Growing demand for biorenewable chemicals could lead to conflicts with food production and unwanted environmental impacts. Against this context, this study investigated different types of feedstock and conversion technologies. The authors recommend use of only non-edible feedstock alongside green and carbon neutral conversion technologies, such as algal fermentation.

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Ok so you own securities in a bankrupt company. If they’re stock, you’re probably going to be wiped out. If you own bonds, you are a creditor in the bankruptcy proceedings. Depending on how the proceedings go, you may get shares or bonds in the company. Or you may get cash as the company sells […]

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Stocks that trade under $5 per share are often referred to as penny stocks. Many penny stocks trade for literal pennies (or less) on the OTC market, but there are plenty of penny stocks that trade on major exchanges as well.The Nasdaq and NYSE require all stocks listed on their exchanges to maintain a minimum share price of $1 or risk being delisted. Most companies do not want their shares trading under , so there's a good chance the large majority of penny stocks have been through some tough times. But that doesn't mean there are no penny stock buying opportunities as well.Here are eight penny stocks to buy, hold and sell, according to Bank of America.Lloyds Banking Group PLC (NYSE: LYG) - Sell Lloyds Banking Group has a market cap of more than $100 billion and is one of the largest banks in the UK, but you wouldn't know it by its $1.50 stock price. Lloyds shares are down another 53% in the past year as the bank struggles to deal with historically low interest rates.Analyst Rohith Chandra-Rajan recently said Lloyds' first quarter numbers were bad across the board, but given income and credit quality pressures, things could get even worse in the second quarter. For now, Lloyds has adequate capital, but the company's revenue outlook will have to significantly improve before the stock is investable, Chandra-Rajan said.Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $1.28 price target for LYG stock.See Also: 11 Reasons Billionaire Investor Leon Cooperman Is Worried About Long-Term Impacts Of COVID-19Nokia Oyj (NYSE: NOK) - Buy Nokia is a telecom network infrastructure equipment supplier. The stock is down 29.3% in the past year, but analyst Tal Liani recently said the company's first-quarter numbers were solid.Looking ahead, Liani said 5G demand should ramp up in the second half of the year, and Nokia has significant opportunities to improve its margins and turn around its slumping business. In the first quarter, Networks gross margins were up 3.5% from a year ago to above 30%. Liani said Nokia is far from a growth story given sales will likely be down 3.4% in 2020, but the stock has self-help upside potential.Bank of America has a Buy rating and $4.80 price target for NOK stock.Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) - Buy Ford shares have spent most of the last six weeks trading right around $5. The global auto industry has been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak.Ford reported a $2 billion first-quarter loss and guided for another $5 billion loss in the second quarter. However, analyst John Murphy said Ford has done a good job in shoring up its balance sheet by drawing $15.4 billion on its revolving credit facility and raising $8 billion via an unsecured senior notes offering. Murphy said Ford will likely emerge from the economic downturn a stronger company, and the economic pressures have likely hastened Ford's restructuring and cost-cutting efforts.Bank of America has a Buy rating and $7 price target for F stock.Nio Inc - ADR (NYSE: NIO) - Buy After a brutal 2019, shares of Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio have gained 81.6% so far in 2020 but remain priced under $4. Analyst Ming Hsun Lee recently upgraded Nio.In the midst of a brutal global auto market, Nio reported 3,155 deliveries in April, up 181% from a year ago and 106% from March. Lee said Nios recent fundraising has reduced cash burn fears and sales growth should help boost margins over time. Lee also said the recently announced EV purchase subsidy scheme demonstrates that the Chinese government intends to help support the company.Bank of America has a Buy rating and $5 price target for Nio stock.Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE: SWN) - Sell Southwestern Energy is one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S. The oil market has been devastated by the economic shutdown, but natural gas prices have actually been relatively stable year-to-date. Still, analyst Doug Leggate recently said core Marcellus inventory depth is a concern for the company.Southwestern could also be at risk of exceeding its net leverage requirements under its 2018 debt covenants. Shares are up 80% in the past three months on the expectation that less U.S. oil production will limit associated gas supply, but Leggate said the impact may be smaller than investors realize.Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $1.85 price target for SWN stock.Transocean LTD (NYSE: RIG) - Sell Transocean is one of the world's largest offshore oil drilling contractors. Transocean has been one of the worst investments in the market over the past decade, and shares are down 98% overall during that period. Unfortunately, analyst Mike Sabella recently said there seems to be no end in sight for Transocean's troubles.Sabella said there is essentially no demand for offshore drilling, and a severe lack of capital will likely force cold stacking and scrapping of existing rigs. Leverage and free cash flow problems will likely continue to plague the company for years to come.Bank of America has an Underperform rating and $1 price target for RIG stock.See Also: 7 Best-Performing Stocks Of 2020: Buy, Sell Or Hold?J C Penney Company Inc (NYSE: JCP) - Sell Twenty years ago, it would have seemed inconceivable that JC Penney shares would be trading at 18 cents. Yet here we are. Less than two years after Sears was delisted, JC Penney is a true penney stock and appears to be headed down the same path.Even prior to the coronavirus outbreak, same-store sales dropped 7% in the fourth quarter and the company guided for up to a 4.5% drop in 2020. Analyst Lorraine Hutchinson recently said JC Penney simply can't seem to stop the bleeding, and the stock is untouchable unless the company somehow finds a way for its business to make a 180-degree turn fast.Bank of America has an Underperform rating and 20-cent price target for JCP stock.Photo credit: Miosotis Jade, via Wikimedia CommonsLatest Ratings for F DateFirmActionFromTo Apr 2020Goldman SachsInitiates Coverage OnNeutral Mar 2020Morgan StanleyMaintainsOverweight Mar 2020CitigroupMaintainsNeutral View More Analyst Ratings for F View the Latest Analyst Ratings See more from Benzinga * How Trading In Ford, GE And Other Volatile Stocks Could Be Linked To Casino Closures * Hedge Fund Manager Makes Bold Tesla Prediction Ahead Of Earnings * Ford Analysts React To Earnings: 'Potential Liquidity Crunch Looming'(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Does history repeat? Many of us, no doubt, remember the crash of the doc.com bubble back in 2000, and at least one analyst sees that pattern repeating before our eyes. Will Meade, who built his reputation in stock analysis with Goldman Sachs, believes that the current rally is only temporary, and that the markets are likely to fall again in 2H20 – by as much as 40%.Meade points that, like in 2000, we have the risk and uncertainty of a Presidential election coming up, and then adds, “The NASDAQ in 2000 did a similar bear market bounce as stocks this year — dropped 40%, then bounced 42% off the bottom retracing 61.8% of its drop. It stalled then fell 43%, making a new low four months later.” If Meade is right, then the true market bottom is due to hit us in late July or early September.The analyst is not all doom and gloom, however. While he is predicting bad news and tough times for the stock markets, he also points out that investors can act now to buffer their personal positions. His advice: move to liquid assets and build a cash savings buffer.Shoring up the savings account is only part of a strong defensive strategy. Investors can also shift their portfolio toward dividend stocks, relying on the steady income from the dividend payments to compensate for lower share price appreciation.We’ve used TipRanks database to find three high-yielding stocks that offer reliable payments – and all three have gotten the thumbs up from Maxim analyst Michael Diana.Ellington Financial, Inc. (EFC)We’ll start in the financial sector, with a small-cap company in the mortgage finance niche. Ellington operates as an investor, putting money into consumer loans, equity investments, mortgage backed securities, and both residential and commercial mortgages. It’s a standard portfolio for a mortgage-focused real estate investment trust.As an REIT, Ellington naturally offers a high dividend. REITs are required to a return a high percentage of profits