Abstract: The disclosure generally provides a modification of a calcination process of lime bearing sludge in such a way that the flue gas generated by the calcination process contains primarily carbon dioxide and water vapor along with only minor amounts of other gaseous species. Such a flue gas can be treated by standard industrial gas scrubbing and purification processes to remove residual particulate solids, to condense and remove the water vapor as liquid water, and further treatment to produce essentially pure carbon dioxide. The resulting product may be used for purposes that do not involve a net emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, thereby reducing environmental harm. Such purified carbon dioxide may be used in industry for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, synthetic fuels production, carbonated beverage production, pharmaceutical production, or other beneficial uses.

Abstract: A fluid catalytic cracking process includes regenerating a spent catalyst from a stripper vessel in a first regeneration stage to produce a partially regenerated catalyst, regenerating the partially regenerated catalyst in second regeneration stage to produce a fully regenerated catalyst, and providing a first portion of the fully regenerated catalyst to a riser reactor. The process includes generating the spent catalyst with the riser reactor and providing the spent catalyst to a stripper vessel and providing a second portion of the fully regenerated catalyst to the stripper vessel to mix with the spent catalyst for better stripping efficiency and prompting further reactions, resulting in overall reduced coke load, sulfur, and nitrogen to be burned, and providing necessary heat needed for the following coke gasification to produce synthesis gas in the first regeneration stage.

Abstract: A cracking furnace for cracking a hydrocarbon feed, the furnace including a firebox having a single radiant zone including, a first plurality of cracking coils each having a first shape arranged within the firebox. The radiant zone includes a second plurality of cracking coils each having a second shape arranged within the radiant zone. A burner section positioned below the first plurality cracking coils and below the second plurality of cracking coils. A convection section is positioned on top of the firebox configured to recover residual heat from the firebox.

Abstract: Integrated processes are disclosed for the catalytic conversion of carbohydrate to ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol using a homogeneous, tungsten-containing retro-aldol catalyst. In these processes, the carbohydrate is subjected to retro-aldol conversion and hydrogenation to provide a reaction product containing ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol, other reaction process including organic acids, itols and tungsten species. Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are separated from the reaction product for purification, and at least a portion of the remaining fraction is subjected to ion exclusion chromatography to provide an eluant containing tungsten species and a subsequent eluant containing organic acids and a substantially reduced concentration of tungsten species. At least a portion of the eluant containing tungsten species can be recycled for reuse directly or with intervening unit operations to enhance the catalytic activity of the tungsten species.

Abstract: A cracking furnace for cracking a hydrocarbon feed, the furnace including a firebox having a single radiant zone including, a first plurality of cracking coils each having a first shape arranged within the firebox. The radiant zone includes a second plurality of cracking coils each having a second shape arranged within the radiant zone. A burner section positioned below the first plurality cracking coils and below the second plurality of cracking coils. A convection section is positioned on top of the firebox configured to recover residual heat from the firebox.

Abstract: A method for enhancing the recovery of styrene includes feeding a hot liquid residue stream to a stripping vessel from a styrene monomer purification finishing system. The hot liquid residue stream includes styrene and compounds less volatile than styrene. The method includes introducing a gas to the stripping vessel to strip a portion of the styrene as vapor, generating a vaporized styrene portion, returning the vaporized styrene portion and the gas to the styrene monomer purification finishing system, recovering at least a portion of the vaporized styrene portion into a styrene monomer product, and producing a final liquid residue stream from a bottom of the stripping vessel with a lower concentration of styrene than the hot liquid residue stream feeding the stripping vessel.

Abstract: Integrated processes are disclosed for the catalytic conversion of carbohydrate to ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol using a homogeneous, tungsten-containing retro-aldol catalyst. In these processes, the carbohydrate is subjected to retro-aldol conversion and hydrogenation to provide a reaction product containing ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol, other reaction process including organic acids, itols and tungsten species. Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are separated from the reaction product for purification, and at least a portion of the remaining fraction is subjected to ion exclusion chromatography to provide an eluant containing tungsten species and a subsequent eluant containing organic acids and a substantially reduced concentration of tungsten species. At least a portion of the eluant containing tungsten species can be recycled for reuse directly or with intervening unit operations to enhance the catalytic activity of the tungsten species.

