Abstract: The present invention provides a method of making storage-stable road paving binders by blending a minor amount of an unsaturated polymer (e.g., having at least one diene monomer) with a major amount of asphalt at an elevated temperature such that the components are sufficiently fluid to blend; treating the asphalt-polymer blend with a sulfonating agent; and stripping the treated asphalt-polymer blend at an elevated temperature with sufficient stripping gas to remove strippable sulfur moieties and to stabilize the resulting stripped, treated blend. The invention also provides asphaltic compositions made by the method. The asphaltic compositions are useful as binders in road paving applications.

Abstract: The yield and quality of products secured from cracking units is increased by the process of subjecting the product stream secured from such cracking unit to a selective aromatics removal process and recycling the recovered aromatics lean (saturates rich) stream to the cracking unit whereby such saturates rich stream is subjected to increased conversion to higher value desired products.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a continuous in-situ process for the removal from heavy oils, of organically bound sulfur in the form of mercaptans, sulfides and thiophenes, heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and oxygen and metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, vanadium and iron, comprising the steps of (a) contacting a heavy oil with aqueous sodium hydroxide at a temperature of about 380.degree. to about 450.degree. C. for a time sufficient to form sodium sulfide; (b) contacting said sodium sulfide of step (a) with water and a transition metal for a time and at a temperature sufficient to form transition metal sulfide, sodium hydroxide, hydrogen and impurities; and (c) recirculating said sodium hydroxide from step (b) to step (a) and removing said transition metal sulfide and said impurities, wherein said impurities are iron, vanadium and nickel. Optionally, molecular hydrogen may be added in the first step.

Abstract: In a solvent recovery plant including a recovery or distillation tower from which solvent product is recovered overhead, an isothermal separator, preferably a cyclone, is used to separate liquid phase contaminant (i.e. oil in a lubricating oil extraction process) in overhead product and to feed the separated liquid to the recovery tower as reflux. In addition, a portion of the feed to the tower can be branched off and mixed with the overhead product to bring its temperature down to close to the dew point of the solvent vapor. In this way, flooding of the uppermost tower trays and distillation of oil overhead can be overcome.

Abstract: A method for reducing fuel consumption in an internal combustion engine comprises operating said engine on a fuel composition comprising a major amount of fuel and a minor amount of an additive comprising an ester of a polyhydric polyether having ether oxygens and free and esterified hydroxyl groups in the polyhydric polyether backbone. One such ester additive is decaglycerol tetraoleate, which is an ester of decaglycerol and oleic acid containing an average of four adducted oleic acid units and 10-12 free hydroxyl groups.

Abstract: A lubricating oil composition having improved fuel economy, wear resistance and antioxidancy properties which comprise a lubricating oil basestock, an oil-soluble copper salt, an oil-soluble molybdenum salt, a Group II metal salicylate and a borated polyalkenyl succinimide.

Abstract: Briefly stated, the present invention comprises a composition of matter having the formula M.sub.x L.sub.y P.sub.z.

Abstract: This invention provides for novel road paving binder compositions and the method of making them. One embodiment is a road paving binder composition of a storage stable blend of a sulfonated, unhydrogenated random copolymer of styrene and butadiene having a sulfonation level of from 1 to 100 meq S0.sub.3 H/100 g of polymer and a sulfonated asphalt. Another is a method of making a storage stable polymer modified asphalt composition by combining a sulfonated unhydrogenated random styrene butadiene copolymer having a sulfonation level of from about 1 to 100 meq S0.sub.3 H per 100 g of polymer and a sulfonated asphalt at a temperature of at least about 180.degree. C. to produce a storage stable polymer modified asphalt. Yet another is a method of making a storage stable polymer modified asphalt by combining a sulfonated unhydrogenated random styrene and butadiene copolymer having a sulfonation level of from about 1 to 100 meq S0.sub.

Abstract: A composite is provided having improved toughness without reduction in stiffness comprising a polymer matrix having fibers embedded therein wherein the polymer of the matrix is substantially beta polypropylene or a beta polypropylene-olefin copolymer. The composite is made by combining a nucleating agent with a polymer composition selected from the group consisting of alpha polypropylene, an alpha polypropylene-olefin copolymer, alpha polypropylene containing fibers therein and an alpha polypropylene-olefin copolymer having fibers therein, and when the polymer is polypropylene or polypropylene-olefin copolymer, also independently adding fiber to the polymer or copolymer and thereafter inducing nucleation whereby a composite of improved stiffness with no reduction in toughness is formed.

Abstract: ECR-31 is a new zeolite having a 12-ring channel. It may be expected to have similar properties to other 12-ring channel zeolites in catalysis and separations.

