The present invention relates to a raw-material supply system and a raw-material supply method for pyrolyzing waste plastic including PVC and PET. The raw-material supply system includes: a slaked-lime supply device (12) configured to feed slaked lime to the waste plastic; an operation controller (15) configured to instruct the slaked-lime supply device (12) to feed the slaked lime to the waste plastic, the slaked lime to be fed having the number of moles that is 1 to 4 times a total number of moles of the polyvinyl chloride and the polyethylene terephthalate in the waste plastic; a melting dechlorination device (18) configured to dechlorinate the polyvinyl chloride and hydrolyze the polyethylene terephthalate by mixing the waste plastic and the slaked lime while heating the waste plastic and the slaked lime; a degassing hopper (20) coupled to the melting dechlorination device (18); and a raw-material supply device (22) configured to deliver the molten waste plastic from the degassing hopper (20) to a pyrolysis furnace (6).

The invention relates to a continuous process for converting carbonaceous material contained in one or more feedstocks into a liquid hydrocarbon product, said feedstocks including the carbonaceous material being in a feed mixture including one or more fluids, said fluids including water, the process comprising: converting at least part of the carbonaceous material by: pressurizing the feed mixture to an operational pressure in the range 150-400 bar, heating the feed mixture to an operational temperature in the range 300-450 C., and maintaining said pressurized and heated feed mixture in the desired pressure and temperature ranges in a reaction zone for a predefined time; cooling the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 25-200 C. and expanding the feed mixture to a pressure in the range of 1-70 bar, thereby causing the carbonaceous material to be converted to a liquid hydrocarbon product; and separating from the converted feed mixture a fraction comprising liquid hydrocarbon product; where in a state of discontinued operation the inflow of feed mixture is terminated and the system is filled with a fluid; where the pressure and temperature is set to a predetermined desired level, where the temperature and the pressure are altered to the predetermined lower level at a predetermined rate and where the pressure during the altering is constantly kept at a level above the saturation pressure for the fluid at a given temperature.

Process for the production of bio-oil from biomass comprising the following steps: (a) feeding a biomass to a liquefaction reactor, said biomass having a protein content higher than or equal to 1% by weight, preferably ranging from 5% by weight to 50% by weight, with respect to the weight (dry weight) of said biomass, a lipid content higher than or equal to 1% by weight, preferably ranging from 5% by weight to 60% by weight, with respect to the weight (dry weight) of said biomass, a pH higher than or equal to 4, preferably ranging from 4.5 to 10; (b) subjecting said biomass to liquefaction operating at a temperature ranging from 220 C. to 350 C., preferably ranging from 230 C. to 310 C., even more preferably ranging from 240 C. to 300 C., at a pressure higher than the vapour pressure of water at the temperature in which said liquefaction is carried out, for a time ranging from 30 minutes to 300 minutes, preferably ranging from 50 minutes to 270 minutes, obtaining a mixture comprising an oily phase consisting of bio-oil, a solid phase, a gaseous phase and an aqueous phase. The bio-oil (or bio-crude) thus obtained can be advantageously used as such, or, after optional upgrading treatments, in the production of biofuels or biocombustibles that can, in turn, be used as such or in a mixture with other fuels, for motor vehicles. Or, said bio-oil (or bio-crude) can be used in a mixture with fossil fuels (fuel oil, coal, etc.) for the generation of electric energy or heat.

The invention relates to a process for continuously converting carbonaceous material contained in one or more feedstocks into a liquid hydrocarbon product, said feedstocks including the carbonaceous material being in a feed mixture including one or more fluids, said fluids including water, the process comprising: converting at least part of the carbonaceous material by pressurising the feed mixture to an operational pressure in the range 150-400 bar, heating the feed mixture to an operational temperature in the range 300-450 C., and maintaining said pressurized and heated feed mixture in the desired pressure and temperature ranges in a reaction zone for a predefined time; cooling the feed mixture to a temperature in the range 25-200 C. and expanding the feed mixture to a pressure in the range of 1-70 bar, thereby causing the carbonaceous material to be converted to a liquid hydrocarbon product; and separating from the converted feed mixture a fraction comprising liquid hydrocarbon product; where prior to the pressurisation and heating of the feed mixture the system has been brought to an operational state by filling the system with a fluid while the system being at a temperature and a pressure below the operational temperature and pressure, and subsequently heating and pressurizing the fluid to the operational conditions at a predetermined heating and pressurisation rate, where the pressure is constantly kept at a level above the saturation pressure for the fluid at a given temperature; and where upon reaching the operational temperature and pressure the fluid inflow to the pressurisation is terminated and the feed mixture inflow to the pressurisation is initiated.

