A method and system for manufacturing and using a self-supporting structure in processing unit for adsorption or catalytic processes. The self-supporting structure has greater than 50% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure to provide a foam-geometry structure providing access to the active material. The self-supporting structures, which may be disposed in a processing unit, may be used in swing adsorption processes and other processes to enhance the recovery of hydrocarbons.

A composite comprises a carbonaceous and a metallic nanotube conjugated with a carbonaceous support. The composite may be used to remove contaminants from water.

The present disclosure includes a process for pelletizing a spent bleach earth (SBE) into a clay-biocarbon composite including classifying the SBE based on at least one parameter of the SBE, selecting at least one filler compound and mixing the at least one filler compound with the SBE to make a mixture, forming a plurality of pellets out of the mixture, and pyrolyzing the pellets to produce the clay-biocarbon composite. Pyrolyzing a pelleted spent bleach earth (SBE) may include advancing the pelleted SBE with a distributer to a first thermal chamber for providing even thermal processing, releasing the pelleted SBE to a second auger to cool to room temperature, and condensing at least one volatile compound emitted from the pelleted SBE during thermal processing to produce a condensate for reuse.

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.

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.

The invention provides methods and systems for washing adsorptive media with minimal water consumption. More specifically, the invention provides methods and systems for in situ regeneration and/or sanitization of adsorptive media, such as activated carbon, using back-and-forth washing.

A vertically oriented plasma reactor is provided. In another aspect, a plasma reactor includes a vertically elongated vacuum chamber, a wall internally projecting within a middle section of the housing, magnets, electrodes and a radio frequency source. A further aspect employs a workpiece-entry port and an opposite workpiece material-exit port, with one located adjacent a top end and the other adjacent a bottom end of a vertically elongated reactor housing or vacuum chamber. Yet another aspect employs a moving or falling-bed plasma reactor for use in activating biochar material.

An in situ system of filter rejuvenation has a fluid inlet on a first side of a reaction chamber, a fluid outlet disposed on a second side of the reaction chamber, a filtration chamber with a first wall comprising a ceramic glass material with a pass-band in the infrared spectrum. The filtration chamber is in fluid communication with the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet so that a fluid introduced into the inlet passes through the filtration chamber and exits through the fluid outlet. The system has at least one infrared heating element configured to transmit infrared energy within the pass-band of the ceramic glass material to heat the filter medium disposed within the filtration chamber to a temperature of at least 260° C., which can gasify contaminants without combustion.

A promoted carbon and/or non-carbon base sorbent are described that are highly effective for the removal of mercury from flue gas streams. The promoted sorbent comprises a carbon and/or non-carbon base sorbent that has reacted with and contains forms of halogen and halides. Optional components may be added to increase and/or preserve reactivity and mercury capacity. These may be added directly with the base sorbent, or in-flight within a gas stream (air, flue gas, etc.), to enhance base sorbent performance and/or mercury capture. Mercury removal efficiencies obtained exceed conventional methods. The promoted sorbent can be regenerated and reused. Base sorbent treatment and preparation methods are also described. New methods for in-flight preparation, introduction, and control of the active base sorbent into the mercury contaminated gas stream are described.

A carbon-based porous material microscopically exhibiting a three-dimension 1 cross-linked net-like hierarchical pore structure, a specific surface area of 500˜2,500 m.sup.2/g and a water contact angle greater than 90°. The surface of the carbon-based porous material has a through hierarchical pore structure with mesopores nested in macropores and micropores nested in mesopores, the content of mesopores is high, and there are more adsorption activity sites exposed on the surface of the material, so that the diffusion path for organic gas molecules in the adsorption process is shortened. At the same time, the absorption and desorption rates may also be accelerated and the desorption temperature may be lowered. Furthermore, benefits result for solving the desorption and recovery problems of organic gas molecules. Moreover, the defects of ordinary porous carbon materials being easily hygroscopic, having a weakened capacity to adsorb target gas molecules in a humid environment, etc. are further effectively solved.