to investors, and dividends are a sure way to comply with that regulatory provision. In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, and consequent economic damage, Ellington had to reduce its monthly payment starting with the April 29 payout. However, the company is maintaining a 54% payout ratio – returning more than half of earnings to investors. The 8-cent per share payment annualized to 96 cents, and offers investors a yield of 10%.Right now, the Fed’s key interest rate is down to the 0 to 25 basis point range, and Treasury bonds are yielding less than 1%. Even among dividend stocks, the average yield is just 2%. So, EFC’s 10% dividend yield is a fantastic return. Looking ahead, the company is expected to show 40 cents per share in earnings for Q1, more than enough to maintain the new monthly dividend.Maxim’s Michael Diana has tagged EFC as a ‘top pick,’ particularly noting the company’s strong management team: "Managing an mREIT even in 'normal' times is a difficult task, as the manager must balance leverage, prepayment protection, interest income, hedging, and diversity of financing sources to position the investment portfolio to withstand unexpected shocks without giving up too much income. When an unexpected shock does occur, crisis management skills are required to dynamically hedge and reposition the portfolio. We have followed EFC longer than any other analyst and, in our view, EFC management possesses all of these skills."Diana puts an $18 price target on EFC shares, implying a whooping 82% upside potential that fully supports his Buy rating. (To watch Diana’s track record, click here)Wall Street agrees with Diana’s assessment here. The analyst consensus on this stock is a Strong Buy, and it is unanimous, based on 4 Buy reviews set in recent weeks. Shares are selling at a comfortable entry point, just $9.87, and the average price target of $14.38 suggests room for a robust 46% upside growth this year. (See Ellington stock analysis on TipRanks)AGNC Investment (AGNC)Based in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC, AGNC is another REIT. The company’s portfolio is centered on residential mortgage-backed securities, but with a twist. Most of AGNC’s portfolio investments are guaranteed by the US government. The company’s portfolio includes $70.7 billion in such agency-supported securities, out of a total value of $93 billion.AGNC reported fiscal Q1 earnings at the end of April, and beat the forecast on EPS. Per-share earnings came in at 57 cents, based on $65 million in net interest income. The income interest figure is down significantly from the previous quarter, reflecting the economic troubles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On a positive note, AGNC’s cash holdings increased 55% in the first quarter, reaching $1.29 billion by March 31.A solid cash position and safe guarantees on the portfolio make AGNC an attractive investment, and the reliable monthly dividend adds icing to that cake. Like EFC above, AGNC lowered its monthly payment in Q1. The new payment is 12 cents per share per month, which annualized to $1.44 and gives a strong yield of 11.5%. At 63.2%, the payout ratio shows that the dividend is easily sustainable at current income levels – and has room to raised back to previous rates when conditions warrant.Diana is bullish on this stock and upgrades his rating from Hold to Buy. The analyst noted, "While turmoil in the mortgage markets at the end of March resulted in losses and lower book values for all mREITs, AGNC was able to meet all of its margin calls and, importantly, take relatively fewer realized losses, and therefore retain more earnings power post-turmoil. This is why we believe the dividend, currently yielding 11.7% (vs. ~5% for peers) is safe."Along with the Buy rating, Diana gives AGNC a $15 price target, indicating a potential for 20% upside appreciation in the coming 12 months.The analysts are somewhat cautious on AGNC, a sentiment caught by the 8 to 3 split between Buy and Hold reviews. The consensus rating on the stock remains a Moderate Buy, while the $14.53 average price target implies a 14% upside potential. (See AGNC stock analysis on TipRanks)Manhattan Bridge Capital (LOAN)Last on our list is a NYC-based micro-cap lending company, Manhattan Bridge Capital. The company offers short-term financing and collateralized loans. Typical collateral includes real estate and tradeable stock, and the loans are usually used as first mortgages. LOAN originates, services, and manages its loan portfolio, and most of its customers are professional real estate investors