A system and method for cleaning sulfur and other pollutants from bunker oil to be used for fuel in large cargo ships is described. Preferably, the system includes two or more stages having a mixer to create an emulsion of oil and water. One or more treatment chemicals are added to the water before it is mixed with the oil in order to assist in separating the sulfur from the oil and freeing it up so that it can combine with various other molecules present in the water or be dissolved in the water. The emulsion may pass through a microcavitation chamber as well as an electrolysis reactor chamber in order to further clean the fuel oil by removing additional sulfur content. The clean fuel is sent to a fuel service tank for use in a diesel engine combustion cycle.

A system and method for cleaning sulfur and other pollutants from bunker oil to be used for fuel in large cargo ships is described. Preferably, the system includes two or more stages having a mixer to create an emulsion of oil and water. One or more treatment chemicals are added to the water before it is mixed with the oil in order to assist in separating the sulfur from the oil and freeing it up so that it can combine with various other molecules present in the water or be dissolved in the water. The emulsion may pass through a microcavitation chamber as well as an electrolysis reactor chamber in order to further clean the fuel oil by removing additional sulfur content. The clean fuel is sent to a fuel service tank for use in a diesel engine combustion cycle.

A method for removing alkali metal from a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising alkali metal, non-alkali metal and sulfur. The method includes separating out at least a portion of any alkali metal sulfide and a portion of any non-alkali metal from the hydrocarbon feedstock. Hydrogen sulfide can be added to the remaining hydrocarbon feedstock to form alkali hydrosulfide from any alkali metal remaining in the hydrocarbon feedstock. The alkali hydrosulfide is then separated from the hydrocarbon feedstock. Alkali metal may be removed from the alkali metal sulfide separated out from the hydrocarbon feedstock. Alkali hydrosulfide may be treated to form alkali metal sulfide, and alkali metal may also be removed from the formed alkali metal sulfide.

The present technology provides a method that includes contacting a composition with a caustic solution to produce a caustic-treated composition; combining the caustic-treated composition with silica particles to produce a slurry; and removing the silica particles from the slurry to produce a treated composition; wherein the composition includes one or more of animal fats, animal oils, plant fats, plant oils, vegetable fats, vegetable oils, greases, and used cooking oil and the composition includes: at least about 10 wppm of total metals, at least about 8 wppm of phosphorus, at least about 10 wppm of chlorine, at least about 10 wppm of sulfur, at least about 20 wppm of nitrogen, at least about 5 wt. % of free fatty acids; and has an acid number from about 10 mg KOH/g to about 150 mg KOH/g, and the silica particles has a particle size from about 10 microns to about 50 microns, a BET surface area from about 200 m.sup.2/g to about 1000 m.sup.2/g.

A treatment process for preparing a remediated liquid from a contaminated liquid originally containing more than 5 ppm hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) and substantially without formation of precipitate, includes steps of steps of adding an aqueous solution containing at least one hydroxide compound at a collective concentration of 35-55 wt % to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 125-5000 ppm of the hydroxide compounds in the contaminated liquid, adding a fulvic acid and/or a humic acid to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 0.01-10 ppm of the acid(s) in the contaminated liquid, and dispersing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid in the contaminated liquid and allowing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid to react with the contaminated liquid for a period of time until a concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the contaminated liquid is reduced to ≤5 ppm.

A treatment process for preparing a remediated liquid from a contaminated liquid originally containing more than 5 ppm hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) and substantially without formation of precipitate, includes steps of steps of adding an aqueous solution containing at least one hydroxide compound at a collective concentration of 35-55 wt % to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 125-5000 ppm of the hydroxide compounds in the contaminated liquid, adding a fulvic acid and/or a humic acid to the contaminated liquid to achieve a concentration of 0.01-10 ppm of the acid(s) in the contaminated liquid, and dispersing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid in the contaminated liquid and allowing the aqueous solution and the at least one organic acid to react with the contaminated liquid for a period of time until a concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the contaminated liquid is reduced to ≤5 ppm.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and system for upgrading heavy hydrocarbons. A heavy hydrocarbon feed and a non-saline water feed are introduced to a first stage reactor. The first stage reactor is operated under supercritical water conditions to produce an effluent stream. The effluent stream and a saline water feed are combined to produce a mixed stream, where the saline water feed includes an alkali or alkaline earth metal compound. The mixed stream is introduced to a second stage reactor. The second stage reactor is operated under supercritical water conditions to produce a product stream including upgrading hydrocarbons. The second stage reactor is operated at a temperature less than that of the first stage reactor.

The present technology provides a method that includes contacting a composition with a caustic solution to produce a caustic-treated composition; combining the caustic-treated composition with silica particles to produce a slurry; and removing the silica particles from the slurry to produce a treated composition; wherein the composition includes one or more of animal fats, animal oils, plant fats, plant oils, vegetable fats, vegetable oils, greases, and used cooking oil and the composition includes: at least about 10 wppm of total metals, at least about 8 wppm of phosphorus, at least about 10 wppm of chlorine, at least about 10 wppm of sulfur, at least about 20 wppm of nitrogen, at least about 5 wt. % of free fatty acids; and has an acid number from about 10 mg KOH/g to about 150 mg KOH/g, and the silica particles has a particle size from about 10 microns to about 50 microns, a BET surface area from about 200 m.sup.2/g to about 1000 m.sup.2/g.

In an aspect, a method is disclosed that includes contacting a composition with an aqueous solution to yield a mixture, where the composition includes one or more of animal fats, animal oils, plant fats, plant oils, vegetable fats, vegetable oils, greases, and used cooking oil, about 5 wt. % or more of free fatty acids, about 10 wppm or more of total metals, about 8 wppm or more phosphorus, about 20 wppm or more of nitrogen, and the aqueous solution includes ((NH.sub.4).sub.2H.sub.2EDTA, (NH.sub.4).sub.4EDTA, a monoammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a diammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a triammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a tetraammonium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, (NH.sub.4).sub.5DTPA, a combination of citric acid and Na.sub.4EDTA, a combination of citric acid and Na.sub.2H.sub.2EDTA, a combination of citric acid and a monosodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and a disodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and a trisodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and a tetrasodium salt of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a combination of citric acid and Na.sub.5DTPA, or a combination of any two or more thereof, where the method further includes centrifuging the mixture to yield a first treated composition, wherein the first treated composition has less total metals and less phosphorus than the composition.

A process for treating a hydrocarbon stream to remove polynuclear aromatic (PNA) and heavy polynuclear aromatic (HPNA) compounds includes contacting the hydrocarbon stream with an adsorbent in an adsorption unit to adsorb the PNA and HPNA compounds onto the adsorbent to produce a treated hydrocarbon stream and regenerating the adsorbent. Regenerating the adsorbent may include contacting the adsorbent with a solvent comprising a disulfide oil, such as a disulfide oil effluent from a mercaptan oxidation unit. The solvent comprising the disulfide oil desorbs the PNA and HPNA compounds from the adsorbent into the solvent to produce a desorption effluent. The treated hydrocarbon stream can be passed to a hydrocracking unit that hydrocracks the treated hydrocarbon stream to produce a hydrocracker effluent that includes greater value petrochemical products or intermediates.