s. The heat and mass transfer component may exhibit a substantial increase in heat transfer coefficient during hydrocarbon condensation.

The present invention provides to a process for recovery of an organic compound (i.e. Ethanol, propanol, butanol, Acetone, iso-propyl alcohol) from a fermented broth which is produced from different fermentation technologies. The present invention particularly relates to an integrated process for ethanol separation from the fermentation broth using integrated vapor compressing unit (turbofans), evaporator (falling film) and a broth stripper column (vacuum distillation system). The process is operated under low temperature for the separation and recovery of the organic compound (particularly ethanol) from the fermented broth containing live microbes typically below or at 50 C. to ensure the activity of the microbes in the broth recycle. Again, the activity of the microbes is further ensured by maintaining the residence time of the microbe containing broth outside the Fermentor is less than or equal to 10 minutes.

A multi-functional slurry processing system (VARCOR) and associated methods is disclosed. The present examples provide a multi-functional slurry processing system incorporating systems and methods for separating liquid and solid components in slurries. In particular the systems and methods described herein produce clean water, dried solids, and potential concentration of desirable constituents with a boiling point lower than water. At least one example of the multi-functional slurry processing system provides a self-contained processing facility configured to efficiently convert high water-content slurries into its constituent solid and liquid fractions and subsequently generating and collecting clean water and concentrating desirable constituents with a boiling point lower than water. The multi-functional slurry processing system advantageously applies thermodynamic principles in a system which may include various combinations of a preheater, a degassing unit, a dryer, a steam filter, a compressor, a concentrating tower, and a condensation unit.

The invention is a method for liquid, gaseous or supercritical phase chromatography which involves circulating, on a chromatograph (6) containing a stationary phase, a load (1) comprising components to be separated entrained by a carrier fluid (2), said method being characterized in that it involves: (a) obtaining, at the outlet of the chromatograph, a plurality of chromatographic fractions (3, 4) comprising at least one component of the load and the carrier fluid in a first fluid phase, (b) imposing a change of state on at least one of said chromatographic fractions (3, 4) so as to obtain at least one fraction of purified carrier fluid in a second fluid phase different from the first fluid phase by separating said carrier fluid from the component of the load, (c) imposing a change of state in a reverse direction to that of step (b) on at least one fraction of purified carrier fluid obtained in step (b) so as to obtain at least one fraction of purified carrier fluid in a third fluid phase different to the second fluid phase, and in that it involves coupling the change-of-state energies from the first fluid phase to the second fluid phase and from the second fluid phase to the third fluid phase of the same or of another fraction of purified carrier fluid, said coupling comprising a transfer of heat using a heat pump.

Examples of a flexible pyrolysis system are provided that include at least one reaction chamber capable of pyrolyzing a combination of coal in a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) atmosphere. The system includes a recuperating and condensing circuit that removes dissolved pyrolysis products from the supercritical CO.sub.2 atmosphere and then recovers CO.sub.2 for reuse in the reaction chamber. The recuperating and condensing circuit includes multiple stages of recuperators and collectors that can be independently controlled in order to selectively fractionate the pyrolysis products. In addition, the pyrolysis reaction may be controlled to alter the pyrolysis products generated.

A system for recovering a sterilization agent may include a pressure reducing value for reducing a pressure of a waste gas from a sterilization chamber to a first predefined pressure. The waste gas may include a gaseous mixture of a sterilization agent, nitrogen gas, and water vapor. A first condenser may cool the gaseous mixture to below a boiling point temperature and above a freezing point temperature of the water vapor at the first predefined pressure. A first tank may store the condensed water vapor. A separation pump may raise the pressure of the gaseous mixture to a second predefined pressure. A second condenser may cool the gaseous mixture to below a boiling point temperature and above a freezing point temperature of the sterilization agent at the second predefined pressure causing the sterilization agent to condense into a liquid. A second tank may store the separated sterilization agent.

Methods and systems for treating brine to produce distilled water and dried NaCl are disclosed. The brine enters a crystallization plant and is heated. Once heated, the brine is circulated to an evaporator. The evaporator increases the concentration of NaCl in the brine to a point about the super saturation level. Once above the super saturation level, NaCl crystals are formed. The larger crystals are circulated to a centrifuge for drying and the smaller crystals are recirculated through the evaporator for continued growth. The NaCl crystals are dried in the centrifuge.