A system for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds, such as crude oil, include a hydrotreating unit, a hydrotreated effluent separation system, a solvent-assisted adsorption system, and a hydrocracking unit. Processes for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds include hydrotreating the hydrocarbon feed to produce a hydrotreated effluent that includes asphaltenes, separating the hydrotreated effluent into a lesser boiling hydrotreated effluent and a greater boiling hydrotreated effluent comprising the asphaltenes, combining the greater boiling hydrotreated effluent with a light paraffin solvent to produce a combined stream, adsorbing the asphaltenes from the combined stream to produce an adsorption effluent, and hydrocracking the lesser boiling hydrotreated effluent and at least a portion of the adsorption effluent to produce a hydrocracked effluent with hydrocarbons boiling less than 180° C. The systems and processes increase the hydrocarbon conversion and yield of hydrocarbons boiling less than 180° C.

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.

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.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a process for treating a hydrocarbon feedstream having nitrogen-containing compounds and polynuclear aromatic compounds includes contacting the hydrocarbon feedstream with an adsorbent material; introducing the adsorbent-treated hydrocarbon feedstream to a hydrocracking reaction unit to produce a hydrocracked effluent stream; introducing a naphtha stream to a catalytic reforming unit to produce a reformate stream; introducing the reformate stream to an aromatic recovery complex to produce a light reformate stream, a BTX stream, and an aromatic bottoms stream; and introducing the aromatic bottoms stream to the used adsorbent to release at least a portion of the nitrogen-containing compounds and polynuclear compounds.

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 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.

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.

Methods for separation of oxygenates or other chemical components from fuels using chemical processes and separations including, but not limited to, onboard applications in vehicles. These separations may take place using a variety of materials and substances whereby a target material of interest is captured, held, and then released at a desired location and under desired conditions. In one set of experiments we demonstrated an enhancement in the separation of diaromatics by >38 times over gasoline and aromatics by >3.5 times over gasoline. This would give an advantage to reducing cold-start emissions, or emissions during transient conditions, in either gasoline or diesel.