In some aspects, the present disclosure provides new nanomaterials which are passivized by the polymerization of an olefin catalyzed by the nanomaterial. In some embodiments, these nanomaterials exhibit increased stability in the ambient atmosphere. In other aspects, the present disclosure provides methods of preparing nanomaterials as well as use of these nanomaterials in a fuel such as a rocket fuel.

Biomass is processed into a slurry (Heavy Biofuel Oil or HBFO) comprising a fuel slurry suitable for low and medium speed diesel engines or other suitable power equipment that is produced by subjecting biomass feedstock to steam explosion processing, washing and separating unwanted materials, micronization to a targeted size, de-ashing with high pressure steam combined with micronization, and separation by means of classification of unwanted materials and a slurrification processes to make the HBFO suitable for use in internal combustion engines, such as diesel engine systems.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems to collect fine particle coal are provided herein. For example, these methods, apparatuses, and systems may be incorporated into a coal processing plant to collect a portion of the fine particle coal that is normally lost in the system. A fine particle coal also is provided. The fine particle coal may have a particle size of 1000 ?m or smaller and a water content of from about 5% to about 20%, by weight.

A fuel element adapted for use in a smoking article is provided, the fuel element including a combustible carbonaceous material in an amount of at least 25% by dry weight, based on the weight of the fuel element, and a particulate ignition aid dispersed throughout the fuel element and selected from ceramic particles, cellulose particles, fullerenes, impregnated activated carbon particles, inorganic salts, and combinations thereof, wherein the average particle size of the ignition aid is less than about 1,000 microns. Also provided are elongate smoking articles having a lighting end and an opposed mouth end, and including the above-noted fuel element configured for ignition of the lighting end.

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 invention relates to an oil-in-water emulsion comprising an oil phase and an aqueous phase, and a primary surfactant, wherein the oil phase is dispersed in the aqueous phase, and wherein the oil-in-water emulsion has: an average droplet size distribution (D[4,3]) in the range of from 3 to 15 m and less than 3 wt % of the droplets have a particle size of greater than 125 m; a viscosity of greater than 100 and up to 700 mPas at 50 C.10% and 20 s.sup.110%; and a static stability of less than 5% residue after centrifugation at 50 C.10% and 2000 g=10% for 30 minutes10%. A process for preparing such an oil-in-water emulsion comprises preparing an aqueous phase comprising a primary surfactant, heating a hydrocarbon-containing oil-phase, and blending the hydrocarbon-containing oil and the aqueous phase under conditions sufficient to form an oil-in-water emulsion. The invention also relates to methods for determining the static and dynamic stability of oil-in-water emulsions. Static stability can be determined by a method comprising the steps of: providing an oil-in-water emulsion; centrifuging the oil-in-water emulsion under predetermined conditions for a predetermined period of time; determining the amount of residue deposited from the oil-in-water emulsion after the predetermined period of time; and determining the oil-in-water emulsion's static stability. A method for determining the dynamic stability of an oil-in-water emulsion comprises the steps of: providing an oil-in-water emulsion; analysing the oil-in-water emulsion at a first time; recirculating the oil-in-water emulsion in a recirculation loop; and analysing the oil-in-water emulsion at second time after recirculation has started; in which the oil-in-water emulsion's dynamic stability is determined based on the analysis at the first and second times.

A method for producing ash-free coal includes: pulverizing a coal in the presence of a protection solvent; heating an extraction solvent; mixing pulverized matter obtained after the pulverizing, with the extraction solvent obtained after the heating; separating a solution containing a coal component dissolved therein, from a slurry obtained after the mixing; and evaporatively separating the protection solvent and the extraction solvent from the solution obtained after the separating.

Provided is a desulfurization process using a combination of a suspension bed and a fixed bed, comprising mixing the desulfurization slurry with a hydrogen sulfide containing gas to obtain a first mixture, and passing the first mixture into a suspension bed reactor from bottom to top, with controlling the first mixture to have a dwell time of 5-60 minutes in the reactor to allow they contact and react sufficiently with each other; subjecting a second mixture obtained by the reaction to gas liquid separation to produce a gas phase, feeding the gas phase into a fixed bed reactor for carrying out a second desulfurization to obtain a purified gas. The process of the present invention may reduce the sulfur content in the hydrogen sulfide containing gas from 2.4-140 g/Nm.sup.3 to 50 ppm or less by using a suspension bed, and further reduce the sulfur content to less than 10 ppm in conjunction with a fixed bed. The invention achieves high efficient desulfurization by combining the suspension bed with the fixed bed connected in series. The process of the present invention is simple and reasonable, with high desulfurization efficiency, simple equipment, little occupation of land and low investment, which is very suitable for industrial promotion.

Provided is an integrated system for wet desulfurization using a suspension bed and regeneration, comprising a suspension bed reactor, a gas liquid separation tank, a flash evaporation tank and an oxidation regeneration tank that are connected in sequence. The integrated system is adapted to reduce the sulfur content in the hydrogen sulfide containing gas from 2.4-140 g/Nm.sup.3 to 50 ppm or less by using a suspension bed, so that the desulfurization efficiency is 98% or more. The present invention is adapted to realize regeneration of a spent desulfurizer by reacting an oxygen-containing gas with the rich solution, and the barren solution may be recycled for being used as the desulfurization slurry, without generating secondary pollution. Therefore, a process using the integrated system is simple and reasonable, with high desulfurization and regeneration efficiency, simple equipment, little occupation of land and low investment, which is very suitable for industrial promotion.

Provided is a renewable wet desulfurization process using a suspension bed, comprising mixing the desulfurization slurry with a hydrogen sulfide containing gas to obtain a first mixture, and passing the first mixture into a suspension bed reactor from bottom to top, with controlling the first mixture to have a dwell time of 5-60 minutes in the suspension bed reactor to allow they contact and react sufficiently with each other; and subjecting a second mixture obtained from the reaction to gas liquid separation to produce a rich solution and a purified gas, subjecting the resulting rich solution to flash evaporation and then reacting with an oxygen-containing gas for carrying out regeneration. The process of the present invention may reduce the hydrogen sulfide content in the hydrogen sulfide containing gas from 2.4-140 g/Nm.sup.3 to 50 ppm or less, so that the desulfurization efficiency is 98% or more. The present invention can achieve regeneration of a spent desulfurizer with a regeneration efficiency as high as 65%-83%, and the barren solution obtained by the regeneration may be recycled for being used as the desulfurization slurry, without generating secondary pollution, which is very suitable for industrial promotion.