Various illustrative embodiments of a system and process for recovering high-quality biomethane and carbon dioxide product streams from biogas sources and utilizing or sequestering the product streams are provided. The system and process synergistically yield a biomethane product which meets gas pipeline quality specifications and a carbon dioxide product of a quality and form that allows for its transport and sequestration or utilization and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The system and process result in improved access to gas pipelines for products, an improvement in the carbon intensity rating of the methane fuel, and improvements in generation of credits related to reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.

A method for making a titania-polymer nanocomposite by simultaneously forming TiO.sub.2 nanoparticles in situ from a TiO.sub.2 precursor in the presence of urea and interfacially polymerizing polyamide precursors thereby producing a titania-polymer nanocomposite. A titania-polymer nanocomposite made by this method. A method for removing a dye or metal from water comprising contacting contaminated water with the titania-polymer nanocomposite.

A method for making a titania-polymer nanocomposite by simultaneously forming TiO.sub.2 nanoparticles in situ from a TiO.sub.2 precursor in the presence of urea and interfacially polymerizing polyamide precursors thereby producing a titania-polymer nanocomposite. A titania-polymer nanocomposite made by this method. A method for removing a dye or metal from water comprising contacting contaminated water with the titania-polymer nanocomposite.

Methods and systems for bioremediation of heavy metal contaminants in waste materials (e.g., sludge and combustion wastes from a coal-fixed power plant). The systems described in the present application include at least one waste treatment unit (e.g., a flue gas cleaner or a waste lagoon) that includes one or more selected bacterial strains disposed therein consume and/or reclaim at least a portion of the heavy metal in the combustion wastes. Methods include inoculating a waste treatment unit with one or more selected bacteria that consume and/or reclaim at least a portion of the heavy metal in the combustion wastes. Methods may include periodic reinoculation of the waste treatment unit with fresh bacteria and period recovery of the bacteria from the waste treatment unit.

A process for treating a petroleum fraction and for efficiently absorbing an organic halogen compound from a fluid mixture of the organic halogen compound and an inorganic halogen compound derived from crude oil. Also disclosed is an improvement in absorption performance of a halogen-compound-absorbing material, thereby reducing the frequency with which the absorbing material is exchanged. The absorbing agent includes attapulgite (palygorskite) having high absorption performance with respect to organic halogen compounds. Also disclosed is an absorption column in which the aforementioned absorbing agent and a halogen-compound-absorbing agent, that includes zinc oxide, are disposed in series, thereby making it possible to raise the treatment performance with respect to a fluid that contains, in high concentrations, the organic halogen compound in addition to the inorganic halogen compound.

The present disclosure relates to a purge system for a vapor compression system including an emission canister. The emission canister includes a load cell disposed in an interior of the emission canister, a base supported by the load cell, and an adsorbent material disposed on the base. The adsorbent material is configured to adsorb a refrigerant flowing through the emission canister, and the load cell is configured to monitor a weight of the adsorbent material and the refrigerant within the emission canister.

An adsorbent for halogenated anaesthetics includes: an inorganic material; and an organic material providing a framework for the inorganic material. The inorganic material may be chromium and the organic material may be terephthalic acid. The adsorbent may be formed or configured such that the adsorbent includes coordinatively unsaturated sites or such that the inorganic material may form octahedral structures. The adsorbent is formed or configured to be substantially regenerated at approximately room temperature and to provide selectivity for sevofluorane in water vapor of approximately 1.0. A method of producing an adsorbent includes: selecting an appropriate chemical containing an inorganic material; selecting an organic material to provide a framework for the inorganic material; dissolving the base chemical in water; mixing the organic material with the dissolved base chemical; heating the mixture; filtering the mixture to remove excess organic material; and drying the filtrate.

A method of obtaining helium from a process gas. The process gas is at a pressure less than 15 bar to a first membrane separation stage having a first membrane more readily permeable for helium than for at least one other component in the process gas. A first retentate stream is fed to a second membrane separation stage having a second membrane more readily permeable for helium than for at least one other component in the process gas. Helium is separated from a first helium-containing permeate stream using a pressure swing adsorption to obtain a helium-containing product stream. A second helium-containing permeate stream is recycled to the first membrane separation stage. A purge gas from the pressure swing adsorption is also recycled to the first membrane separation stage.

An anaesthetic halocarbon capture system is provided. The system includes a pressure-intolerant sleeve containing filter material for capturing one or more types of anaesthetic halocarbon prior to supercritical fluid extraction, and a pressure-tolerant housing into which the sleeve can be inserted so as to permit exposure of the sleeve contents to pressures required for supercritical fluid extraction.

A thermal management system includes a housing having an interior space; a heat-generating component disposed within the interior space; and a working fluid disposed within the interior space such that the heat-generating component contacts a liquid phase of the working fluid; and an adsorber assembly disposed within the interior space. The adsorber assembly is in fluid communication with the interior space and an environment external to the thermal management system. The adsorber assembly is configured to: (i) receive a fluid stream from the interior space, the fluid stream including a vapor phase of the working fluid and a non-condensable gas; (ii) at least partially separate the working fluid from the fluid stream and, then, vent the fluid stream to the environment external to the fluid space; and (iii) return the separated working fluid to the interior space.