Patent ID: 8394264

Claim:
A method for stabilizing hydrocarbon products obtained from depolymerization of hydrocarbon-containing residues or pyrolysis oil wherein said hydrocarbon products are obtained by (i) providing hydrocarbon-containing residues or pyrolysis oil; (i) heating said hydrocarbon-containing residues or pyrolysis oil in a reactor to create a hydrocarbon-containing vapor fraction; and (ii) distilling said hydrocarbon-containing vapor fraction to obtain a clear or substantially clear liquid of diesel oil fraction or heating oil fraction; the improvement comprising: a) exposing said clear or substantially clear liquid of diesel oil fraction or heating oil fraction to an oxidative atmosphere and causing said clear or substantially clear liquid of diesel oil fraction or heating oil fraction to become discolored; and, b) clarifying said discolored diesel oil fraction or heating oil fraction in a distillation column or in a thin-layer evaporator to obtain a clear liquid of stabilize diesel oil or stabilized heating oil, said step of clarifying said discolored diesel oil fraction or heating oil fraction occurs in said thin-layer evaporator, said discolored diesel oil fraction or heating oil fraction is passed as a thin layer over an evaporator surface that is at a temperature of about 180-240° C. and then a vapor component that is formed is condensed to form said clear liquid of stabilized diesel oil or stabilized heating oil.