Oxycombustion process wherein low ranking, gaseous, liquid, solid, optionally solid melting hydrocarbon fractions are used as fuels, having a vanadium content in an amount by weight from 50 to 5,000 ppm or higher, for producing energy, wherein magnesium is added as oxide, or as a water-soluble salt, the combustor being refractored and isotherm or quasi isotherm, flameless, working at temperatures comprised between 1,250 C. and 1,450 C. and under pressurized conditions, wherein the oxidant is oxygen, the oxidant being used in admixture with water or steam such that the ratio by moles oxidant:(water-steam) is comprised between about 1:0.4 and about 1:3 or the oxidant is used in admixture with flue gases recycled from the flue gases outletting the energy recovery equipments, wherein the water amount is higher than 30% by volume, optionally by adding water, the molar ratio oxidant:(water/steam) in flue gases being comprised from about 1:0.4 to about 1:3; the low ranking hydrocarbon fraction containing vanadium is fed in admixture with water or steam, such that the amount of water/steam in the mixture is at least 30% by weight with respect to the hydrocarbon fraction.

Oxycombustion process for producing energy wherein low ranking gaseous, liquid, solid, optionally solid melting hydrocarbon fractions are used as fuels, having a vanadium content in amounts by weight from 50 to 5,000 ppm or higher, and alkaline metals Ma in amounts from 20 to 10,000 ppm, wherein magnesium is added as oxide, or as a magnesium compound forming MgO in the combustion process, or mixtures thereof and a silico-aluminate wherein the molar ratio SiO.sub.2:Al.sub.2O.sub.3 ranges from 2:1 to 6:1; the combustor being refractored, isotherm or quasi-isotherm, flameless, working at temperatures in the range 1,250-1,450 C. and under pressurized conditions, wherein the oxidant being used in admixture with water or steam, the ratio by moles oxidant:(water/steam) being comprised between about 1:0.4 and about 1:3, or the oxidant is used in admixture with flue gases recycled from the flue gases outletting the energy recovery equipments, wherein the water/steam amount is higher than 30% by volume, optionally by adding water to the recycled flue gases, the molar ratio oxidant:(water/steam) in flue gases being comprised from about 1:0.4 to about 1:3; the hydrocarbon fraction being fed in admixture with water or steam, the amount of water/steam being at least 30% by weight with respect to the hydrocarbon fraction.

Methods for producing processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock from an unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock are described. Unprocessed feedstock is introduced into and transported through at least one reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is configured for each feedstock to produce processed feedstock having a water-soluble salt reduction of at least 60 percent from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock and a water content of less than 20 percent.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing, in a multi-stage dryer for drying coal using reheat steam, spontaneous ignition caused by oxidation of coal when coal is transferred to the multi-stage dryer from a fixed quantity coal supplier by way of a pulverizer. The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying coal using reheat steam, the apparatus being configured so that coal which has been dried primarily in a first coal dryer is inputted into a second coal dryer and thus is secondarily dried, wherein reheat steam generated from a reheater is supplied through a reheat steam supply pipe; a nitrogen supplier supplies nitrogen through a nitrogen supply pipe; saturated steam generated from a saturated steam generator is supplied through a saturated steam supply pipe; the reheat steam supply pipe, the nitrogen supplier, and the saturated steam supply pipe are connected to a 4-way valve; and the 4-way valve supplies nitrogen and saturated steam, or nitrogen or saturated steam, along with reheat steam, to first to fourth steam chambers through the steam supply pipe, and injects steam into coal which is transferred to a first transfer plate and a second transfer plate so that spontaneous ignition of coal is prevented in the course of drying and transferring coal.

The present invention relates to an apparatus, which can be part of a pre-treatment system in a plant for the production of fuels, e. g. bio-ethanol, derived from plant biomass, e. g. first generation crops, such as grain, sugarcane and corn or second generation crops such as lignocellulosic biomass. The invention relates to an apparatus for processing, such as fluffing and mixing, at least two media, such as a solid, e. g. biomass, and a fluid, e. g. steam, so as to rendering the first medium susceptible to efficient receiving of energy and/or mass which is provided by localized release of the second medium. Although the description of the present invention focuses on biomass, it is envisaged that the invention is generally applicable to control the mixing of at least two media by crossing their stream of while dispersing at least one of them.

Systems and methods for producing processed organic-carbon-containing feedstock from an unprocessed carbon-containing feedstock are described. Unprocessed feedstock is introduced into and transported through at least one reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is configured for each feedstock to produce processed feedstock having a water-soluble salt reduction of at least 60 percent from that of unprocessed organic-carbon-containing feedstock and a water content of less than 20 percent.

Processes for the production of transportation fuel from a renewable feedstock. A gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is used to deoxygenate and hydrogenate the glycerides to produce long chain hydrocarbons. Water is also introduced into the reaction zone to increase the amount of hydrogen and to increase the utilization of carbon monoxide within the reaction zone. Synthesis gas may also be used to supply at least a portion of the gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The amount of hydrogen equivalents in the reaction zone is at least 100% of a stoichiometric hydrogen demand within the reaction zone.

Provided is a method for upgrading a coal slime through synergistic dehydration, including: subjecting coal slime water to be treated to filter pressing dehydration to obtain a filter cake; and crushing the filter cake, sieving and sizing, and subjecting a resulting oversize to steam transient dehydration to obtain a dehydrated coal slime.

Disclosed is a method for reducing methane emission from slurry (2) produced in a livestock farm (1). The method comprises the steps of guiding the slurry (2) from the livestock farm (1) to a dewatering unit (12) in which the slurry (2) is at least partially dewatered by extracting a watery fraction of said slurry (13), guiding the slurry from the dewatering unit (12) to a steam dryer (3), drying the slurry in the steam dryer (3), guiding the dried slurry (4) into a pyrolysis reactor (5) to produce pyrolysis gas (6) and biochar (7) through a pyrolysis process in the pyrolysis reactor (5), guiding at least a portion of the pyrolysis gas (6) to a combustion unit (8) in which the pyrolysis gas portion is combusted to raise the temperature of the combusted pyrolysis gas (9), guiding the combusted pyrolysis gas (9) to the pyrolysis reactor (5) to drive the pyrolysis process, guiding the combusted pyrolysis gas (9) from the pyrolysis reactor (5) to the steam dryer (3) to increase the temperature of steam (10) in the steam dryer (3), and heating the watery fraction of the slurry 13 to a temperature at least above 75 Celsius by means of the steam (10) from said steam dryer (3). Furthermore, a slurry treatment plant (20) for reducing methane emission from slurry (2) is disclosed.

A method that combines a fuel cell with a Gas Recovery Unit (GRU) to a methanol plant to produce methanol at near zero GHG emissions. The fuel cell generates steam, carbon dioxide and electricity. A GRU unit condenses, separates, recovers, pressurizes and reheats the fuel cell anode exhaust stream. The GRU prepares a stream of natural gas and steam to feed the fuel cell anode and a stream of carbon dioxide and air to feed the fuel cell cathode. The GRU also prepares streams of carbon dioxide and steam as reactants for the stoichiometric mixture with natural gas to produce synthesis gas in an electric catalytic reformer at a methanol plant. The electric catalytic reformer uses electricity, steam and/or carbon dioxide reactants produced by the fuel cell to produce synthesis gas for conversion to methanol with low GHG emissions.