A supercritical water separation process and system is disclosed for the removal of metals, minerals, particulate, asphaltenes, and resins from a contaminated organic material. The present invention takes advantage of the physical and chemical properties of supercritical water to effect the desired separation of contaminants from organic materials and permit scale-up. At a temperature and pressure above the critical point of water (374° C., 22.1 MPa), nonpolar organic compounds become miscible in supercritical water (SCW) and polar compounds and asphaltenes become immiscible. The process and system disclosed continuously separates immiscible contaminants and solids from the supercritical water and clean oil product solution. The present invention creates a density gradient that enables over 95% recovery of clean oil and over 99% reduction of contaminants such as asphaltenes and particulate matter depending on the properties of the contaminated organic material.

A desolidification process enables the isolation and extraction of solid additives from an unreacted petroleum residue stream. In a hydrocracking process that mixes a solid additive with a petroleum residue feedstock to convert the petroleum residue to higher-value distillates, the desolidification process enables the recovery of the unreacted petroleum residue for conversion to a saleable product. The desolidification process involves the mixture of one or more solvents with a slurry in which solids are integrated in the petroleum residue to generate a mixture having a decreased density and viscosity as compared to the slurry, which facilitates removal of the solids.

Equipment to extract sludge (crud) from the interface (5) that is generated in a mixer-settler (mixer-settler) (1) in a solvent extraction process between an aqueous phase (3) and an organic phase (4) which allows continuous vacuum extraction and storage of said sludge, where the equipment comprises: a sludge collector (2) comprising: a transparent rigid tube (18), a plurality of floats (19) freely mounted along of said tube (18), a tube elbow (20) at a first end of the transparent rigid tube (18), a tube extension (20′), at the other end of the elbow (20), a suction nozzle (23) at the end of the tube extension (20′), an angle change handle (21) near a second end of the transparent rigid tube (18) to rotate the sludge catcher (2) according to the axis longitudinal (18′) of the transparent rigid tube (18), an extraction regulating valve (22) mounted on the gear change handle angle (21) that regulates the suction pressure inside the transparent rigid tube (18); a vacuum tank (6) that receives the sludge from the sludge collector (2); a vacuum system (7) that generates a vacuum inside the vacuum tank (6) to produce suction or vacuum suction in the sludge collector (2); and a pneumatic pump (8) that extracts the sludge from the tank vacuum (6) and transfers them to a plurality of containers (9) for storage; Method to extract lees (crud) from the interface that is generated in a mixer-decanter.

The invention relates to a method of separating a first contaminant from a feed stream further comprising a condensation polymer. The invention further relates to a reactor system for carrying out the method, comprising at least one depolymerization vessel, configured for depolymerizing a condensation polymer into monomer, dimer, trimer and/or oligomer, which depolymerizing occurs in an alcoholic solvent, wherein said condensation polymer is provided as a feed stream further comprising a first contaminant, the reactor system comprising a separation stage, said separation stage comprising a separation vessel, downstream of the depolymerization vessel, configured for collecting a first contaminant, wherein said first contaminant is separated from the alcoholic solvent on the basis of a density separation so that the first contaminant is arranged on top of the alcoholic solvent.

The invention relates to a process for working up water containing 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone as impurities, comprising: (a) mixing the water containing 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone as impurities with an organic solvent in which 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone have a solubility of at least 0.5 wt % based on the amount of 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfoxide and/or 4, 4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone and organic solvent at 20° C., which forms a two-phase system with water and which can be stripped from water with a stripping gas and subsequently separating the obtained mixture into an aqueous phase and an organic phase, and (b) stripping the organic solvent from the aqueous phase with a stripping gas.