Abstract: The disclosure generally provides a modification of a calcination process of lime bearing sludge in such a way that the flue gas generated by the calcination process contains primarily carbon dioxide and water vapor along with only minor amounts of other gaseous species. Such a flue gas can be treated by standard industrial gas scrubbing and purification processes to remove residual particulate solids, to condense and remove the water vapor as liquid water, and further treatment to produce essentially pure carbon dioxide. The resulting product may be used for purposes that do not involve a net emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, thereby reducing environmental harm. Such purified carbon dioxide may be used in industry for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, synthetic fuels production, carbonated beverage production, pharmaceutical production, or other beneficial uses.

Abstract: Integrated processes are disclosed for the catalytic conversion of carbohydrate to ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol using a homogeneous, tungsten-containing retro-aldol catalyst. In these processes, the carbohydrate is subjected to retro-aldol conversion and hydrogenation to provide a reaction product containing ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol, other reaction process including organic acids, itols and tungsten species. Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are separated from the reaction product for purification, and at least a portion of the remaining fraction is subjected to ion exclusion chromatography to provide an eluant containing tungsten species and a subsequent eluant containing organic acids and a substantially reduced concentration of tungsten species. At least a portion of the eluant containing tungsten species can be recycled for reuse directly or with intervening unit operations to enhance the catalytic activity of the tungsten species.

Abstract: Control methods are disclosed for continuous, unmodulated, multiple catalytic conversion step processes using at least two catalysts, a first catalyst and a second catalyst, that accommodate changes in the performance of each catalyst and the relative performances of the catalysts. In the methods, certain process parameters are used in a manner that is indicative of changes in catalyst performance, and the control methods provide for adjustment of at least one of: the absolute amount of catalytically active species and relative amounts of each of the first catalyst and second catalyst and at least one of the rate of feed or concentration of the raw material to the reaction zone.

Abstract: A process for converting lignocellulosic feedstock includes providing a lignocellulosic feedstock into a first inlet of a first reactor at a first end, and providing a hot feedstock into a second inlet of the first reactor at a second end of the first reactor. The process includes heating and reacting the lignocellulosic feedstock with the hot feedstock and outputting a first product stream from a first product outlet of the first reactor. The first product stream is an alkane rich product stream. A reactor system includes a first reactor having a first inlet at a first end, a second inlet at a second end and at least one product outlet. The first reactor is configured to receive a lignocellulosic feedstock at the first inlet and a hot feedstock at the second inlet. The system includes a second reactor having a first inlet downstream from the at least one product outlet.

Abstract: Retro-aldol processes are disclosed that use very low concentrations of retro-aldol catalyst in combination with hydrogenation catalyst of certain activities, sizes and spatial dispersions to obtain the high selectivities to ethylene glycol.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a riser reactor within the reaction vessel. The riser reactor defines a longitudinal axis and including a riser reactor inlet at one end and at least one riser reactor outlet at an opposite end. The apparatus includes a separation vessel including at least one separation chamber and at least one collection chamber distributed in an alternating manner about the longitudinal axis. Each separation chamber comprises two vertical lateral walls which also comprise a wall of an adjacent one of the at least one collection chamber. A lateral separation chamber outlet is defined in at least one of the vertical lateral walls to provide fluid and particle communication from the lateral separation chamber to the adjacent one of the at least one collection chamber. The separation vessel includes at least one collection chamber deflector positioned in the at least one collection chamber.

Abstract: A packing system includes a first packing element layer including a plurality of blades and a second packing element layer including a plurality of blades. The packing system includes intra-layer variation and/or inter-layer variation. Intra-layer variation includes (i) varying spacing between blades within the first and/or the second packing element layer, (ii) varying sizes of the blades within the first and/or the second packing element layer, and/or (iii) varying angle of inclination of the blades within the first and/or second packing element layer. Inter-layer variation includes the blades of the first packing layer having a first spacing, a first size and a first angle of inclination, and the blades of the second packing layer having a second spacing, a second size, and a second angle of inclination. The second spacing, size, and/or angle of inclination is different from the first spacing, size, and/or angle of inclination.