Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can include and/or relate to, converting biomass to synthetic hydrocarbons using a biomass thermal decomposer and/or a hydrocarbon synthesizer.

Disclosed are iron nanoparticles, in which at least 70% of the iron atoms they contain are present in an Fe2,2C crystalline structure. In particular, these nanoparticles can be obtained via the carburization of zero-valent iron nanoparticles, by contacting the iron nanoparticles with a gas mixture of dihydrogen and carbon monoxide. The iron carbide nanoparticles are particularly suitable to be used for hyperthermia and for catalyzing Sabatier and Fischer-Tropsch reactions.

Disclosed are iron nanoparticles, in which at least 70% of the iron atoms they contain are present in an Fe2,2C crystalline structure. In particular, these nanoparticles can be obtained via the carburization of zero-valent iron nanoparticles, by contacting the iron nanoparticles with a gas mixture of dihydrogen and carbon monoxide. The iron carbide nanoparticles are particularly suitable to be used for hyperthermia and for catalyzing Sabatier and Fischer-Tropsch reactions.

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can include and/or relate to, converting biomass to synthetic hydrocarbons using a biomass thermal decomposer and/or a hydrocarbon synthesizer.

A system and method produce industrial hydrocarbons and other molecules in three coordinated reactors using nuclear process heat. A nuclear reactor generates heat via a nuclear process, and this heat is physically carried to one or both of the other reactors via a thermal medium. A gasification reactor uses the nuclear heat for a gasification process that converts biomass, e.g. cellulose or other polysaccharides, into gaseous hydrogen and carbon monoxide (i.e. syngas). The gasification process may be anaerobic, without requiring addition of purified or atmospheric oxygen or consumption of input biomass to provide the process heat. The syngas is carried to a Fischer-Tropsch reactor for conversion into desired output molecules, such as aviation or diesel fuel or carbon fibers, according to a selected chemical process.

An amount of atmospheric emission of carbon dioxide can be reduced by a method for producing a synthetic fuel including a gasification step G of gasifying waste by reacting it with oxygen and water at a high temperature, a carbon dioxide separation step S of separating carbon dioxide from a gasified gas G1 produced in the step G, an FT synthesis step FT of producing the synthetic fuel by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis from a synthetic gas G2 produced in the step S and a carbon dioxide electrolysis step E of electrolyzing the carbon dioxide separated in the step S to produce an electrolyzed gas G3 containing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, the electrolyzed gas G3 produced in the carbon dioxide electrolysis step E being supplied to the carbon dioxide separation step S such that carbon dioxide is separated from the gasified gas G1 and the electrolyzed gas G3.

A photoelectrosynthetically active heterostructure (PAH) is manufactured by forming or providing cavities in an electrically insulating material; forming or providing an electrically conductive layer on a side of the electrically insulating material; depositing an electrocatalyst cathode layer in the cavities; depositing one or more layers of light-absorbing semiconductor material in the cavities; depositing an electrocatalyst anode layer in the cavities; removing the layer of electrically conductive metal; and forming a hydrogen permeable layer over the electrocatalyst cathode layer. The one or more layers of light-absorbing semiconductor material can form a p-n junction or Schottky junction. The PAH can be used in photoelectrosynthetic processes to produce desired products, such as reduction product (e.g., methane gas, methanol, or carbon monoxide) from carbon dioxide and liquid waste streams.

A photoelectrosynthetically active heterostructure (PAH) is manufactured by forming or providing cavities in an electrically insulating material; forming or providing an electrically conductive layer on a side of the electrically insulating material; depositing an electrocatalyst cathode layer in the cavities; depositing one or more layers of light-absorbing semiconductor material in the cavities; depositing an electrocatalyst anode layer in the cavities; removing the layer of electrically conductive metal; and forming a hydrogen permeable layer over the electrocatalyst cathode layer. The one or more layers of light-absorbing semiconductor material can form a p-n junction or Schottky junction. The PAH can be used in photoelectrosynthetic processes to produce desired products, such as reduction product (e.g., methane gas, methanol, or carbon monoxide) from carbon dioxide and liquid waste streams.

A two-step process, consisting of a photoelectrosynthetic process combined with a thermochemical process, is configured to produce a reduction product (e.g., methane gas, methanol, or carbon monoxide) from carbon dioxide and liquid waste streams. In a first step, photoelectrosynthetically active heterostructures (PAHs) and sunlight are used to drive oxidation/reduction reactions in which one primary product is hydrogen gas. In the second step, hydrogen generated in the first step is thermally catalytically reacted with carbon dioxide to form a reduction product from carbon dioxide (e.g., CO, formaldehyde, methane, or methanol). Synthesis gas (CO and H.sub.2) can be further reacted to form alkanes. The methods and systems may employ PAHs known in the art or improved PAHs having lower costs, improved stability, solar energy conversion efficiency, and/or other desired attributes as disclosed herein.

The present invention relates to a hydrocarbon plant and related process, in which a first feed of methanol, having a water content of less than 10% by weight, is converted in a syngas generation stage (A) into at least a syngas stream. A synthesis stage (B) is arranged to receive the syngas stream and convert it to at least a hydrocarbon product stream and an off-gas stream. The plant and process of the present invention use better-understood process steps compared to known processes/plants and provide the opportunity for a reduction in CO.sub.2 emissions.