and developers.The coronavirus epidemic has hurt real estate development and construction – exactly the type of projects that LOAN finances – in general, but that hit has been especially hard in New York City. At both the State and City levels, lockdown restrictions have been severe, and the mortgage loan environment is described by Diana as ‘challenging.’On a positive note, LOAN has covered its quarterly dividend payment, despite lower Q1 earnings. At 11 cents per share, the quarterly dividend annualized to 44 cents and offers investors a yield of 10.8%. Again, this compares favorably to most investment return yields out there.The high dividend yield alone makes this an attractive investment opportunity, but Diana also points out the stability of Manhattan Bridge’s portfolio, writing, “LOAN has never had to foreclose on a property and has never experienced a loan default.”With the stable portfolio in mind, Diana goes on to say, “We believe LOAN deserves to trade at a P/E premium to [peers] because of its: 1) lower leverage; 2) higher profitability; 3) better credit quality; 4) lower earnings volatility; and 5) dividend growth (which is possible in 2021, in our view, if the environment improves and stabilizes).”Diana’s $6 price target on the stock implies a healthy 46% one-year upside potential, and fully backs his Buy rating on the stock. Diana’s is the only recent Wall Street review of this stock – but should his thesis prove correct, expect LOAN to attract both stock analysts and investors in the near future. It offers a low cost of entry with a high potential return – an unbeatable combination. (See LOAN stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Investors are still uncertain just where the stock market is headed. Essentially, there are two competing opinions right now. One says that we’re just in a bear market rally, and that the worst is yet to come. The other thesis states that the current rally is real, and will mature into a new bull cycle as the economy restarts in the second half.Writing from JPMorgan, Marko Kolanovic, the investment bank's quant analyst, holds fast to that optimistic view. Kolanovic believes that epidemiological data suggests we are past the worst of the coronavirus spread, justifying the lifting of social and business restrictions. And that will open up economic activity, which will then find stimulus from low Fed interest rates and increased government ‘pump priming’ spending.Kolanovic sees the stimulus policies as more important than Q1’s weak earnings, writing, “The combined suppression of the risk free rate and credit spreads by the Fed likely has a bigger positive impact on equity valuation, compared with the negative impact of the temporary earnings loss.”Kolanovic is not the only JPM analyst who sees potential in the stock markets. The firm’s equity analysts have been working overtime to find the stocks best positioned to lead a potential bull rally. We’ve used the TipRanks database to pull up three of their stock picks, to find out why the JPM experts are tapping them for over 30% growth.KAR Auction Services (KAR)The first stock on our list belongs to a company in the second-hand vehicle market. KAR Auction Services operates a marketplace – both online and in the physical world – for used vehicles. The company sells to both individual and business buyers, people looking for a car to drive and garages looking to source parts for the shop floor. KAR sold over 3.7 million vehicles in 2019, bringing in $2.8 billion in auction revenue.KAR shares have been hit hard by the coronavirus epidemic. The combination of economic shutdowns and social lockdowns have not just put a hold on car sales – they have simply reduced the need for vehicles.Q1 earnings showed a 6% reduction in revenue, to $645.5 million, and a collapse in net income to $2.8 million from $15.3 million in the year-ago quarter. As noted, these steep reductions are attributable to the effects of the pandemic response. KAR shares are still down 38% year-to-date, badly underperforming the broader markets.However, JPM’s analyst Ryan Brinkman believes the current downturn is the time to buy in to KAR shares. The low price offers an attractive point of entry, and the stock has a clear path forward when economic activity resumes. Brinkman writes, “We believe that once stay-at-home orders are lifted and the situation moves from being one of a unique public health crisis to that of a more familiar economic downturn, aftermarket end-markets, including auctions, will earn their reputation for resiliency. People will drive again substantially similar