Proppant particulates are commonly used in hydraulic fracturing operations to maintain one or more fractures in an opened state following the release of hydraulic pressure. In complex fracture networks, it can be difficult to deposit proppant particulates fully within the fractures. In addition, low crush strengths may result in problematic fines formation. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons, commonly encountered in various refinery process streams, may serve as an advantageous precursor to proppant particulates. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons may undergo crosslinking under acid-catalyzed conditions in an aqueous solvent in the presence of a surfactant to form substantially spherical particulates that may serve as effective proppant particulates during fracturing operations. In situ formation of the proppant particulates may take place in some cases.

Methods of processing a coal-based feedstock to a high value product are provided. In one embodiment a method of processing a coal-based feedstock to a high value product, the method comprises the steps of: contacting the coal-based feedstock with one or more solvents under non-pyrolytic conditions thereby generating a liquid phase; and fractionating the liquid phase to generate at least two fractions under conditions such that at least one of the fractions is the high value product. The liquid phase may comprise 5 to 25 wt % oxygen and at least 70% of the oxygen in the liquid phase may be in the form of phenolic, carboxylic and ketone functional groups of hydrocarbon-based compounds.

An integrated method for mesophase pitch and petrochemicals production. The method including supplying crude oil to a reactor vessel; heating the crude oil in the reactor vessel to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined amount of time; reducing asphaltene content in the crude oil by allowing polymerization reactions to occur in the reactor vessel at an elevated pressure in the absence of oxygen; producing a three-phase upgraded hydrocarbon product comprising gas, liquid, and solid hydrocarbon components, where the liquid hydrocarbon component comprises deasphalted oil and the solid hydrocarbon component comprises mesophase pitch; separating the gas, liquid, and solid hydrocarbon components; directly utilizing the liquid hydrocarbon component for petrochemicals production; and directly utilizing the solid hydrocarbon component for carbon artifact production.

A process for making mesophase and/or isotropic pitch. An aromatic rich liquid is charged at high temperature and pressure to a first thermal polymerization reactor to produce an effluent stream which is flashed to remove unconverted or partially converted feed as a vapor yielding a liquid phase enriched in isotropic pitch. The enriched isotropic pitch liquid is charged to a second thermal reactor and reactor effluent flashed to produce mesophase pitch and a vapor phase. The vapor phases from both flashing steps are condensed and combined for recycle of a liquid aromatic rich stream to the first reactor. Flashing from the first reactor cools the liquid phase which is enriched in isotropic pitch. This enriched stream is mixed with a superheated fluid, preferably steam, upstream of the second reactor.

It has been discovered that contaminants such as metals and/or amines can be transferred from a hydrocarbon phase to a water phase in an emulsion breaking process by using a composition that contains water-soluble C5-C12 polyhydroxy carboxylic acids, ammonium salts thereof, alkali metal salts thereof, and mixtures of all of these. The composition may also optionally include a mineral acid to reduce the pH of the desalter wash water. The method permits transfer of metals and/or amines into the aqueous phase with little or no hydrocarbon phase undercarry into the aqueous phase. Resolving the emulsion into the hydrocarbon phase and the aqueous phase occurs in a refinery desalting process using electrostatic coalescence. The composition is particularly useful in treating crude oil emulsions, and in removing calcium and other metals therefrom. The polyhydroxy carboxylic acid additionally inhibits metal corrosion of metal pipe or other equipment used in a crude unit.

Sulfur copolymerization includes combining elemental sulfur with modified bitumen to yield a mixture, blending the mixture, and curing the mixture to yield a copolymerized modified bitumen. The modified bitumen includes waste vegetable oil. Inverse vulcanization includes combining an unsaturated fatty acid and an alkaline earth metal (hydr)oxide to yield a mixture, combining elemental sulfur with the mixture, and processing the mixture to yield a sulfur copolymer.

A process to produce pitch, the process comprising the steps of introducing a depressurized effluent to a flash column; separating the depressurized effluent in the flash column to produce a liquid product; introducing the liquid product to a dweller; operating the dweller at a temperature between 350° C. and 500° C., a pressure between 0.1 psig and 10 psig, and a residence time between 30 minutes and 4 hours to produce a pitch stream and a reaction gas stream, wherein the dweller is a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), wherein dehydrogenative polymerization reactions occur in the dweller to produce pitch, wherein the inert gas stream is operable to remove volatile components from the liquid product; removing a pitch stream from the dweller, wherein the pitch stream comprises the pitch; and removing a reaction gas stream, wherein the reaction gas stream comprises the volatile components and nitrogen.

A process to produce pitch, the process comprising the steps of introducing a depressurized effluent to a flash column; separating the depressurized effluent in the flash column to produce a liquid product; introducing the liquid product to a dweller; operating the dweller at a temperature between 350° C. and 500° C., a pressure between 0.1 psig and 10 psig, and a residence time between 30 minutes and 4 hours to produce a pitch stream and a reaction gas stream, wherein the dweller is a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), wherein dehydrogenative polymerization reactions occur in the dweller to produce pitch, wherein the inert gas stream is operable to remove volatile components from the liquid product; removing a pitch stream from the dweller, wherein the pitch stream comprises the pitch; and removing a reaction gas stream, wherein the reaction gas stream comprises the volatile components and nitrogen.

A composition providing a copper-carboxylic acid complex, the copper-carboxylic acid complex having a molar ratio of copper (Cu) to carboxylic acid that is between 1:0.1 and 1:1.5; and an asphalt composition. A method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide from asphalt, the method providing a composition comprising a copper-carboxylic acid complex having a molar ratio of copper (Cu) to carboxylic acid of the copper-carboxylic acid complex is between 1:0.1 and 1:1.5; and adding the composition to an asphalt composition.

Forming a modified bitumen includes contacting an oil with bitumen to yield a bitumen matrix comprising the oil, combining sulfur with the bitumen matrix, and reacting the sulfur with the oil to yield the modified bitumen. The modified bitumen composition includes bitumen, a sulfur component, and an oil component. The sulfur component is bonded covalently to the oil component, and the oil component is bonded covalently to the bitumen. An asphalt can include the modified bitumen.