Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for the generation of electricity combined with the further treatment of sewage from a sewage treatment plant. In one form of the invention a stream of compressed air/contaminated air (108, 110) is passed to a mixing device (18) where it is mixed with a stream of introduced fuel gas (112). The mixture is combusted and the resultant gases are fed to the expansion chamber (6) of a gas turbine which drives an alternator (10) thus generating electricity. Rather than simply dissipate them to atmosphere, the gases (126) are utilized in the heating and disinfection of sewage (148) from an initial sewage treatment plant. The thus disinfected sewage (150) passes to a pressure vessel (12) wherein it encounters and saturates the stream of compressed air/contaminated air (108, 110) passing to the mixing device (18).

Abstract: Where as-mined coal or a washed coal derived therefrom is burned in a pulverized coal-fired boiler, improvements both in the utilization of the overall fuel values of the as-mined coal and in the operating efficiency of the boiler are obtained by installing a fluid bed combustor in the same combustion chamber as the pulverized fuel burner system of the boiler, and preferably below the burner system, and supplying as the fuel to the combustor a fuel comprising coal washery tailings preferably mixed with high ash solid washery residue.

Abstract: In the production of methanol from a methane-containing gaseous feedstock such as natural gas by steam reforming the gas and treating the reformate to produce methanol by inter-reaction of the hydrogen and oxides of carbon in the reformate, the use of part of the feedstock to fire the reformer is avoided by immersing the reformer reactor tubes in a fluidized bed heated by the combustion of a low grade, solid, fossil-based fuel such as coal, lignite, oil shale or asphaltic residues from oil refining. By pressurizing the fluidized bed, all the power requirements of the process can be obtained by expansion of the flue gas, which can also provide the CO.sub.2 balance for the methanol synthesis, and a compressor can be omitted.

Abstract: An economic route to transport fuels from low grade feedstocks containing organic polycyclic components and mineral and/or metallic components comprises separating the feedstock into (a) a residue containing fuel values and substantially all of the mineral and metallic components and (b) a liquid hydrocarbon fraction; hydrogenating the liquid hydrocarbon fraction; providing hydrogen for the hydrogenation by steam reforming methane-containing gas recovered from the hydrogenated material; and providing the heat for the steam reforming by immersing the reformer reactor tubes in a fluidized bed heated by combustion of residue from the separation step. If the fluidized bed is pressurized, the process can be made substantially self-contained with all the heat and power requirements for steam generation and feedstock compression for hydrogenation and steam reforming being recovered from the flue gas.