A substantially solid brick of non-volatile bituminous material has a shape that is defined by an irregular outer surface to minimize surface contact with nearby bricks when shipped in bulk. The overall shape is preferably that of a modified tetrahedron having three non-planar face surfaces, a top surface, and a surface or point. Both the top and bottom surfaces are preferably modified domed shapes comprised of several sections. The face sections are preferably modified concave surfaces comprised of several triangular sections that can be planar, concave, or convex. Curved edges connect the face sections to each other and can include several planar edge sections. The bituminous material can include additives, and the brick can further include a skeleton distributed throughout. The skeleton can be a customizable matrix, framework of fiber groups, or other structure and can include customizable buoyant features such as air pockets or capsules.

A method of preparing non-volatile bituminous material in solid form includes first accessing molds having mold cavities defining an irregularly shaped brick having a plurality of non-planar surfaces and preparing the bituminous material for casting by heating it until it is suitably viscous for casting and optionally blending it with an additive. Then, the molds can be filled with the bituminous materials, preferably using a retractable conduit that progressively fills each mold cavity from its bottom to its top. Next, the bituminous material in the molds is solidified until substantially solid bricks are formed. Optionally, a skeleton with optional additional buoyant features can be placed in each mold cavity prior to casting so that the resulting brick has increased buoyancy throughout, and the skeleton and any buoyant features can be customized according to the needs of the customer. The resulting bricks can be removed for transport.

A receiver for irregularly shaped bricks cast from non-volatile bituminous material includes a receiver with a specialized storage chamber that can receive viscous bituminous material and a concave lid preferably modified with a radiant heating system that can accept and melt or soften arriving bricks. The lid includes multiple openings or other delivery routes that funnel the melted bituminous material to the chamber below. The radiant heating system can be electrical where cables or grids are embedded in the lid or where conductive materials coat or are distributed throughout the lid. Alternatively, the radiant heating system can be hydronic where channels or conduits are embedded in the lid to circulate heated liquid such as water or water mixed with propylene glycol. The receiver can also include blenders, skimmers, and additional heaters to further skim, blend, or process the bituminous material collected in the chamber.

Described herein are associative polymers capable of controlling a physical and/or chemical property of non-polar compositions that can be used when the non-polar composition is in a flow, and related compositions, methods and systems. Associative polymers herein described have a non-polar backbone with a longest span having a molecular weight that remains substantially unchanged under the flow conditions and functional groups presented at ends of the non-polar backbone, with a number of the functional groups presented at the ends of the non-polar backbone formed by associative functional groups capable of undergoing an associative interaction with another associative functional group with an association constant (k) such that the strength of each associative interaction is less than the strength of a covalent bond between atoms and in particular less than the strength of a covalent bond between backbone atoms.

The present invention relates to the use of a fuel composition comprising at least 85% by weight of one or more hydrocarbon fractions consisting of one or more hydrotreated vegetable oils, said fraction(s) having a distillation range between 100 and 400° C. and having a paraffin content greater than or equal to 90% by weight, for reducing the deposits present in the internal parts of a compression ignition engine (or diesel engine). The present invention also relates to a method for cleaning the deposits present in the internal parts of a compression ignition engine using such a composition.

Provided herein are polyimide dispersants, as well as methods for producing polyimide dispersants. The polyimides can be defined by the formula below ##STR00001##
wherein A, individually for each occurrence, represents a cyclic diimide moiety represented by the structure below ##STR00002##
where B represents a cyclic moiety substituted with a first cyclic imide group and a second cyclic imide group; Y, individually for each occurrence, represents a bivalent linking group; L, individually for each occurrence, is absent or represents a cyclic imide group; R, individually for each occurrence, represents a polymeric tail; and n is an integer from 1 to 20.

The use of at least one wax anti-settling additive, optionally in combination with one or more further additives, to reduce the filter blocking tendency of a fuel composition having a tendency to block filters, wherein the fuel composition comprises a renewable diesel component and a biodiesel component.

A low value aromatic fuel blending composition containing dissolved waste polystyrene materials having a caloric value comparable to the heavy aromatic compounds in which it is dissolved is disclosed, along with a process for its production from a mixture of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons recovered as the bottoms/reject streams from a variety of refinery aromatics recovery units.

A method of wet coal processing for electrical power generation comprises the providing a stream of a wet coal mix for an electrical power generation system having a boiler, such as metering coal product onto a conveyor; measuring the amount of moisture of the wet coal mix in the stream, such as with a moisture sensor on the conveyor; determining an amount of drying material to be added to the wet coal mix; adding the determined amount of drying material, such as one or more super absorbent polymers, added to the wet coal mix; Milling the treated wet coal mix; Transporting the milled treated wet coal mix to the boiler of the electrical power generation system for combustion. The method may utilize treated coal wash residual product and teaches a process for treating coal wash residual product.

The present invention relates to a method for producing agglomerates from a feedstock comprising at least one biomass stream, the method comprising the steps of: combining the feedstock with one or more binding reagents; and introducing the feedstock into an agglomeration apparatus in the presence of a polymerisation activator to produce the agglomerates.