We provide a catalytic process to reduce an organic halide in a hydrocarbon, comprising: a. producing the hydrocarbon comprising the organic halide in a process unit; and b. contacting the hydrocarbon comprising the organic halide with a metal chloride under anhydrous conditions in a halide removal vessel to produce a contacted hydrocarbon having from 50-100 wt % of a total halide in the hydrocarbon removed. We also provide an apparatus for performing this process.

This application provides an apparatus for making a hydrocarbon with a reduced amount of an organic halide, comprising: a. a process unit comprising an effluent port, that produces and discharges the hydrocarbon comprising the organic halide; and b. a halide removal vessel with an inlet that feeds the hydrocarbon from the process unit, wherein the halide removal vessel comprises an anhydrous metal chloride and in which the hydrocarbon comprising the organic halide is contacted with the anhydrous metal chloride under anhydrous conditions to produce a contacted hydrocarbon having from 50-100 wt % of a total halide in the hydrocarbon removed.

This application provides an apparatus for making a hydrocarbon with a reduced amount of an organic halide, comprising: a. a process unit comprising an effluent port, that produces and discharges the hydrocarbon comprising the organic halide; and b. a halide removal vessel with an inlet that feeds the hydrocarbon from the process unit, wherein the halide removal vessel comprises an anhydrous metal chloride and in which the hydrocarbon comprising the organic halide is contacted with the anhydrous metal chloride under anhydrous conditions to produce a contacted hydrocarbon having from 50-100 wt % of a total halide in the hydrocarbon removed.

Compounds of biodegradable surfactants useful for optimizing the separation of impurities typical of hydrocarbons, and designed to intervene and stabilize the molecular structure of crude oil, with no significant alterations of the crude's intrinsic composition are disclosed. The biodegradable surfactants compounds coexist with a non-ionic surfactant and an organic mix in emulsion form with the purpose of isolating crude from the pipeline, reduce friction to improve crude flow and to enter the crude macromolecule to modify the hydrocarbon chain to reduce its density and thus its viscosity; including compounds of biodegradable surfactants that comprise sodium hydroxide 1N, potassium chloride, sulphonic acid, dodecanoic acid, nonylphenol, terpene-1 and water, preferably hard water.

A sulfidic complexing agent is disclosed that includes a suspension or a solution formed by a reaction between a water-soluble metal compound and a water-soluble sulfidic compound. The sulfidic complexing agent has a pH of from about 5 to about 11 and a molar ratio of metal to sulfur of from about 0.1 to about 1,000. The sulfidic complexing agent is useful for removing elemental mercury from a hydrocarbon fluid by contacting the hydrocarbon fluid with the sulfidic complexing agent. The molar ratio of sulfur in the sulfidic complexing agent to mercury in the hydrocarbon fluid is from about 50 to about 2,500. Also disclosed is a method for concurrently transporting and removing a trace amount of volatile mercury in a CO.sub.2-containing natural gas stream extracted from a subterranean formation. The natural gas stream is transported in a pipeline into which the sulfidic complexing agent is injected. Also disclosed is a method for capturing gas phase elemental mercury from a gas stream in the overhead section of a crude oil distillation unit by contacting the gas stream with the sulfidic complexing agent in the overhead section of the distillation unit to form a treated gas stream.

A sulfidic complexing agent is disclosed that includes a suspension or a solution formed by a reaction between a water-soluble metal compound and a water-soluble sulfidic compound. The sulfidic complexing agent has a pH of from about 5 to about 11 and a molar ratio of metal to sulfur of from about 0.1 to about 1,000. The sulfidic complexing agent is useful for removing elemental mercury from a hydrocarbon fluid by contacting the hydrocarbon fluid with the sulfidic complexing agent. The molar ratio of sulfur in the sulfidic complexing agent to mercury in the hydrocarbon fluid is from about 50 to about 2,500. Also disclosed is a method for concurrently transporting and removing a trace amount of volatile mercury in a CO.sub.2-containing natural gas stream extracted from a subterranean formation. The natural gas stream is transported in a pipeline into which the sulfidic complexing agent is injected. Also disclosed is a method for capturing gas phase elemental mercury from a gas stream in the overhead section of a crude oil distillation unit by contacting the gas stream with the sulfidic complexing agent in the overhead section of the distillation unit to form a treated gas stream.

Compositions of biodegradable surfactants useful for optimizing the separation of impurities typical of hydrocarbons, and designed to intervene and stabilize the molecular structure of crude oil, with no significant alterations of the crude's intrinsic composition are disclosed. The biodegradable surfactants compositions coexist with a non-ionic surfactant and an organic mix in emulsion form with the purpose of isolating crude from the pipeline, reduce friction to improve crude flow and to enter the crude macromolecule to modify the hydrocarbon chain to reduce its density and thus its viscosity; including compositions of biodegradable surfactants that comprise sodium hydroxide 1N, potassium chloride, sulphonic acid, dodecanoic acid, nonylphenol, terpene-1 and water, preferably hard water.

Compositions of biodegradable surfactants useful for optimizing the separation of impurities typical of hydrocarbons, and designed to intervene and stabilize the molecular structure of crude oil, with no significant alterations of the crude's intrinsic composition are disclosed. The biodegradable surfactants compositions coexist with a non-ionic surfactant and an organic mix in emulsion form with the purpose of isolating crude from the pipeline, reduce friction to improve crude flow and to enter the crude macromolecule to modify the hydrocarbon chain to reduce its density and thus its viscosity; including compositions of biodegradable surfactants that comprise sodium hydroxide 1N, potassium chloride, sulphonic acid, dodecanoic acid, nonylphenol, terpene-1 and water, preferably hard water.