to before, and volumes will return to salvage auctions.”Along with that optimistic assessment, Brinkman upgrades KAR from Neutral to Buy. His $19 price target suggests a strong 46% upside potential in the next 12 months. (To watch Brinkman’s track record, click here)Overall, KAR shares hold a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus, which breaks down into 4 Buy reviews and 3 Holds. While the analyst corps is somewhat divided, their average price target is in line with Brinkman’s. (See KAR stock analysis at TipRanks)J2 Global Communications (JCOM)Next up is an internet communications company. J2 Global owns a diverse portfolio of 40+ online content brands, including IGN, Mashable, PCMag, BabyCenter, Everyday Health among others. In addition, J2 also runs a Cloud Service business, offering eFax and eVoice among other online services. The company boasts nearly $1.5 billion in annual revenue, and saw Q4 earnings rise to $2.19 per share.The Q4 earnings were the highest in two years, and capped a full year of rising earnings. Q4 is typically J2’s strongest quarter, while Q1 is typically the weakest, so the $1.35 estimate for Q1 earnings is less indicative of poor performance than one may think at first. On an important note, that Q1 estimate represents a modest increase of 1.5% year-over-year.JCOM shares’ price performance has roughly mirrored the broader market’s during the past three months. JCOM lost 35% in the initial slide, and has risen 21% from its trough.Initiating coverage of the stock for JPM, Cory Carpenter set a Buy rating, with a $105 price target that indicates room for 32% upside growth. (To watch Carpenter’s track record, click here)Supporting his stance, Carpenter notes the company’s strong Cloud position, writing, “We believe Cloud Services is well positioned to capitalize on growing security & privacy needs, with bundling & cross-sell potential, and we like that Digital Media monetizes through multiple rents—ads, subs, & affiliate commerce.”Key drivers for Carpenter's bull thesis include: "1) Total growth strategy drives sustainable growth, with $1B+ capital to deploy [...] 2) Diversified portfolio of leading Cloud Services & Digital Media brands. [...] 3) Strong FCF generator with M&A flywheel. JCOM prioritizes FCF, not growth at all costs, which it largely redeploys into M&A. JCOM’s 40% EBITDA margin is driven by Cloud Services’ ~50% margin and Digital Media’s ~35% margin."Carpenter is broadly in line with the rest of Wall Street, which has assigned JCOM more "buy" ratings than "holds" over the past three month -- and sees the stock growing about 26% over the next 12 months, to a target price of $101.30. (See J2 Global stock analysis on TipRanks)Montage Resources Corporation (MR)Last on our list is a small-cap hydrocarbon exploration and production company. Montage is based in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, where it operates natural gas and crude oil drilling wells. Montage holds over 195,000 undeveloped core acres, and operates 325 actively producing horizontal wells. The value of the company’s holdings is clear from its stock performance; in the last three months, while the markets have generally slid into a bear cycle, MR shares have gained 55%.Even with the COVID-19 epidemic and the collapse of oil markets, MR was able to increase its net daily production during Q1, reaching 6610.7 MMcfe. This was above both company guidance and analyst estimates. Quarterly income of $62.7 million also beat the expectations. The company has curtailed some production in low-margin crude oil, to compensate for the soft oil market prices.Analyst Arun Jayaram, reviewing MR for JPM, upgraded his stance on the shares from Neutral to Buy. His $8 price target implies a 43% upside growth potential for the coming year. (To watch Jayaram’s track record, click here)Jayaram is clear on his reasons for upgrading this stock. He says of MR, “We expect the market to largely look through negative estimate revision risk to 2020 forecasts to the emerging bullish natural gas narrative in 2021… Meanwhile, the company’s FCF yield of 23% leads the peer group and is well above the peer group average of 10%...”The Strong Buy analyst consensus on MR shares is based on 5 recent reviews, including 4 Buys and a single Hold. The company’s strong natural gas production is tangible asset, and its enviable free cash flow is attractive for investors. Shares are selling for $5.59, while the average price target of $6.22 suggests a modest upside of 1.6%. (See MR stock analysis at TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

