Abstract: This invention relates to a 4 group metal oxide and to a method for preparation thereof and the 4 group metal oxide prepared by adding a particle growth inhibiter to a hydrosol a hydrogel or a dried product of a hydrous 4 group metal oxide represented by MO(2-x)(OH)2x (wherein M denotes a 4 group metal and x is a number greater than 0.1 or x>0.1) followed by drying and calcining has a specific surface area of 80 m2/g or more, a pore volume of 0.2 ml/g or more and a pore sharpness degree of 50% or more and excellent heat stability and is useful for a catalyst or a catalyst carrier in which a catalyst metal is dispersed to a high degree.

Abstract: This invention relates to a 4 group metal oxide and to a method for preparation thereof and the 4 group metal oxide prepared by adding a particle growth inhibiter to a hydrosol a hydrogel or a dried product of a hydrous 4 group metal oxide represented by MO(2-x)(OH)2x (wherein M denotes a 4 group metal and x is a number greater than 0.1 or x>0.1) followed by drying and calcining has a specific surface area of 80 m2/g or more, a pore volume of 0.2 ml/g or more and a pore sharpness degree of 50% or more and excellent heat stability and is useful for a catalyst or a catalyst carrier in which a catalyst metal is dispersed to a high degree.

Abstract: A gas separation process and a unit therefor. The process comprises the steps of: introducing a gas consisting of two or more components into an adsorption system in which adsorbent particles circulate in a fluidized state, thereby to allow, at atmospheric pressure or an elevated pressure, the adsorbent particles to adsorb a gas component to be separated from the gas; transferring the adsorbent particles adsorbing the gas component to a desorption system; and then desorbing the gas component from the adsorbent particles in the desorption system which is regulated to have either a lower pressure or a lower pressure and a higher temperature than the adsorption system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a purification process for removing lipophilic impurities coined in an aqueous crude ethanol solution, in particular, for efficiently removing impurities consisting of C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 alcohols. The process involves (a) a first extraction step wherein the aqueous crude ethanol solution is extracted with an extractant for removing the lipophilic impurities, except for the C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 alcohols, contained in the aqueous crude ethanol solution by subjecting the aqueous crude ethanol solution to extraction with the extractant in a pressurized state containing carbon dioxide in a liquidized state or carbon dioxide gas in a supercritical state; (b) a concentration-distillation step wherein a raffinate obtained in the first extraction step is fed to a distilling column to thereby obtain a highly concentrated aqueous ethanol solution from a top of the distilling column and withdraw fraction containing C.sub.3 -C.sub.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for the separation of impurities from a crude ethanol aqueous solution, comprising of; (i) extracting lipophilic impurities within the crude ethanol aqueous solution into an extracting solvent phase by treating the crude ethanol aqueous solution with an extracting solvent comprising carbon dioxide in a liquid state or carbon dioxide in a super-critical state under conditions wherein a ratio of the weight of the extracting solvent to the weight of the crude ethanol aqueous solution is 2 or higher; and (ii) recovering ethanol entrained with the extracting solvent or ethanol and methanol entrained with the extracting solvent into an aqueous phase by contacting the extracting solvent phase resulting after extracting the impurities to with water in a countercurrent manner under pressures in a ratio of the weight of water to the weight of the extracting solvent of 0.3 or lower.

Abstract: A process of thermally cracking a heavy petroleum oil wherein the heavy petroleum oil is treated successively in a cracking furnace and then in a perfect mixing type tank reactor. The thermal cracking in the cracking furnace is performed at a temperature at the outlet of the cracking furnace of 450.degree.-520.degree. C. with a conversion of at least 60-75% of the overall conversion rate while the thermal cracking in the tank reactor is performed at a temperature of 400.degree.-450.degree. C. a pressure of from ambient pressure to 1 kg/cm.sup.2 for a period of time of less than 30 minutes but not less than 10 minutes while feeding steam having a temperature of 435.degree.-700.degree. C. to the tank reactor in an amount of 8-20% by weight of the heavy petroleum oil fed to the cracking furnace.

Abstract: A method of cracking a heavy hydrocarbon oil containing a residual fraction with a boiling point of 538.degree. C. or higher, including contacting the heavy hydrocarbon oil with a fluidized bed of a particulate composite catalyst which includes an amorphous refractory inorganic oxide and a crystalline aluminosilicate dispersed in the oxide and which has a surface area distribution such that the surface area of pores having pore diameters in the range of from three times to six times the average molucular size of the residual fraction is at least 60% of the surface area of pores having pore diameters in the range of 15-150 .ANG..

Abstract: A heavy hydrocarbon feed stock is, after being heat-treated in a first cracking zone, is introduced into a second thermal cracking zone for obtaining a thermally cracked product and a pitch product. The second cracking zone has a plurality of cracking reactors which are connected in series, through which is successively passed the treated feed stock and to each of which is supplied a gaseous heat transfer medium to maintain the liquid phase therein at a temperature sufficient for effecting the thermal cracking and to strip the resulting distillable, cracked components from the liquid phase. The thermal cracking temperature in one reactor is so controlled as to become higher than that in its adjacent upstream-side reactor. The distillable, cracked components in respective reactors are removed overhead therefrom and separated into a heavy fraction and a light fraction, while the liquid phase in the downstream-end reactor is discharged therefrom for recovery as the pitch product.

Abstract: A heavy hydrocarbon feed stock is, after being heat-treated in a first cracking zone, introduced into a second thermal cracking zone for obtaining a thermally cracked product and a pitch product. The second cracking zone has a plurality of cracking reactors which are connected in series, through which is successively passed the treated feed stock and to each of which is supplied a gaseous heat transfer medium to maintain the liquid phase therein at a temperature sufficient for effecting the thermal cracking and to strip the resulting distillable, cracked components from the liquid phase. The thermal cracking temperature in one reactor is so controlled as to become higher than that in its adjacent upstream-side reactor. The distillable, cracked components in respective reactors are removed overhead therefrom and separated into a heavy fraction and a light fraction, while the liquid phase in the downstream-end reactor is discharged therefrom for recovery as the pitch product.