A continuous pyrolysis system including a pyrolysis chamber, a heating chamber, a feeding chamber having a pressure input, an output coupled to the pyrolysis chamber, and a feeding opening opened to ambient atmosphere, a flame injector injecting ambient air and combustible material into the heating chamber, a pumping device with an input coupled to the heating chamber, and an output coupled to the pressure input of the feeding chamber, a O.sub.2 sensor within the heating chamber, and/or a pressure transducer within the feeding chamber, and a controller coupled to the O.sub.2 sensor, the pressure transducer, the flame injector, and the pumping device, for controlling the flame injector to inject ambient air and/or combustible material to maintain within the heating chamber O.sub.2 concentration between 8% and 10%, and/or for controlling the pumping device to maintain pressure in the feeding chamber above ambient pressure.

A method is disclosed of producing hydrocarbons from a recycled or renewable organic material, wherein the recycled or renewable organic material contains from 5 to 30 wt-% oxygen as organic oxy-gen compounds and from 1 to 1000 ppm phosphorous as phosphorous compounds. Exemplary methods include (a) providing the recycled or renewable organic material (c) thermally cracking the recycled or renewable organic material thereby reducing the oxygen and phosphorous content of the recycled or renewable organic material to obtain (i) a vapor fraction containing a major part of volatiles, and (ii) a thermally cracked recycled or renewable organic material fraction containing less oxygen and less phosphorous than the recycled or renewable organic material provided in step (a); and (f) hydrotreating the thermally cracked recycled or renewable organic material fraction in a presence of a hydrotreating catalyst; to obtain hydrocarbons containing less than 1 wt % oxygen and less phosphorous than the recycled or re-newable organic material provided in step (a).

A method is disclosed of producing hydrocarbons from a recycled or renewable organic material, wherein the recycled or renewable organic material contains from 5 to 30 wt-% oxygen as organic oxy-gen compounds and from 1 to 1000 ppm phosphorous as phosphorous compounds. Exemplary methods include (a) providing the recycled or renewable organic material (c) thermally cracking the recycled or renewable organic material thereby reducing the oxygen and phosphorous content of the recycled or renewable organic material to obtain (i) a vapor fraction containing a major part of volatiles, and (ii) a thermally cracked recycled or renewable organic material fraction containing less oxygen and less phosphorous than the recycled or renewable organic material provided in step (a); and (f) hydrotreating the thermally cracked recycled or renewable organic material fraction in a presence of a hydrotreating catalyst; to obtain hydrocarbons containing less than 1 wt % oxygen and less phosphorous than the recycled or re-newable organic material provided in step (a).

Disclosed are extraction solvents used in compositions and methods to refine synthetic feedstocks derived from plastic. Methods of refining plastic-derived synthetic feedstocks are also provided. For example, a method of refining a plastic-derived synthetic feedstock composition may include adding an extraction solvent to a synthetic feedstock composition derived from plastic pyrolyis to provide an extract phase and a raffinate phase, wherein the extraction solvent includes a polar organic extraction solvent immiscible in the synthetic feedstock. The methods may also include separating the raffinate phase from the extract phase to obtain a refined synthetic feedstock.

Disclosed are extraction solvents used in compositions and methods to refine synthetic feedstocks derived from plastic. Methods of refining plastic-derived synthetic feedstocks are also provided. For example, a method of refining a plastic-derived synthetic feedstock composition may include adding an extraction solvent to a synthetic feedstock composition derived from plastic pyrolyis to provide an extract phase and a raffinate phase, wherein the extraction solvent includes a polar organic extraction solvent immiscible in the synthetic feedstock. The methods may also include separating the raffinate phase from the extract phase to obtain a refined synthetic feedstock.

The invention is directed to a process to prepare a gas oil product from a carbonaceous particles of a biomass source comprising the following steps: (a) pyrolysis of the carbonaceous particles to a gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons in the absence of oxygen, (b) quenching the gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons by contacting with a liquid quench mixture of hydrocarbons having a lower temperature than the gaseous mixture thereby obtaining a rich liquid quench mixture and a quenched gas, and (c) isolating from the quenched gas a gas oil product by means of vacuum distillation, wherein the liquid gas oil is partly supplied to the top of the vacuum distillation column as a distillation reflux, partly used as part of the liquid quench mixture in (b) and partly discharged as the gas oil product.

The invention is directed to a process to prepare a gas oil product from a carbonaceous particles of a biomass source comprising the following steps: (a) pyrolysis of the carbonaceous particles to a gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons in the absence of oxygen, (b) quenching the gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons by contacting with a liquid quench mixture of hydrocarbons having a lower temperature than the gaseous mixture thereby obtaining a rich liquid quench mixture and a quenched gas, and (c) isolating from the quenched gas a gas oil product by means of vacuum distillation, wherein the liquid gas oil is partly supplied to the top of the vacuum distillation column as a distillation reflux, partly used as part of the liquid quench mixture in (b) and partly discharged as the gas oil product.

A distillation system including a retort and a distillation column. The retort includes an inlet end, an outlet end opposite the inlet end and including an outlet opening, a rotatable drum configured to heat a product therein and move the product between the inlet end and the outlet end. The distillation column is coupled to the outlet end of the retort and configured to receive the product therein upon exiting the outlet opening of the retort. The distillation column includes a solid particle trap section positioned above the outlet opening, a packing section positioned above the solid particle trap section and including screen at a bottom end thereof, a dust filter therein, and a first bubble tray section positioned above the packing section and including a first outlet feed for outflow of a first fluid product.

A distillation system including a retort and a distillation column. The retort includes an inlet end, an outlet end opposite the inlet end and including an outlet opening, a rotatable drum configured to heat a product therein and move the product between the inlet end and the outlet end. The distillation column is coupled to the outlet end of the retort and configured to receive the product therein upon exiting the outlet opening of the retort. The distillation column includes a solid particle trap section positioned above the outlet opening, a packing section positioned above the solid particle trap section and including screen at a bottom end thereof, a dust filter therein, and a first bubble tray section positioned above the packing section and including a first outlet feed for outflow of a first fluid product.

Electric-powered, closed-loop, continuous-feed, endothermic energy-conversion systems and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the presently disclosed energy-conversion system includes a shaftless auger. In another embodiment, the presently disclosed energy-conversion system includes a drag conveyor. In yet another embodiment, the presently disclosed energy-conversion system includes a distillation and/or fractionating stage. The endothermic energy-conversion systems and methods feature mechanisms for natural resource recovery, refining, and recycling, such as secondary recovery of metals, minerals, nutrients, and/or carbon char.