A nanomaterial processing system is constructed to include a compressor adapted to compress a flow of air/liquid into a high-pressure flow of air/liquid, a material feeder adapted to feed a material into the high-pressure flow of air/liquid passing out of the compressor, enabling the fed material to be mixed with the high-pressure flow of air/liquid into a high-pressure material flow; a shunt collider adapted to shunt the high-pressure material flow into two sub-flows and to let the shunt sub-flows to collide into a collided material flow, and a high-speed cutting unit, which uses a diamond coating-coated cutting wheel to cut solid substances the collided material flow.

A substance-atomizing apparatus (30) has a pump member (9) and a generator member (12). The pump member (9) has a piston (13) that is reciprocally moved in a cylinder (17) by drive device (1) and pressurizes a raw material fluid. The generator member (12) makes the raw material fluid pressurized in the pump member (9) pass through a hole portion (26) provided inside the generator member, and atomizes a substance included in the raw material fluid in accordance with nozzle characteristics of the hole portion (26). A pressure chamber (14) is formed between the piston (13) and a closed end of the cylinder (17). An intake (15) is formed on a cylinder (17) side surface of the pressure chamber (14). An outlet (16) is formed on the closed end (18) of the cylinder (17). In the first half of a discharge stroke, the raw material fluid is sent from the pressure chamber (14) into a charge vessel (10) through the intake (15). In the last half of the discharge stroke, the intake (15) is directly closed by the side surface of the piston (13), and the raw material fluid is sent from the pressure chamber (14) into the generator member (12) through the outlet (16).

A system for preparing particulate carbon fuel and using the particulate carbon fuel in a fuel cell. Carbon particles are finely divided. The finely dividing carbon particles are introduced into the fuel cell. A gas containing oxygen is introduced into the fuel cell. The finely divided carbon particles are exposed to carbonate salts, or to molten NaOH or KOH or LiOH or mixtures of NaOH or KOH or LiOH, or to mixed hydroxides, or to alkali and alkaline earth nitrates.

A method of providing a controlled batch of micrometer-sized or nanometer-sized coal material. This method includes the steps of: (a) specifying at least one desired physical and/or chemical parameter of the controlled batch of coal material; (b) specifying the desired range of the physical and/or chemical parameter in the controlled batch of coal material; (c) obtaining a feedstock batch of coal material; and (d) processing a feedstock batch of coal material to obtain the controlled batch of coal material having the at least one specified physical and/or chemical parameter in the specified range thereof. In a further step, the controlled batch of coal material can be activated.

A method for creating ultra-fine particles of material using a high-pressure mill is described. The method includes placing a material in a first chamber and subjecting the material to a high-pressure fluid jet to divide it into particles. These particles are then transferred to a second chamber in which they are subjected to cavitation to further divide the particles into relatively smaller particles. These relatively smaller particles are then transferred to a third chamber, in which the particles collide with a collider to still further divide them into ultra-fine particles of the material. The mill of the present invention includes a first chamber having an high-pressure liquid jet nozzle, first and second slurry nozzles, a second cavitation chamber and a third chamber which houses a collider. In one embodiment, the slurry nozzle has an inner surface and sharp edges that project slightly out from the inner surface. Sensors may be located throughout the mill to collect data on the comminution process and to use the data to control the resultant particle size. The product size of the ultra-fine particles made according to the mill of the present invention are preferably less than 15 microns. Further, the particles produced using the mill of the present invention are formed as flakes or platelets which have been broken along nature planes in the material.