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Sensex sheds 310 pts; Nifty ends below 9k; banking, financial stocks drag

Sensex zooms 986 pts on RBI booster, Nifty ends at 9,293; banking stocks rally

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Beaten down banking and industrial stocks likely to outperform in near term: Taher Badshah

Pick stocks that will benefit from global supply chain reshuffle: Jitendra Gohil

‘Investors focusing on predictability, sustainability and better quality businesses’

Estimates of forest carbon stores and flux for California circa 1990 were modeled from forest inventory data in support of California's legislatively mandated greenhouse gas inventory. Reliable estimates of live-tree carbon stores and flux on timberlands outside of national forest could be calculated from periodic inventory data collected in the 1980s and 1990s; however, estimation of circa 1990 flux on national forests and forests other than timberland was problematic owing to a combination of changing inventory protocols and definitions and the lack of remeasurement data on those land categories. We estimate annual carbon flux on the 7.97 million acres of timberlands outside of national forests (which account for 24 percent of California's forest area and 28 percent of its live tree aboveground biomass) at 2.9 terragrams per year.

Methods are provided for refining natural oil feedstocks and producing dibasic esters and/or dibasic acids. The methods comprise reacting a terminal olefin with an internal olefin in the presence of a metathesis catalyst to form a dibasic ester and/or dibasic acid. In certain embodiments, the olefin esters are formed by reacting the feedstock in the presence of a metathesis catalyst under conditions sufficient to form a metathesized product comprising olefins and esters, separating the olefins from the esters in the metathesized product, and transesterifying the esters in the presence of an alcohol to form a transesterified product having olefin esters.

Provided for are lubricant base stocks with improved filterability. The lubricant base stock includes a bright stock and an effective amount of a heavy neutral. The filterability of the base stock as measured by the Membrane Filtration Method is less than or equal to 400 seconds. Also provided for are lubricating oils with improved filterability and methods of improving the filterability of lubricant base stocks.

A hydrocarbon conversion process comprises contacting a renewable feedstock under hydroprocessing conditions with a bulk catalyst to form oleochemicals such as fatty alcohols, esters, and normal paraffins. Advantageously, the reaction conditions can be selected to directly convert the renewable feedstock to the desired product(s).

A modular process for organosolv fractionation of lignocellulosic feedstocks into component parts and further processing of said component parts into one or more of a de-lignified cellulose stream, a sugar stream, small-chain alcohol streams and four structurally distinct classes of lignin derivatives. The modular process comprises a first processing module configured for digesting lignocellulosic feedstocks with an organic solvent thereby producing a cellulosic solids fraction and a liquid fraction, a second processing module configured for recovering small-chain alcohols and optionally a first class of lignin derivatives from the cellulosic solids fraction, a third processing module configured for recovering from the liquid fraction at least one of a second class and a third class of lignin derivatives or mixtures thereof, and waste stream comprising a fourth class of lignin derivatives. The fourth processing module may optionally recover the fourth class of lignin derivatives.

Wood particles having fibers aligned in a grain, wherein: the wood particles are characterized by a length dimension (L) aligned substantially parallel to the grain, a width dimension (W) normal to L and aligned cross grain, and a height dimension (H) normal to W and L; the L×H dimensions define two side surfaces characterized by substantially intact longitudinally arrayed fibers; the W×H dimensions define two cross-grain end surfaces characterized individually as aligned either normal to the grain or oblique to the grain; the L×W dimensions define two substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces; and, a majority of the W×H surfaces in the mixture of wood particles have end checking.

The inventive technology includes methods and apparatus for the generation and application of segregated catalytic additives for the pre-combustion treatment of carbonaceous fuel and/or feedstocks. The application of such segregated additives results in the reduction of environmentally harmful emissions during combustion as well as gasification processes. Specifically, pre-combustion treatment of carbonaceous materials with the inventive additives results in the reduction of NOx and/or mercury emissions by least 20% and 40% respectively.

A method of and apparatus for positioning and supporting any of several different elongated workpieces of circular, substantially square, or substantially non-square rectangular cross-sectional configuration so that a central workpiece axis is located along the same axis for any one of said workpieces includes a tailstock fixture for supporting one end of the workpiece which includes a frustoconical cavity that extends coaxial with the axis for receiving the one end of the workpiece, and a headstock fixture for supporting a second end of the workpiece opposite the first end which includes a generally cylindrical cavity extending coaxial with the axis and four equiangularly spaced workpiece engaging blades within the cylindrical cavity for engaging and supporting the second workpiece end.