Abstract: The biodegradation of hydrocarbon contaminated water is enhanced by the adding to the contaminated water a hydrocarbon solution of (a) a mixture of a sorbitan ester of a C.sub.7 to C.sub.22 monocarboxylic acid and a polyoxyalkelene adduct of a sorbitan ester of a C.sub.7 to C.sub.22 monocarboxylic acid, the adduct having from 4 to 50 polyoxyalkelene units, (b) an alkyl glycoside wherein the alkyl group has from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms and the gylcoside is a mono or diglycoside, or a mixture thereof, in amounts sufficient to promote the growth of indigenous microorganisms.In another embodiment of the invention a source of microbial assimilable nitrogen and phosphorous also is supplied to the contaminated water.

Abstract: A hydroconversion process for converting a heavy hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to lower boiling products, which process involves the use of a sulfided catalyst concentrate which is prepared in a continuous plug-flow mode. The heavy hydrocarbonaceous feedstock is reacted with said catalyst concentrate in the presence of hydrogen at hydroconversion conditions.

Abstract: An improved dispersant formulation for dispersing oil which contains a mixture of a sorbitan monoester of an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, a polyoxyethylene adduct of a sorbitan monoester of an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, a water-dispersible salt of a dialkyl sulfosuccinate, a polyoxyethylene adduct of a sorbitan triester or a sorbitol hexaester of an aliphatic monocarboxylic acid and a glycol ether which has a maximum water solubility of 25 ml/100 ml as solvent.

Abstract: The present invention provides an enhanced biodegradation process by applying to petroleum contaminated soil or water essential microbial nutrients in a form capable of releasing the nutrients over time at a rate which, at 25.degree. C., is substantially linear. Importantly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microbial nutrients that are applied to the soil or water are in a form such that the release of nutrients at 38.degree. C. will be greater than that at 25.degree. C. by a factor of about 2.5 to 6.0, and preferably from a factor of about 3 to about 5.0.

Abstract: The amount of elemental sulfur or other sulfur contaminant picked-up by refined hydrocarbon product such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene or fuel additive such as ether, which is pipelined in a pipeline used to transport sour hydrocarbon fluids, is reduced by controlling the level of dissolved oxygen in the refinery hydrocarbon product to which is to be pipelined, said dissolved oxygen level being held to a level of about 30 wppm and less, preferably about 20 wppm and less. The dissolved oxygen level in the refined hydrocarbon product is controlled by reducing the amount fair injection employed in mercaptan or disulfide reduction production increases or by the use of oxygen scavengers prior to the introduction of the refined hydrocarbon product into the pipeline, or by limiting the exposure of the product to air in oxygen during transport or storage.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved selective solvent extraction process wherein a hydrocarbon feed stream containing a mixture of aromatics and non-aromatics is contacted with an aromatics selective solvent in an extraction zone to produce an aromatics rich extract phase and an aromatics lean raffinate phase, water in a carefully controlled amount is added to the recovered extract phase resulting in the separation of the extract phase into a hydrocarbon rich pseudo-raffinate which is recycled to the extraction zone for processing with fresh feed and an increased yield of raffinate of higher quality than is obtained without pseudo-raffinate recycle.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composition for in-situ decontamination of earth formations comprising:(a) from about 1,000 to about 25,000 parts by weight of a hydrophobically associating polymer per million parts by weight of water;(b) from about 25 to about 7,500 parts by weight per million parts by weight of water of one or more anionic or non-ionic surfactants; and,(c) from about 0.5 wt % to about 4 wt %, based on the weight of water, of salts selected from the group consisting of alkali and alkaline earth metal halides and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A profile of the emulsion pad, the oil continuous and the water continuous phases present in a coalescer, such as a crude oil dehydrater or desalter, which contains sample withdrawing means such as trycocks or a swing arm sampler for withdrawing liquid samples from a plurality of known vertical positions inside the unit, is readily obtained by withdrawing samples from a plurality of known vertical positions inside the unit and passing the samples to a receiver outside the unit which contains means for measuring an electrical property determinative of the type of phase being measured and its water content. The measured electrical property may be the energy absorption of the sample, such as RF energy absorption.

Abstract: A process for heteroatom removal-enhancing hydrogenation of highly refractory aromatic ring structures that involves contacting a highly refractory structure having at least one aryl linkage connecting a first heteroaryl moiety and a moiety selected from the group consisting of an aryl moiety and a second heteroaryl moiety with supercritical water having a temperature of from about 400.degree. C. to about 600.degree. C. in the presence of from about 3.4 MPa to about 18.6 MPa of CO to produce lower molecular weight products having decreased aromatic and heteroatom content. The process has utility for producing more valuable lower molecular weight products having a reduced aromatic heteroatom content from starting materials that are highly refractory and widely considered to be difficult to upgrade such as coals and asphaltenes, and model compounds containing the biaryl linkages.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward a composition suitable for use in separating CO.sub.2 from gas streams containing CO.sub.2 especially H.sub.2 rich gas streams containing CO.sub.2 and CO. The composition comprises a hydrophylic polymer and at least one salt of an aminoacid, the salt of the aminoacid being present in an amount ranging from about 10 to about 80 wt % based on the total weight of the composition.