The present invention relates to a process for preparing fuel-in-water emulsions from oil refining residues, in both continuously or in batches, by adding an emulsifying agent to disperse the residual oil in water and facilitate its transportation. This process does not require the use of chemical substances like stabilizers or diluents for its preparation. The vacuum residue is not limited to specific characteristics and the water used, can be distilled, tap water or saltwater (seawater). The process requires low concentration of a non-ionic surfactant; and the emulsions obtained have proportions from 70 to 90% by weight of refining residues, 10 to 30% by weight of water and from 0.1 to 1% by weight of surfactant. The fuel-in-water emulsion is produced from oil refining residues, such as residues of atmospheric and vacuum distillation, heavy fuel oils and similar, and it is formed from 70 to 90% by weight of refining residues, 10 to 30% by weight of water and from 0.1 to 1% by weight of non-ionic surfactant. This fuel is efficient to its burned, because the fuel oil droplets have the best size to be completely burned into the flame, which has a favorable effect to reduce the unburned particle emissions. In addition, the emulsified fuel remains stable for an enough period for its storage and subsequent injection to the combustion equipment.

A liquid concentrate comprising essentially: (A) 0.1 to 10 wt. % of one or more amphoteric emulsifying agents; (B) 30 to 95 wt. % of one or more nonionic alkoxylated surfactants; (C) 0 to 20 wt. % of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and (D) 0 to 65 wt. % of one or more organic solvents;
wherein component (B) comprises a mixture of C.sub.6-C.sub.15-alkanol ethoxylates with different carbon numbers for the alkanol unit species, the carbon numbers for the two C.sub.6-C.sub.15-alkanol ethoxylates which have the highest share in weight in the mixture being at least 1.5 carbon numbers distant from each other, is useful for reducing or eliminating the formation in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel of ice particles having a weight average particle size greater than 1 m when said liquid hydrocarbon fuel is cooled to temperatures in the range of from 0 to 50 C.

A biomass fuel slurry includes a mixture of a biomass material and a plastic material suspended in water. In other embodiments, the biomass fuel slurry also includes coal. A method of making a biomass fuel slurry includes the steps of encapsulating a biomass material with a plastic material to produce a plastic encapsulated biomass material and suspending the plastic encapsulated biomass material in water.

A process for producing combustible product from an organic or biomass feedstock, the process comprising: mixing the feedstock with an alkaline material to give an alkaline aqueous mixture; heating the mixture by ohmic heating to a temperature in the range of about 280 C. to about 320 C. and reacting the mixture under subcritical conditions at the said temperature range and a pressure of about 6.6 to about 11.6 MPa (65 bar gauge to about 115 bar gauge); and removing at least some of the water to leave a combustible product, which may be used to form an aqueous slurry, suspension or emulsion and combusted in a suitable engine.

An emulsifying dispersant includes, as the main component, vesicles formed from an amphiphilic substance capable of self-assembly or an emulsifying dispersant comprising single particles of a biopolymer as the main component. The particles made from amphiphilic substances capable of self-assembly are used. The amphiphilic substances are selected from among polyoxyethylene-hydrogenated castor oil derivatives wherein the average number of added ethylene oxide molecule is 5 to 15, dialkyldimethyl-ammonium halides wherein the chain length of the alkyl or alkenyl is 8 to 22, and phospholipids or phospholipid derivatives. According to the invention a three-phase structure composed of an aqueous phase, an emulsifying dispersant phase and an oil phase is formed on the surface of an emulsion to give an emulsion (such as emulsion fuel) excellent in thermal stability and long-term stability.

Methods and systems for manufacturing emulsified fuel include: adding surfactant to fuel; blending the surfactant and fuel together in a first mixing chamber for a first mixing period; subjecting the blended surfactant and fuel mixture to a dwell period following the first mixing period; introducing water into the blended surfactant and fuel mixture following the dwell period; and blending the surfactant, fuel and water together in a second mixing chamber for a second mixing period. The surfactant is selected to exhibit an HLB rating in the range of 8.75 to 8.83.

A liquid concentrate comprising essentially: (A) 0.1 to 10 wt. % of one or more amphoteric emulsifying agents; (B) 30 to 95 wt. % of one or more nonionic alkoxylated surfactants; (C) 0 to 20 wt. % of one or more glycol-based solubilizers; and (D) 0 to 65 wt. % of one or more organic solvents;

wherein component (B) comprises a mixture of C.sub.6-C.sub.15-alkanol ethoxylates with different carbon numbers for the alkanol unit species, the carbon numbers for the two C.sub.6-C.sub.15-alkanol ethoxylates which have the highest share in weight in the mixture being at least 1.5 carbon numbers distant from each other, is useful for reducing or eliminating the formation in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel of ice particles having a weight average particle size greater than 1 m when said liquid hydrocarbon fuel is cooled to temperatures in the range of from 0 to 50 C.

It has been discovered that contaminants such as metals and/or amines can be transferred from a hydrocarbon phase to a water phase in an emulsion breaking process by using a composition that contains water-soluble C5-C12 polyhydroxy carboxylic acids, ammonium salts thereof, alkali metal salts thereof, and mixtures of all of these. The composition may also optionally include a mineral acid to reduce the pH of the desalter wash water. The method permits transfer of metals and/or amines into the aqueous phase with little or no hydrocarbon phase under-carry into the aqueous phase. Resolving the emulsion into the hydrocarbon phase and the aqueous phase occurs in a refinery desalting process using electrostatic coalescence. The composition is particularly useful in treating crude oil emulsions, and in removing calcium and other metals therefrom. The polyhydroxy carboxylic acid additionally inhibits metal corrosion of metal pipe or other equipment used in a crude unit.

What is proposed is an emulsifying system with an emulsifying device and an injection nozzle as well as an emulsifying device for producing a water-fuel emulsion for an internal combustion engine, wherein the emulsifying device is embodied as a rotor-stator emulsifying device and/or fluid flow machine and/or is connected or connectable directly to an injection nozzle. The emulsifying device has a housing and a shaft, the shaft being drivable in a contactless manner, the housing having a guide apparatus having a plurality of guide channels for guiding the flow, and/or the housing being made at least partially from fiber composite material. Moreover, an emulsifying method for producing a water-fuel emulsion is proposed in which water and fuel are fed to a rotor-stator emulsifying device and/or fluid flow machine for producing the water-fuel emulsion, and/or in which water and fuel are premixed in a first emulsifying stage and fed via a guide apparatus having a plurality of guide channels to a second emulsifying stage.

There is described a hydro-fuel composition of a water solution containing hydrogen, wherein the water solution has less than 1000 ppm total dissolved solids, and an oxidation reduction potential of less than 250 milliVolts. The hydro-fuel composition can be used in a diesel engine after the temperature of the diesel engine reaches a temperature of 80 C. to 90 C.