An integrated process that is operated to create both a higher value pipelineable crude and a higher value carbon fiber product from a lower value common heavy hydrocarbon feedstock where the feedstock is processed in a thermal reactor followed by a solvent deasphalting unit with the liquids being gathered and processed to reduce olefins for pipeline transport and the solids are processed to generate a marketable carbon fiber product with any gases generated throughout the entire process reused in the process or sold.

Methods for forming alane are described. The method includes addition of toluene at a temperature above the crystallization temperature of alane to a lower temperature solution that includes alane adduct, ether, and toluene. Upon the addition, a crystallization mixture is formed that is at or near the crystallization temperature of alane. The alane of the mixture crystallizes over a period of time to form a high purity alane polymorph.

Embodiments of the invention provide a composition of a particulate coformulation which includes particles containing an active substance and an additive, wherein each particle contains a relative additive concentration increasing radially outwards from a particle center to a particle surface along a finite gradient. In one example, the particle surface is an additive-rich surface without a distinct physical boundary between the particle center and the particle surface. The relative additive concentration may have a continuous rate of change across the finite gradient. In some examples, an active substance:additive ratio of the particle surface is sufficiently low to form a protective surface layer around the active substance. Generally, the particle surface is free of the active substance.

A process for the crystallisation of a water-soluble compound is disclosed. The process comprises (a) providing, in a crystallisation vessel, a solution of the water-soluble compound in a mixture of water and a solvent in which the water-soluble compound has a lower solubility than in water; (b) passing vapor phase of the mixture through a sorption zone containing a water vapor sorbent to selectively adsorb water from the vapor phase; (c) recycling a part of the vapor phase to the crystallisation vessel or withdrawing vapor phase depleted in water from the process and adding solvent to the crystallisation vessel; (d) allowing solid crystals of the water-soluble compound to precipitate from the solution; and (e) discharging precipitated solid crystals of the water-soluble compound from the crystallisation vessel and discharging a solution of non-crystallised water-soluble compound in water-solvent mixture from the crystallisation vessel.

Compositions and methods for the isolation of protein-nucleic acid complexes and microvesicles (collectively referred to as “bioparticles”) released by mammalian cells into body fluids or cell culture media are provided. Isolated bioparticles of the invention contain biological molecules that are useful as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers or for identification of therapeutic targets (e.g., disease or disorder-associated miRNAs). The isolation of biological molecules as described herein results in purification and concentration of the molecules. Methods for producing bio fluids that are free of detectable bioparticles, that are largely depleted of bioparticles, or that possess a reduced concentration of bioparticles compared to a bio fluid starting material (collectively termed “bioparticle-depleted”) are also provided. Isolation of bioparticle-depleted biofluid is useful, e.g., in experimental systems where it is desirable to use a biofluid that does not contain endogenous bioparticles, or has been substantially depleted of endogenous bioparticles, from the source material.

Methods of isolating phenols from phenol-containing media. The methods include combining a phospholipid-containing composition with the phenol-containing medium to generate a combined medium, incubating the combined medium to precipitate phenols in the combined medium and thereby form a phenol precipitate phase and a phenol-depleted phase, and separating the phenol precipitate phase and the phenol-depleted phase. The methods can further include extracting phenols from the separated phenol precipitate phase. The extracting can include mixing the separated phenol precipitate phase with an extraction solvent to solubilize in the extraction solvent at least a portion of the phenols originally present in the phenol precipitate phase.

A method includes introducing a biomass and a solvent into an extraction vessel to form a mixture, controlling process conditions to increase extraction of target cannabinoids and decrease extraction of impurities, the process conditions including at least one of temperature, solvent composition, and agitation, moving the mixture from the extraction vessel to a separation vessel through a filtration system, balancing a solvent-solute ratio of the mixture as needed, crystallizing the target cannabinoids from the mixture in the separation vessel to produce cannabinoid crystals, separating a mother liquor out of the separation vessel, recovering any residual solvent, and removing the cannabinoid crystals from the vessel.

Disclosed are methods for separating, recovering, and purifying tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) salts from an organic solvent solution comprising a mixture of cannabinoids. The methods comprise solubilizing the mixture of cannabinoids in a selected C5-C7 hydrocarbon solvent, adding thereto a selected amine to thereby precipitate a THCA-amine salt therefrom, dissolving the recovered THCA-amine salt in a selected solvent and then adding thereto a selected antisolvent to thereby recrystallize a purified THCA-amine salt therefrom. The recrystallized THCA-amine salt may be decarboxylated to form a mixture of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and amine. The Δ9-THC amine mixture may be acidified to separate the amine from Δ9-THC. The recovered Δ9-THC may be concentrated to produce a highly purified Δ9-THC. Also disclosed are THCA-amine salts produced with amines selected from groups of diamines, amino alcohols, and tertiary amines.

A MEG reclamation process includes the step of increasing above 2,000 ppm the divalent metal salts concentration of a rich (wet) MEG feed stream flowing into a precipitator. The increasing step includes routing a salts-saturated MEG slipstream from the flash separator it to the precipitator. The slipstream may be mixed with a fresh water feed stream, a portion of the rich MEG feed stream, or some combination of the two. The rich MEG feed stream also may be split into two streams, with a portion of the stream being heated and routed to the flash separator and the other portion being combined as above with the removed slipstream. The process can be performed on the slipstream after dilution and prior to entering the precipitator or after being loaded into the precipitator. Removal of the insoluble salts may be done in either a batch or continuous mode.

There is a process for the selective recovery of transition metals from an organic stream containing transition metals. The organic stream and possibly a first extractor if solid, are melted up to the liquid state. The extractor consists of an ionic liquid or a mixture of two or more ionic liquids and the ionic liquid contains an ammonium salt as cation and as anion an anion with chelating properties. A melted organic stream and a first extractor, optionally melted, are fed to a first liquid-liquid extraction unit working at a temperature of at least 150° C. where the liquid-liquid extraction is carried out obtaining a liquid mixture containing an ionic liquid, or a mixture of two or more ionic liquids, and metals. After extraction, the liquid mixture is cooled at a temperature between 0° C. and 70° C. and becomes biphasic; then the cooled mixture is sent to a first separation unit, to separate a liquid phase that contains ionic liquids and metals, and a metal-depleted solid phase. After the first separation, the separated metal-depleted solid phase is optionally sent to a washing unit to which a solvent is fed, so as to eliminate the residual ionic liquid by transferring it into the solvent and obtaining a metal-depleted solid phase. Then the separate liquid phase containing ionic liquids and metals is sent into a liquid-liquid precipitation and separation unit, adding a counter-solvent, thereby obtaining a solid phase containing the metals and a liquid stream containing counter-solvent and ionic liquids.