Abstract: A process for conversion of a feedstock selected from the group consisting of biomass and refuse derived fuel (RDF) to provide reformulated gasoline components comprising a substantial amount of materials selected from the group consisting of ethers, alcohols, or mixtures thereof, comprising: drying said feedstock; subjecting said dried feedstock to fast pyrolysis using a vortex reactor or other means; catalytically cracking vapors resulting from said pyrolysis using a zeolite catalyst; condensing any aromatic byproduct fraction; catalytically alkylating any benzene present in said vapors after condensation; catalytically oligomerizing any remaining ethylene and propylene to higher olefins; isomerizing said olefins to reactive iso-olefins; and catalytically reacting said iso-olefins with an alcohol to form ethers or with water to form alcohols.

Abstract: A process is described for reducing the viscosity of heavy hydrocarbon oils which comprises separately heating a stream of heavy hydrocarbon oil and a stream of gas, mixing the hot gas and hot heavy hydrocarbon oil under pressure and immediately thereafter passing the heavy oil/gas mixture through a small nozzle or orifice such that a substantial pressure drop occurs across the orifice and the heavy oil/gas mixture is ejected from the orifice as a spray in the form of fine oil droplets entrained by highly turbulent gas flow. This spray is discharged into a confined reaction zone from which the oil of reduced viscosity is collected.

Abstract: A continuous, low severity process for dewatering peat. The process comprises the steps of flowing a slurry of peat through a reactor directly heated by the addition of live steam to heat the slurry to a temperature of between 160.degree. C. to 200.degree. C., subjecting the heated slurry to intense mechanical shear and mixing, and then, after a period of between 1 to 3 minutes, quenching the product.