A quaternary ammonium compound of formula (I): (I) wherein R.sup.0, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is each independently an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group, X is a linking group, R.sup.4 is an optionally substituted alkylene group, R5 is hydrogen or an optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl or aryl group, and n is 0 or a positive integer, provided that n is not 0 when R5 is hydrogen. ##STR00001##

In an aspect, the application discloses a method for producing renewable hydrocarbon fuels where the method includes electrolysis of a mixture to produce an electrolysis product comprising a renewable diesel and optionally a renewable gasoline, where the mixture includes (i) free fatty acids from a biorenewable feedstock, and (ii) terminal monomethyl-branched carboxylic acids, and where the renewable diesel includes terminal monomethyl-branched paraffins and terminal monomethyl-branched alkenes.

The invention relates to the use of quaternized nitrogen compounds as a fuel and lubricant additive or kerosene additive, such as in particular as a detergent additive, for decreasing or preventing deposits in the injection systems of direct-injection diesel engines, in particular in common rail injection systems, for decreasing the fuel consumption of direct-injection diesel engines, in particular of diesel engines having common rail injection systems, and for minimizing the power loss in direct-injection diesel engines, in particular in diesel engines having common rail injection systems; the invention further relates to the use as an additive for petrol, in particular for operation of DISI engines.

Methods for preparing an octane-boosting fuel additive having the following formula: are provided. In a first aspect, the method may comprise carrying out the following reaction: (i), (ii) In a second aspect, the method may comprise: (1) preparing the fuel additive; and (2) purifying the product of step (1) by: (a) dissolving the fuel additive in a water-insoluble solvent to form a solution; (b) washing the solution with water; and (c) separating the fuel additive product from the water-insoluble solvent using distillation. Steps (i) and (1) of the methods are carried out in the presence of butylated hydroxytoluene. ##STR00001##

An integrated refinery process for removing mercaptans from a hydrocarbon stream containing mercaptans and converting by-product disulfide oil to useful products. The process includes introducing the hydrocarbon stream containing mercaptans into an extraction vessel containing an alkaline solution and passing the hydrocarbon stream through an extraction section of the extraction vessel which includes one or more liquid-liquid contacting decks for reaction to convert the mercaptans to alkali metal alkanethiolates. Further, the process includes withdrawing a hydrocarbon product stream free of mercaptans from the extraction vessel and recovering spent caustic containing alkali metal alkanethiolates from the extraction vessel. Additionally, the process includes subjecting the spent caustic containing alkali metal alkanethiolates to air oxidation to produce a by-product stream containing disulfide oils (DSO) and sulfides and processing the by-product stream in a steam cracking unit to produce a DSO free product stream.

Naphtha boiling range compositions are provided that are formed from crude oils with unexpected combinations of high naphthenes to aromatics weight and/or volume ratio and a low sulfur content. The resulting naphtha boiling range fractions can have a high naphthenes to aromatics weight ratio, a low but substantial content of aromatics, and a low sulfur content. In some aspects, the fractions can be used as fuels and/or fuel blending products after fractionation with minimal further refinery processing. In other aspects, the amount of additional refinery processing, such as hydrotreatment, catalytic reforming and/or isomerization, can be reduced or minimized. By reducing, minimizing, or avoiding the amount of hydroprocessing needed to meet fuel and/or fuel blending product specifications, the fractions derived from the high naphthenes to aromatics ratio and low sulfur crudes can provide fuels and/or fuel blending products having a reduced or minimized carbon intensity.

A method comprising the steps of feeding condensate to a splitter unit; directing the resulting naphtha product to a naphtha hydrotreater and the resulting diesel product to a diesel hydrotreater; directing ULSD product from the diesel hydrotreater to ULSD storage and naphtha product from the diesel hydrotreater to the naphtha hydrotreater; directing treated naphtha product from the naphtha hydrotreater to a naphtha splitter; isomerizing the light naphtha product and reforming the heavy naphtha product; sending the isomerate and the reformate to a gasoline separator; directing the products to storage.

A fuel additive composition, including: (a) one or more copolymer(s) including: at least one unit of the following formula (I), where u=0 or 1, E=—O— or —N(Z)—, or —O—CO—, or —CO—O— or —NH—CO— or —CO—NH—, where Z represents H or a C1-C6 alkyl group, G represents a group selected between a C1-C34 alkyl group, aromatic ring, aralkyl including at least one aromatic ring and at least one C1-C34 alkyl group, and at least one unit of the following formula (II), where R1″ is selected between a hydrogen atom and a methyl group, Q is selected between an oxygen atom and a group —NR′—, where R′ is selected between a hydrogen atom and C1-C12 hydrocarbon chains, R includes a C1-C34 hydrocarbon chain substituted with at least one quaternary ammonium, (b) one or more amines substituted with a polyalkenyl group, and (c) at least one carrier oil.

A fuel mixture includes a fuel and an octane overboosting additive. Methods of preparing and using such mixtures are disclosed. In particular, the mixture includes an additive that provides octane boosting that produces peak octane at or before a 40% blend and produces at least a 1 octane boost at 10% volume of additive to fuel mixture.

A gasoline fuel composition comprising as an additive an ester compound which is the reaction product of an optionally substituted polycarboxylic acid or an anhydride thereof and an alcohol or formula H—(OR).sub.n—OR.sup.1, wherein R is an optionally substituted alkylene group; R.sup.1 is hydrogen or an optionally substituted hydrocarbyl group, and n is 0 or a positive integer; wherein n is not O when R.sup.1 is hydrogen.