Abstract: A process is provided to dedust oil derived from solid hydrocarbon-containing material, such as oil shale, coal or tar sand in multi-stage desalters. In the process, water is dispersed into the oil before entering each desalter to form an emulsion. The desalter separates the emulsion into a stream of oil having a substantially lower concentration of dust and a dusty stream of water containing most of the dust. In one embodiment, the sludge-like dusty stream from the first desalter is combusted in a lift pipe and used as heat carrier material in the retort. In other embodiments, the dusty stream from the first desalter is centrifuged or filtered and thereafter heated in a dryer to remove residual oil and water from the stream before the stream is combusted in the lift pipe and used as heat carrier material in the retort and dryer. Effluent water from the second and third desalters as well as from the centrifuge or filter are recycled upstream and dispersed in the oil.

Abstract: A method is described for the manufacture of wax esters from saturated hydrocarbons by the metabolic action of microorganisms. These wax esters contain either 0, 1 or 2 internally located carbon-carbon double bonds, with no more than 1 carbon-carbon double bond being in the fatty acid or the fatty alcohol segments. These wax esters are chemically similar to the wax esters of sperm whale oil and jojoba oil, and are useful as lubricants and lubricant additives, for example. They also are a ready source of industrially important mono-ene fatty acids and fatty alcohols, when saponified.