A coal combustion process is described using coal feedstock and processed biomass feedstock to reduce adverse by-products in a coal combusting apparatus including the reduction of carbon dioxide by at least 50 volume %. The coal feedstock is selected from coal, a coal substitute processed biomass, or an aggregate blend of coal and processed biomass. The biomass feedstock comprises processed biomass pellets.

Materials such as biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) and hydrocarbon-containing materials are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, or oil sands, oil shale, tar sands, bitumen, and coal to produce altered materials such as fuels (e.g., ethanol and/or butanol). The processing includes exposing the materials to an ion beam.

A processed biomass/coal blended compact aggregate composition made with a blending sub-system from a processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock made with a beneficiation sub-system and low energy coal is described. Renewable biomass feedstock passed through a beneficiation sub-system to produce a processed biomass with an energy density of at least 17 MMBTU/ton (19 GJ/MT), a water content of below at least 20 wt % and an intracellular water-soluble salt that is at least 60% below that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock on a dry basis. Low energy un-cleaned coal is sized and passed through a coal cleaning sub-system to result in cleaned low energy coal having an energy density of less than 21 MMBTU/ton (24 GJ/MT) and a content of sulfur that is at least 50 wt % below that of the content of sulfur in the coal before it passed through the coal cleaning sub-system. The processed feedstock is sized and blended with the cleaned low energy coal in a blending sub-system to form a blended aggregate that comprises at least 10 wt % of the cleaned low energy coal and at least 10 wt % of the processed biomass.

Disclosed is a method for running natural gas powered stationary combustion systems, such as an internal combustion engine, a furnace, a fired heater, a power plant, an incinerator, and the like. In one embodiment of the present method, ethane and heavier hydrocarbons or propane and heavier hydrocarbons (29) are removed (90) from a natural gas feedstream (3) to provide the methane-rich natural gas stream (5) used to fuel the stationary combustion system (100). One embodiment of this method provides for the use of a regenerable adsorbent media to remove the higher hydrocarbons which is regenerated by a microwave heating system. Said regeneration step may be operated as a batch process, a semi-continuous process, or a continuous process.

Process for preventing the formation of hydrates in fluids containing gas or gas condensate, which comprises subjecting said fluids to electromagnetic waves operating in the visible and infrared spectrum region, comprised in the ? band from equal to greater than 500 nm to less than 1 mm (from greater than 300 GHz to less than or equal to 600 THz), reducing or preventing the formation of hydrates.

The present invention provides a method of incorporating a gaseous hydrocarbon into a liquid hydrocarbon. The method comprises steps of exposing a gaseous hydrocarbon to non-thermal plasma generated using a reduced electric field with an E/N ratio in a range of from about 10 to about 30 Td to activate the gaseous hydrocarbon, and contacting the activated gaseous hydrocarbon with the liquid hydrocarbon to incorporate the gaseous hydrocarbon into the liquid hydrocarbon. The method provides the advantages of low energy consumption and relatively low capital expenditure.

A process for producing a substitute natural gas, the process comprising the steps of: (1) providing a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide; (2) forming a hydrogen-enriched synthesis gas; (3) subjecting the hydrogen-enriched synthesis gas to a methanation reaction to convert at least a portion of the gas into methane thereby forming a methane-enriched gas; and (4) recovering from the methane-enriched gas a methane-containing gas,

wherein step (2) comprises providing a hydrogen gas and combining the hydrogen gas with the synthesis gas.

Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, to produce ethanol and/or butanol, e.g., by fermentation.

The present invention relates to a bio-char producing system comprising: a preheating-warming tank for preheating a water-containing organic raw material including food waste; a carbonization reactor for carbonizing, by a hydrothermal carbonization method, the water-containing organic raw material heated at the preheating-warming tank; and an indirect heater provided inside and outside the carbonization reactor to indirectly heat the carbonization reactor through a heating pipe where a heated insulating oil flows inside.

Materials such as biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, and municipal waste biomass) and hydrocarbon-containing materials are processed to produce useful products, such as fuels. For example, systems are described that can use feedstock materials, such as cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic materials and/or starchy materials, or oil sands, oil shale, tar sands, bitumen, and coal to produce altered materials such as fuels (e.g., ethanol and/or butanol). The processing includes exposing the materials to an ion beam.