Methods for liquefaction of carbonaceous materials, including methods that use electromagnetic radiation. Systems for liquefaction of carbonaceous materials. The systems may include a circulation conduit for mixing reactants, and/or a heating apparatus that relies on electromagnetic radiation.

Solvent consumption in supercritical ethanol, propanol or butanol treatment of either refined pre-extracted lignin or comparatively impure lignin-rich solid residual from hydrothermally pretreated lignocellulosic biomass can be minimized by conducting the reaction at very high loading of lignin to solvent. Comparatively impure, crude lignin-rich solid residual can be directly converted by supercritical alcohol treatment to significantly diesel-soluble lignin oil without requirement for pre-extraction or pre-solubilisation of lignin or for added reaction promoters such as catalysts, hydrogen donor co-solvents, acids, based or H2 gas. O:C ratio of product oil can readily be obtained using crude lignin residual in such a process at levels 0.20 or lower.

A fuel production system 1 includes a gasification unit 3; an electrolysis unit 60 that is connected to a renewable power generating unit 5 and a commercial power grid 8 and produces hydrogen using electric power; and a control unit 7 that determines a power index that depending on the carbon dioxide emission intensity of the electric power supplied from the commercial power grid 8. When the remaining amount of hydrogen is smaller than a lower threshold, the control unit 7 causes electric power to be supplied to the electrolysis unit 60 from the renewable power generating unit 5 and the commercial power grid 8 for production of hydrogen, and controls, based on the power index, the amount of hydrogen supplied by a hydrogen supply pump 64 and the amount of commercial power supply from the commercial power grid 8 to the electrolysis unit 60.

For the shipping industry, these fuels provide solutions to long outstanding technical problems that heretofore hindered supply of low sulfur marine fuels in quantities needed to meet worldwide sulfur reduction goals. When ships on the open seas burn cheap low grade heavy bunker oils high in sulfur, nitrogen and metals, the SOx, NOx, and metal oxides go to the environment. This invention converts essentially all of each barrel of crude feed to a single ultraclean fuel versus conventional refining where crude feed is cut into many pieces, and each piece is sent down a separate market path meeting various different product specifications. When in port, ships can generate and sell electricity to land based electrical grids to offset fuel cost in an environment-friendly manner.

An H.sub.2-rich fuel gas production plant comprising a syngas production unit can be advantageously integrated with an olefins production plant comprising a steam cracker in at least one of the following: (i) fuel gas supply and consumption; (ii) feed supply and consumption; and (iii) steam supply and consumption, to achieve considerable savings in capital and operational costs, enhanced energy efficiency, and reduced CO.sub.2 emissions, compared to operating the plants separately.

The invention pertains to a process for deep desulphurization of low sulphur content feedstock comprising the steps of providing a low sulphur content hydrocarbon feedstock and contacting said hydrocarbon feedstock with a cobalt-molybdenum desulphurizing system or a nickel-molybdenum desulphurizing system in an oxide form in order to obtain a very low sulphur product comprising less than 5 ppm by weight sulphur.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing liquid hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch process integrated into refineries, in particular comprising recycling streams from the steam reforming hydrogen production process as the feedstock for the Fischer-Tropsch process.

Systems and methods are provided for partial upgrading of heavy hydrocarbon feeds to meet transport specifications, such as pipeline transport specifications. The systems and methods can allow for one or more types of improvement in heavy hydrocarbon processing prior to transport. In some aspects, the systems and methods can produce a partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product that satisfies one or more transport specifications while incorporating an increased amount of vacuum gas oil and a reduced amount of pitch into the partially upgraded heavy hydrocarbon product. In other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for increased incorporation of hydrocarbons into the fraction upgraded for transport, thereby reducing or minimizing the amount of hydrocarbons requiring an alternative method of disposal or transport. In still other aspects, the systems and methods can allow for reduced incorporation of external streams into the final product for transport while still satisfying one or more target properties.

An upgraded crude composition is provided, along with systems and methods for making such a composition. The upgraded crude composition can include an unexpectedly high percentage of vacuum gas oil boiling range components while having a reduce or minimized amount of components boiling above 593° C. (1100° F.). In some aspects, based in part on the hydroprocessing used to form the upgraded crude composition, the composition can include unexpectedly high contents of nitrogen. Still other unexpected features of the composition can include, but are not limited to, an unexpectedly high nitrogen content in the naphtha fraction; and an unexpected vacuum gas oil fraction including an unexpectedly high content of polynuclear aromatics, an unexpectedly high content of waxy, paraffinic compounds, and/or an unexpectedly high content of n-pentane asphaltenes.

For the shipping industry, these fuels provide solutions to long outstanding technical problems that heretofore hindered supply of low sulfur marine fuels in quantities needed to meet worldwide sulfur reduction goals. Marine shipping use of high sulfur bunker oils is reported as largest source of world-wide transportation SOx emissions. When ships on the open seas burn cheap low grade heavy bunker oils high in sulfur, nitrogen and metals, the SOx, NOx, and metal oxides go to the environment. This invention converts essentially all of each barrel of crude feed to a single ultraclean fuel versus conventional refining where crude feed is cut into many pieces, and each piece is sent down a separate market path meeting various different product specifications. When in port, ships can use these fuels to generate and sell electricity to land based electrical grids to offset fuel cost in an environment-friendly manner.