Proposed is a method of emulsifying fuel oil and a desulfurization agent. The method includes (a) a step of adding a desulfurization agent to fuel oil for line mixing thereof, (b) a step of generating droplets in the resulting mixture of step (a), (c) a step of causing the resulting mixture of step (b) to pass through a magnetic field so that the mixture can be magnetized, (d) a step of subjecting the resulting mixture of step (c) to vortex mixing, and (e) a step of causing collision of the resulting mixture of step (d). The method uses fuel oil as a continuous phase and a water-based desulfurization agent as a disperse phase and emulsifies the desulfurization agent in the fuel oil through water-in-oil (W/o) emulsification so that the desulfurization agent can be stably dispersed in the fuel oil. Since the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent are burned together during combustion, sulfur oxides that may occur during the combustion are removed, whereby sulfur oxide emissions are reduced.

Biomass based fuel configured to reduce chemical and/or mechanical effects of flue gas on heat transfer surfaces. The biomass based fuel comprises steam-exploded biomass and some combustion additive. The combustion additive is selected from a group of additives that are capable of reducing chemical and/or mechanical effects of flue gas on heat transfer surfaces. The combustion additive may comprise fouling-reducing additive and/or an additive reducing corrosion potential. In addition, a method for manufacturing biomass based fuel configured to reduce chemical and/or mechanical effects of flue gas on heat transfer surfaces. The method comprises providing biomass and steam into a reactor; maintaining said biomass and said steam simultaneously in the reactor, in a pressure of at least 10 bar(a) and at a temperature from 180 C. to 250 C. for at least 2 minutes; and decreasing the pressure in the reactor and/or conveying biomass out of the reactor such that the pressure of the environment of the biomass decreases below 5 bar(a), to produce steam-exploded biomass. The method further comprises adding some combustion additive to the biomass and/or the steam-exploded biomass.

A method of synthesis of energetic particles, and associated systems, the method including providing a metal powder, dispersing the metal powder in a first fluid to form a first suspension, contacting the first suspension with an oxide precursor, aqueous ammonium hydroxide and a second fluid, to produce a first product, collecting product solids and inductively heating product solids to produce energetic core-shell particles.

There is provided a composition comprising: (a) from about 60 to about 98% by weight of one or more alcohols; (b) from about 0.5 to about 20% by weight of one or more alkyl cellulose derivatives, wherein each alkyl is optionally substituted with one or more OH, O-alkyl, O-hydroxyalkyl and/or O-alkoxyalkyl; (c) from about 1 to about 25% by weight of one or more carboxylic acid salts; and (d) from 0 to about 30% by weight of water. There is also provided uses, processes for manufacture, methods and products relating to the same.

A fuel element adapted for use in a smoking article is provided, the fuel element including a combustible carbonaceous material in an amount of at least 25% by dry weight, based on the weight of the fuel element, and a particulate ignition aid dispersed throughout the fuel element and selected from ceramic particles, cellulose particles, fullerenes, impregnated activated carbon particles, inorganic salts, and combinations thereof, wherein the average particle size of the ignition aid is less than about 1,000 microns. Also provided are elongate smoking articles having a lighting end and an opposed mouth end, and including the above-noted fuel element configured for ignition of the lighting end.

Disclosed is a catalyst for desulfurization, including (a) an oxide selected from among SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, MgO, MnO, CaO, Na.sub.2O, K.sub.2O and P.sub.2O.sub.3, (b) a metal selected from among Li, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Sr, Cd and Pb, and (c) a liquid compound selected from among sodium tetraborate (Na.sub.2B.sub.4O.sub.7.10H.sub.2O), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate (Na.sub.2SiO.sub.3) and hydrogen peroxide (H.sub.2O.sub.2). The catalyst of the invention has a 2:1 type layered structure in which one octahedral layer is interposed between two tetrahedral layers and which has a net negative charge due to occupation of only two of three positively charged sites in the octahedral layer, and the catalyst for desulfurization is provided in the form of a metal chelate compound through chelation with a metal ion, whereby sulfur oxide (SO.sub.x) can be adsorbed and removed at high efficiency upon combustion of a combustible substance.

Disclosed is a desulfurization system using a catalyst for desulfurization, including a coal feed unit for conveying a combustible substance, a spray unit for spraying a catalyst for desulfurization, a coal pulverization unit for pulverizing the combustible substance conveyed from the coal feed unit, and a combustion unit for combusting the pulverized combustible substance, wherein during transfer of the combustible substance from the coal feed unit to the coal pulverization unit, the catalyst for desulfurization is sprayed using the spray unit and is mixed with the combustible substance. The desulfurization system of the invention can be simply and easily applied to various combustion facilities because, during the transfer of the combustible substance from the coal feed unit to the coal pulverization unit, the catalyst for desulfurization is sprayed and is mixed with the combustible substance, thereby efficiently reducing sulfur oxide (SO.sub.x) emission due to combustion of fossil fuel.

An additive composition for liquid fuels is provided. The additive composition comprises water, one or more mineral salts, a polyol compound, an alcohol and a surfactant. The additive composition can be added to liquid fuels such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene and mazut to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The composition can be prepared from all natural materials.

The present invention includes a fuel injection amount sensor for detecting an injection amount of oil, a pretreatment desulfurization agent injection amount sensor for detecting an injection amount of a pretreatment desulfurization agent, and a control panel for controlling and monitoring the injection amount of the pretreatment desulfurization agent so that the predetermined desulfurization agent is mixed with the fuel in a predetermined mixing ratio. The fuel injection amount sensor is disposed on a fuel supply line between a fuel tank and a marine engine, and the pretreatment desulfurization agent injection amount sensor is disposed between a downstream fuel supply line installed downstream of the fuel injection amount sensor and a pretreatment desulfurization agent tank.

Proposed is a pretreatment desulfurization system including a desulfurization agent storage tank for storing a liquid-phase pretreatment desulfurization agent and a metering pump for supplying the liquid-phase pretreatment desulfurization agent from the desulfurization agent storage tank to a fuel supply line through which marine fuel oil is supplied to a marine engine in a predetermined ratio. Since a fluid mixture composed of the marine fuel oil and the pretreatment desulfurization agent is supplied to the marine engine, sulfur oxides are adsorbed and removed during combustion of the fluid mixture.