A liquid-liquid mixing device (10, 210) includes a barrel (20, 220) with a liquid port (23) at or adjacent one end. A plunger assembly (30) is reciprocably moveable along an axis in the barrel (20, 220) and includes a seal member (31, 231) and an agitator (50, 250). The seal member (31, 231) is in sealingly slidable engagement with the internal wall of the barrel (20, 220) to define a variable volume chamber (24, 224) therein in communication with the liquid port. The agitator (50, 250) is reciprocably moveable in the variable volume chamber (24, 224), which agitator (50, 250) includes one or more end to end passages (54) through which liquid in the chamber (24, 224) is forced as the agitator (250) reciprocates in the chamber (24, 224). The device (10) also includes a mode selector mechanism (60, 28, 46, 64, 65, 90, 92, 94, 96) for selection between at least two modes of operation for the plunger assembly, wherein the mode selector mechanism (60, 28, 46, 64, 65, 90, 92, 94, 96) is adjustable between two or more modes whereby movement of the plunger assembly (30) effects either movement of the agitator (50, 250) with the seal member (31, 231) or movement of the agitator (50, 250) relative to the seal member (31, 231), depending on the selected mode.

The invention provides a process for the production of crystalline ammonium sulfate, wherein the process comprises performing a Beckmann rearrangement reaction, neutralizing the Beckmann rearrangement reaction mixture, separating a first aqueous ammonium sulfate phase and an aqueous ε-caprolactam phase, charging the first ammonium sulfate phase to a first evaporative type crystallization section wherein crystalline ammonium sulfate is obtained, discharging from the first evaporative type crystallization section mother liquor enriched in organic components, extracting the aqueous ε-caprolactam phase to obtain an extracted ε-caprolactam phase and a second aqueous ammonium sulfate phase, discharging the mother liquor that is discharged from the first evaporative type crystallization section and/or the second aqueous ammonium sulfate phase to a second evaporative type crystallization section wherein evaporative type crystallization is performed so that a three-phase system occurs. At least a liquid oily phase is recovered from the three-phase system. The invention further provides a plant suitable to carry out the process of the invention, crystalline ammonium sulfate and a liquid oily phase obtained by the process of the invention.

A new system in which a forward extraction part, a scrubbing part, and a backward extraction part operate together and synchronously to produce specific substances by extraction and separation in a liquid-liquid system. The aqueous phase is circulated independently only in the forward extraction part one or more times, and the organic phase is circulated from the forward extraction part through the scrubbing part and the backward extraction part to the forward extraction part again in synchronization with the liquid circulation of the aqueous phase.

[PROBLEMS] To provide a multistage apparatus used in a liquid-liquid system comprising two liquid phases that do not mix with each other, in which the position of the interface (liquid-liquid interface) of a heavy liquid phase and a light liquid does not fluctuate or else is suppressed, and a method of producing a specific substance using it. [SOLVING MEANS] An apparatus having a connected body of a plurality of adjacent containers or two or more stages installed in a single-piece container in which a plurality of partitions are arranged inside thereof, and a method of producing a specific substance using it. The multistage extraction is performed so as that the position of the interface (liquid-liquid interface) of a heavy liquid phase and a light liquid does not fluctuate or else is suppressed, by using the mechanism in which only the heavy liquid phase communicates in the lower part of the container, the mechanism in which only the light liquid phase communicates in the upper part of the container, or both of them.

A process for recovering nitric acid or salts thereof, comprising: contacting, in the presence of water, an water-immiscible ionic liquid of the formula [A.sup.+][X.sup.−], wherein [A.sup.+] represents a phosphonium or ammonium cation and [X.sup.−] represents a counter anion which is NO.sub.3.sup.−, an halide anion displaceable by NO.sub.3.sup.−, or both, with a fluid which contains HNO.sub.3 and at least one more mineral acid, or precursors of said acids, and partition, under mixing, said acids between aqueous and organic phases and form nitrate-loaded ionic liquid of the formula [A.sup.+][NO.sub.3.sup.−].sub.z>0.25 where Z indicates a molar amount of nitrate held in the ionic liquid beyond the positions occupied by the nitrate counter ions; separating the so-formed mixture into an organic phase comprising a nitrate-loaded ionic liquid of the formula [A.sup.+][NO.sub.3.sup.−].sub.z>0.25 and an aqueous phase consisting of a nitrate-depleted aqueous solution that contains the other mineral acid(s); stripping the nitric acid from said nitrate-loaded ionic liquid to create an aqueous nitrate solution and regenerate ionic liquid of the formula [A.sup.+][NO.sub.3.sup.−].sub.z≥0 with reduced nitrate loading, or unloaded [A.sup.+][NO.sub.3.sup.−].sub.z=0 ionic liquid.