TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method (M1) involves forming several negatively charged ions, and accelerating the negatively charged ions to a first energy; removing several electrons from at least some of the negatively charged ions to form positively charged ions; accelerating the positively charged ions to a second energy; and directing the accelerated positively charged ions to be incident on the biomass. The method of removing several electrons from at least some of the negatively charged ions involves directing the negatively charged ions to be incident on a metal foil. The method of accelerating the negatively charged ions to a first energy involves directing the ions to pass through several electrodes at different electrostatic potentials. The method further involves: altering trajectories of the positively charged ions before the ions are accelerated to the second energy; selecting an orientation of the electric field to correspond to a direction of motion of the charged particles in the accelerator cavity; and exposing the biomass to several electrons. In the method (M2), the processing of the petroleum containing material involves refining at least a portion of the material in at least one step selected from catalytic cracking process, a catalytic reforming process, a catalytic hydrocracking process, and an alkylation process. The method (M1) further involves exposing the material to an electron beam. The method (M2) further involves exposing the material to a reactive gas, particularly ozone, during exposure of the material to the ion beam. The method of exposing the material to the ion beam involves exposing the material to a first type of ions from a first ion beam, and exposing the material from a second type of ions from a second ion beam, where the first and second types of ions preferably have different charges or different masses. Preferred Components: The charged particles comprise ions, particularly at least two different types of ions, where the charged particles are negatively charged. The charged particles are selected from hydrogen ions, carbon ions, oxygen ions, nitrogen ions, halogen ions, and noble gas ions. The fluid is selected from air, oxygen, hydrogen, and reactive gases. The electromagnetic field in each of the waveguides is a time varying field. The electromagnetic field in each of the waveguides is generated by a microwave field source. The electromagnetic field in each of the waveguides is generated to coincide with the passage of the charged particles through each of the waveguides. The ion beam comprises positively charged ions. The ion beam comprises at least one of protons, carbon ions, oxygen ions, and noble gas ions. The ion beam comprises at least one of platinum ions, palladium ions, rhenium ions, iridium ions, ruthenium ions, aluminum ions, nickel ions, and osmium ions. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.