A process and system is disclosed for optimizing a key parameter of a biomass feedstock that enhances bio-oil production. The process and system involves optimizing the values of the key parameter in multiple biomass feedstocks by regulating their feed rates and blending those feedstocks to produce a cumulative biomass feedstock with an optimal value for the key parameter. The key parameter in the biomass feedstocks is measured and the feed rates of the multiple biomass feedstocks are adjusted in order to produce a cumulative biomass feedstock exhibiting optimal values for the desired key parameter. The key parameters can include compositional properties, such as lignin content or mineral content, and/or fluidization properties of the biomass materials, such as density, particle cohesion force, or particle size.

A system and process for integrated desulfurizing, desalting and deasphalting of hydrocarbon feedstocks is provided. A hydrocarbon feedstock, a water soluble oxidant, and a water soluble catalyst can be introduced in a oxidation zone and retained for a period of time sufficient to achieve the desired degree of desulfurization, or introduced directly into the desalting zone along with wash water. Catalyst and dissolved salt are discharged along with the wastewater effluent from the desalting zone. A hydrocarbon stream including converted hydrocarbons and oxidation by-products is passed to a deasphalting zone. In the deasphalting zone, phase separation occurs, whereby a light phase including desulfurized hydrocarbons are produced, and a heavy phase including asphaltenes and oxidation by-products are discharged, e.g., passed to an asphalt pool.

A pre-processing assembly and method for processing fuel feedstock containing oxygen and hydrocarbons having higher and lower hydrocarbon content for a fuel cell, wherein the pre-processing assembly has a deoxidizing bed for reducing oxygen in the fuel feedstock and a pre-reforming bed for reducing higher hydrocarbon content in the fuel feedstock and wherein the deoxidizing bed and the pre-reforming bed are disposed within a common reaction vessel such that the fuel feedstock first passes through the deoxidizing bed and thereafter through the pre-reforming bed. The pre-reforming assembly may further include a propane processor bed for processing propane and propylene in the fuel feedstock, where the propane processor bed is disposed within the common reaction vessel with the deoxidizing bed and the pre-reforming bed.

A method for manufacturing an oxygenated gasoline-blend by blending a hydrocarbon Basestock for Oxygenate Blending (BOB) with an alcohol such as ethanol to a required octane specification first blends the BOB to an octane number, (RON+MON)/2 based on the octane sensitivity (RON−MON) of the BOB and the proportion of alcohol to be added to the BOB, such that when the BOB is blended with the specification proportion of alcohol to form the oxygenated gasoline blend, this blend will have the required octane specification. The blending of the BOB with the alcohol will typically be done at a location remote from that where the BOB is blended, e.g. at the product distribution terminal after being transported from the refinery by pipeline or tank car.

Systems and methods for producing engineered fuels from municipal solid waste material are described herein. In some embodiments, a method includes combining a first waste stream that includes at least one of hard plastic, soft plastic and mixed plastic with a sorbent and increasing the temperature of the combined first waste stream and sorbent to a temperature of at least about 200° C. The method further includes combining the thermally treated first waste stream and sorbent with a second waste stream that includes fiber, and compressing the combined first waste stream, sorbent, and second waste stream to form a densified engineered fuel feedstock.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets gained Wednesday after France and Spain joined governments that plan to ease anti-virus controls and allow businesses to reopen. Benchmarks in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sydney and Southeast Asia advanced. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Wall Street retreated overnight, hurt by declines in health care and tech stocks […]

As bad as the April jobs report was, it wasn’t quite as bad as analysts were expecting, which sent stocks and bond yields rising early Friday.

The Canadian stock market got off to a bright start Friday morning and was holding firm a little past noon, riding on gains in consumer discretionary, financial and energy sections.

The Canadian benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index was holding in positive territory Thursday noon with some key stocks finding solid support at higher levels.

Canadian shares were swinging between gains and losses Wednesday morning as investors looked for direction. Activity was largely stock specific with corporate earnings news setting the trend.

Following the pullback seen in the previous session, stocks have shown another notable move to the downside during trading on Friday. The major averages continue to give back ground after ending Wednesday's trading at their best closing levels in well over a month.