Techniques described herein relate to producing bitumen while monitoring various aspects of paraffinic froth treatment (PFT) operations using near infrared (NIR) spectrometry and chemometric analysis to continuously monitor and enable measurements of physical and chemical properties of various streams in PFT operations, which can be done in real time online and can facilitate process control. NIR spectrometry can be used to acquire NIR spectra measurements from a PFT process stream and the NIR spectra measurements and chemometric analysis can, in turn, be used to determine composition characteristics of the PFT process stream as well as operational features of a PFT process unit. For example, NIR spectra can be used to determine upward velocity in a PFT settler to facilitate settler operation for diluted bitumen quality control. NIR spectra can be obtained using reflectance or transmission probes which can be positioned within particular phase of a stratified PFT process stream.

A method and process is described for producing negative carbon fuel. In its broadest form, a carbon-containing input is converted to combustible fuels, refinery feedstock, or chemicals and a carbonaceous solid concurrently in separate and substantially uncontaminated form. In an embodiment of the invention, biomass is converted via discrete increasing temperatures under pressure to blendable combustible fuels and a carbonaceous solid. The carbonaceous solid may be reacted to synthesis gas, sold as charcoal product, carbon credits, used for carbon offsets, or sequestered.

A gas meter system includes a gas meter, a gas production plant, and a center device. The gas meter includes a sound velocity derivation unit configured to derive a sound velocity of a gas supplied to a demand place. The gas production plant includes: a gas production unit configured to produce the gas; and a gas characteristic identification unit configured to identify a gas characteristic representing a relationship between the sound velocity and a heating value of the gas based on an analysis result of a component of the gas produced by the gas production unit. The center device includes a gas heating value derivation unit configured to derive the heating value of the gas passing through the gas meter based on the derived sound velocity of the gas, and on the gas characteristic identified by the gas characteristic identification unit of the gas production plant.

The present disclosure relates to the thermal liquefaction of lignin, and more particularly to lignin solvolysis of a lignin feedstock (10) or a lignin-based feedstock (10). The process comprises subjecting a feed mixture (30) of lignin feedstock (10) or lignin-based feedstock (10) and solvent (20) to a thermal liquefaction step by heating (110) the feed mixture (30) at a temperature between 300 and 420 C. and at a pressure below 35 bar, wherein the solvent (20) of the feed mixture (30) is a recycled product fraction (61) separated (120) from the obtained liquid product mix (50). The present disclosure further relates to the use of the obtained product(s).

Systems and methods of processing coal to form mesophase pitch include performing a low-severity direct coal liquefaction (LSDCL) process on a coal feedstock to produce a coal tar pitch therefrom. The systems and methods can include contacting coal directly with a catalyst in the presence of a solvent, pressurizing the coal in direct contact with the catalyst in the presence of the solvent to a predetermined pressure of about 1000 psia or less, heating the coal in direct contact with the catalyst in the presence of the solvent to a predetermined temperature of about 380 C. or less, and liquefying the coal to form a coal tar pitch. The coal tar pitch can be thermally treated to a liquid crystal phase exhibiting anisotropic spheres of mesophase and spun to form carbon fibers.

A process for converting biomass to products is described. Biomasss is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a fluidized bed of hydropyrolysis catalyst in a reactor vessel under hydropyrolysis conditions; and products and char are removed from the reactor vessel. The products leave the fluidized bed at an exit bed velocity, the char has a settling velocity that is less than the exit bed velocity and hydropyrolysis catalyst has a settling velocity that is greater than the exit bed velocity.