A process for preparing methanol by a methanol synthesis reaction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen may involve a distillation step and a condensation step following the synthesis of a crude methanol. A volatile component and water may be separated off from a methanol-containing product stream, and a gas stream containing a volatile component that has been separated off may be discharged at least partially as offgas. At least part of the gas stream that has been separated off may be recirculated into the methanol synthesis reaction. A plant for preparing methanol can store or utilize electric power generated from renewable energy sources and provide facilities for discharging the offgas stream, which can be purified by catalytic after-combustion. Alternatively, the plant can be configured without discharge of an offgas substream, or the offgas streams are so small that they can be released without treatment into the environment at a suitable position.

At least some VOCs are removed from a feed gas in an adsorption unit comprising at least three adsorbers following a pressure cycle with a phase shift, wherein the feed gas comprises at least methane, carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The VOC depleted gas is fed to at least one membrane separation to produce a carbon dioxide-enriched permeate and a methane-enriched retentate. The flow of the feed gas stream is adjusted based upon one or both of a pressure or methane concentration of the gas stream entering the membrane separation unit and/or a pressure in the adsorption unit.

A hydrate formation promoter and the use thereof in methane storage. The hydrate formation promoter is a mixed aqueous solution including cyclopentane, sodium dodecyl sulfate and water, wherein a volume fraction of the cyclopentane is 5% to 23.4% and a mass fraction of the sodium dodecyl sulfate is 0.01% to 0.08%. The hydrate formation promoter can realize effective and rapid formation of methane hydrate at approximate room temperature (25° C.), and can remain stable at higher temperatures.

A system for recovering natural gas liquid from a gas source, comprising compression means (206) for increasing the temperature and pressure of the fluid from the gas source, cooling means (230) for cooling the fluid from the compression means, a gas/gas heat exchanger (204), fluid from the gas source flowing from a first inlet to a first outlet; at least one separator (208) for receiving the fluid from the first outlet of the gas/gas heat exchanger (204) and separating liquid from the gas, the gas from the separator being directed to expansion means (206) for reducing the temperature and pressure of the gas, the aqueous part of the liquid from the separator and/or the gas from the expansion means being directed to the gas/gas heat exchanger (204) where it flows therethrough from a second inlet to a second outlet for cooling the fluid flowing between the first inlet and first outlet, wherein injection means are provided between the cooling means and the gas/gas heat exchanger for saturating the gas with a liquid agent, wherein the liquid agent comprises an evaporant and an antifreeze agent; and a recovery vessel (240) is provided downstream of the second outlet, the antifreeze agent being recovered therein for injection into the fluid from the gas source upstream of the first inlet.

The device (100) for hybrid production of synthetic dihydrogen and/or synthetic methane comprises: an inlet (105) for a synthesis gas stream preferably comprising at least CO and H.sub.2, a catalytic conversion reactor (110), the following alternative configurations: a first configuration in which the operating conditions of the reactor promote a Sabatier reaction, so as to produce an outlet gas comprising mainly methane, or a second configuration in which the operating conditions of the reactor promote a water gas shift reaction, so as to produce an outlet gas comprising mainly dihydrogen; an outlet (115) for synthetic dihydrogen and/or synthetic methane and a control system (120) comprising a means (121) for selecting a configuration for operating the reactor and a control means (122) according to the selected configuration, the reactor being configured to operate according to a command.

A device for separating a gas stream which has a compressor and three membrane separation units in series, connected to pass the retentate stream of each of the first two units to the subsequent membrane separation unit, comprises conduits for recycling the permeate streams of the second and the third membrane separation unit to upstream of the compressor and a control device controlling the fraction of the second permeate stream which is recycled. Adjusting which fraction of the second permeate is recycled can be used to maintain a target composition of the retentate obtained in the third membrane separation unit when the flow rate or the composition of the gas stream changes.

Embodiments of the present invention may provide managing waste including providing non-sorted solid waste (1), processing non-sorted solid waste in a waste handling system (21), shredding (26) non-sorted solid waste to create shredded non-sorted solid waste (27) in a waste handling system; introducing shredded non-sorted solid waste into a thermochemical conversion reactor (4); heating and even chemically converting a shredded non-sorted solid waste; producing hydrochar (22) and a recyclable materials fraction (23); recycling water (24) used in the heating and chemically processing of the shredded non-sorted solid waste in a thermochemical conversion reactor in said waste handling system; sorting (25) the recyclable materials fraction; fueling (28) a thermochemical conversion reactor with hydrochar (22); and perhaps even recycling heat from a thermochemical conversion reactor in the waste handling system.

The invention relates to a system, method and apparatus for removing heavies from natural gas. Natural gas and an external rich reflux gas feed are processed in a single column refluxed absorber. A bottoms stream is routed to a first heat exchanger and then to a stabilizer column where an overhead stream from the stabilizer column is routed through a condenser for partial separation into an overhead stream. A rich solvent may be introduced to the stabilizer column. The overhead stream is routed through a condenser for partial separation into a stabilizer reflux and a second overhead stream lights. The second overhead stream lights is routed to a heat exchanger and then routed to a partial condenser where the stream is separated into a heavies rich reflux stream, a distillate stream and heavies treated natural gas stream. The rich reflux is routed through a heat exchanger and the rich reflux is pumped to the single column refluxed absorber to be introduced into the single column refluxed absorber as the external rich reflux gas feed.

A method for processing lignocellulose materials comprising the steps of hydrothermal treatment of the material with saturated or superheated steam in a hydrothermal pressure vessel, wherein the steam is provided by means of a steam boiler. The treatment is performed at a pressure of 5-30 bars, and at a temperature of 160-240° C. for a duration of 1-20 minutes. The method further comprises discharging hydrothermally treated lignocellulose material and steam from the pressure vessel by means of rapid pressure reduction, separating the steam and vapours released from the lignocellulose material, and burning the vapours together with additional fuel and combustion air in the furnace of said steam boiler. Furthermore, a corresponding system is provided.

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for processing liquefied natural gas (LNG). In one implementation, a solvent is injected into a feed of natural gas at a solvent injection point. A mixed feed is produced from a dispersal of the solvent into the feed of natural gas. The mixed feed contains heavy components. A chilled feed is produced by chilling the mixed feed. The chilled feed includes a vapor and a condensed liquid. The condensed liquid contains a fouling portion of the heavy components condensed by the solvent during chilling. The liquid containing the fouling portion of the heavy components is separated from the vapor. The vapor is directed into a feed chiller heat exchanger following separation of the liquid containing the fouling portion of the heavy components from the vapor, such that the vapor being directed into feed chiller heat exchanger is free of freezing components.