Described here is a free-standing composite particle with a large surface area. The particle is capable of adsorbing heavy metal contaminants from water. The particle itself is comprised of a granular activated carbon particle to which are attached one or more carbon nanotubes, the combination of which is covered by at least a partial thin film of polydopamine or other polymeric material derived from dopamine-like compounds. The composite particles are mixed with contaminated water, after which the water and particle mixture is injected into a hydrocyclone separator specifically designed for use with the composite particle. The hydrocyclone separator removes the particles from the water, allowing the particles holding the contaminants to be extracted for treatment, while the purified water flows out of the separator for reuse. The separated particles can be treated to remove all the adsorbed contaminants, after which the reclaimed particles may be reused.

The present invention provides an activated carbon modification method, a filter mesh structure, use of the filter mesh structure, and a filter material regeneration method. The activated carbon modification method includes: providing an activated carbon; treating the surface of the activated carbon with hydrogen peroxide, so that the activated carbon forms a modified activated carbon; and removing the hydrogen peroxide from the surface of the modified activated carbon. The filter mesh structure includes the modified activated carbon, and the filter material therein can withstand hydrogen peroxide and temperatures above 100° C. and below 120° C. The filter material regeneration method includes: providing a filter material of the filter mesh structure as described above; treating the filter material with hydrogen peroxide; and removing substances from the surface of the modified activated carbon.

A regenerable organic contaminant controller includes a carbon hollow fiber module that includes a passage between an inlet and an outlet, on an opposite end of the carbon hollow fiber module from the inlet, such that organic contaminants in contaminated air flowing through the passage are desorbed into pores of the carbon hollow fiber module. The regenerable organic contaminant controller also includes wires coupled to the inlet of the carbon hollow fiber module and to the outlet of the carbon hollow fiber module. The wires heat the carbon hollow fiber module based on a flow of electricity through the wires. The heat causes release of the organic contaminants from the pores of the carbon hollow fiber module.

A solvent comprised of (1) a caustic and an alcohol, (2) a caustic and a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, or (3) a caustic, an alcohol, and a quaternary ammonium hydroxide may contact an adsorbent bed that has been used to remove sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream to extract adsorbed sulfur compounds from the adsorbent material in the bed to regenerate it. The regenerated adsorbent bed may be reused, either alone or in combination with a liquid-liquid extraction column, to remove sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream.

The present disclosure relates to a process, a system and a use for removing micropollutants (1) in liquid (2). The process comprises providing liquid (2) to a container (3) adapted to hold a liquid and/or a gas, providing magnetic activated carbon (4), mixing it, separating the magnetic activated carbon (4) using a magnetic separator (5), removing between 1 and 100% of the separated used magnetic activated carbon (4), removing the liquid (2), providing new liquid (2) to the container (3), providing the used magnetic activated carbon (4) to the container (3), adding between 1 and 100% of unused magnetic activated carbon (4), repeating the mixing and separation steps at least one time. The process allows for control of several parameters, such as the flow rate of the liquid, dosage of MAC and ratio used/unused MAC required to remove micropollutants from the liquid.

Process for converting waste plastics to refining feedstock. The process includes conducting pyrolysis of a plastic feedstock comprising waste plastics to produce a liquid stream of plastic pyrolysis oil; directly feeding the liquid stream of plastic pyrolysis oil to an adsorption based purification process to generate a treated plastic pyrolysis oil stream; and collecting the treated plastic pyrolysis oil stream from the adsorption vessel for further processing into value added products as a feedstock for conventional refining processes. The adsorption based purification process includes contacting the liquid stream of plastic pyrolysis oil with one or more adsorbent materials in an adsorption vessel, the adsorbent materials with at least one of the one or more adsorbent materials being configured for adsorption of organic molecules having heteroatoms of each of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and chlorine. Such system may be integrated with a conventional refinery.

A regeneration solvent comprised of one or more ethylene amines may contact an adsorbent bed that has been used to remove sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream to extract adsorbed sulfur compounds from the adsorbent material in the bed to regenerate it. The one or more ethyleneamines may have structure (I), (II), or (III):

##STR00001##

where R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 are, to the extent chemically possible, independently H, C.sub.1-C.sub.4 linear or branched alkyl, amido (RRNC═O), or hydroxyalkyl, where each R in the amido group is independently H or C.sub.1 alkyl, where R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are alkylene of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, where x ranges from 0 to 3, y ranges from 1 to 6. The regenerated adsorbent bed may be reused, either alone or in combination with a liquid-liquid extraction column, to remove sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream.

A solvent comprised of (1) a caustic and an alcohol, (2) a caustic and a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, or (3) a caustic, an alcohol, and a quaternary ammonium hydroxide may contact an adsorbent bed that has been used to remove sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream to extract adsorbed sulfur compounds from the adsorbent material in the bed to regenerate it. The regenerated adsorbent bed may be reused, either alone or in combination with a liquid-liquid extraction column, to remove sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon stream.

The invention generally relates to a carbon-based boron removal medium with hydroxyl group and amine group, and in particular, to a method for forming the carbon-based boron removal medium. In various embodiments, nitrogen-doped (“N-doped”) graphene oxide is synthesized by a simple two-step process: (1) oxidation of graphite to graphene oxide, and (2) nitrogen-doping (“N-doping”) the graphene oxide to form the amine group. The resultant N-doped graphene oxide can efficiently remove boron from aqueous solutions. The invention also generally relates to a boron sensing medium and its use in conductometric measurement techniques to detect and measure the amount of boron present in aqueous solutions.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to sorbents for the oxidation and removal of mercury. The present invention includes removing mercury from a mercury-containing gas using a halide-promoted and optionally ammonium-protected sorbent that can include carbon sorbent, non-carbon sorbent, or a combination thereof.