A system and method for torrefying a combination of biomass and biochar colloidal dispersion is provided.

The invention provides a method for generating a solid wood-based material and a hemicellulose-derived material from a wood raw material. The method includes treating the wood raw material under aqueous conditions at elevated temperature and pressure to generate a hemicellulose-containing fluid component and a solid component; separating the fluid component from the solid component; processing at least a part of the solid component into a solid wood-based material; and processing the liquid component into a hemicellulose-derived material. The invention also provides for a wood-derived fuel with a low ash content.

In a method of producing a hydrocarbon-based synthetic fuel by adding water to a base oil, it is intended to increase a ratio of the synthetic fuel to a hydrocarbon-based fuel as the base oil, more significantly than ever before. Specifically, provided is a method of producing a hydrocarbon-based synthetic fuel oil having a volume greater than that of a hydrocarbon-based base fuel oil, by adding water to the hydrocarbon-based base fuel oil, wherein a first-order hydrocarbon-based synthetic fuel oil produced by the production method is used as a base fuel oil for producing a second-order hydrocarbon-based synthetic fuel oil, or this process is repeated plural times in sequence, thereby producing a hydrocarbon-based synthetic fuel having a high water addition rate.

To provide a lubricating oil additive, a lubricating oil, a grease composition, a fuel oil additive, a fuel oil, and an oil sludge suppression method, which are capable of effectively suppressing oil sludge in the lubricating oil. The lubricating oil additive for suppressing oil sludge contains titanium dioxide particles as an active ingredient.

A method for upgrading coal fines by separating out at least some mineral components is provided. The method comprises the treatment of optionally graded coal fines with microalgae in aqueous medium to form a slurry under conditions that permit adsorption of microalgae onto particles of coal fines. The slurry is treated to separate a first fraction that is rich in coal fines together with adsorbed microalgae thereon from a second fraction that has more mineral components in it than does the first fraction and processing the first fraction to recover upgraded coal fines therefrom. Contacting is preferably carried out in a manner aimed at loading the coal fines generally evenly with microalgae adsorbed thereon in an amount of from 5 to 15% by weight of coal fines. Separation may be carried out by sedimentation, cyclone separation or flotation.

Provided herein are various gas-filled particles having a stimuli-responsive shell encapsulating the gas. The stimuli-responsive shell comprises one or more release triggers. Compositions for medical or non-medical applications, methods of use and treatment, and methods of preparation are also described.

A method of preparing agglomerates of ultra-fine coal particles includes mixing a film forming agglomeration aid (FFAA) with a quantity of ultra-fine coal particles to form ultra-fine coal particles coated with the FFAA. The FFAA has a lower surface energy relative to a surface of the ultra-fine coal particles. The FFAA is mixed with the ultra-fine coal particles in an amount less than 3% by weight of the ultra-fine coal particles on a dry basis. Agglomerates of the ultra-fine coal particles coated with the film forming agglomeration aid are formed using vibration, pelleting, and/or briquetting. The agglomerates have a size of at least 2 mm. The ultra-fine coal particles have a particle size less than 100 m. The agglomerate has a tumbler test friability less than 3%. The drop shatter friability is also less than 3%.

The present embodiments describe a method to reduce vanadium corrosion in a gas turbine by adding an oleophilic corrosion inhibitor into a combustion fuel, in which the oleophilic corrosion inhibitor comprises carbon black support particles and magnesium bonded to the carbon black support particles. The carbon black support particles comprise a particle size less than 40 nanometer (nm), and oxygen content less than 1 weight percent (wt %), and a surface area of at least 50 square meters per gram (m.sup.2/gram).

A nanostructure includes a plurality of substantially spherically curved carbon layers having diameters in a range of 1 nanometer to 1000 nanometers and a plurality of halogen atoms attached to an outer convex side of the carbon layers. A composition of matter includes a liquid fuel and an additive including at least one liquid and a plurality of carbon nano-onions. A method of fabricating an additive for liquid fuel includes creating a carbon-based material using a plasma in an environment including at least one hydrocarbon gas and/or at least one liquid containing hydrocarbons, organometallic metal-complex, and/or element-organic compounds, evaporating organic material from the carbon-based material, halogenating the carbon-based material, and extracting carbon nano-onions from the halogenated carbon-based material.

Fuel briquettes based on carbon-containing materials, such as fuel briquettes for household use for heating of living and housekeeping spaces, glass-covered and film-covered greenhouses, especially in those geographic regions where no natural fuels like firewood, coal or turf are available. The fuel briquettes may also be used in chimney fireplaces, portable stoves, boilers, grills and braziers, for heating of railway carriages and accommodation cabins for labor and military personnel. A new binder, namely, Sosnowsky's hogweed, is used, providing environmental improvement and termination of weed infestation of fertile soils due to expansion of Sosnowsky's hogweed. The technical effects are attained by a fuel briquette containing a premix of ground carbon-containing filler and a biomass of ground plants of Sosnowsky's hogweed (e.g., entire plants including leaves, stems, roots and umbels) used as a binder. The briquette is compressed to remove liquid content and then dried.