Abstract:
Methods for utilizing waste products of the steel industry are provided that utilize spent pickle liquor to recover valuable alkaline earth metals from low value wastes with significant calcium content in the form of insoluble oxide, hydroxides, and/or salts are provided, as well as methods for generating a ferric oxide hydroxide composite from steel slag. Suitable raw materials include slag from steel manufacturing and ash from various operations. Ferric oxide hydroxide composite materials described herein can be used for removal of sulfur and metals from contaminated materials. Accordingly, compositions and methods of the inventive concept introduce considerable value to low value waste materials that would otherwise be discarded. In addition, compositions and methods of the inventive concept serve to reduce waste streams from industrial processes.
Abstract:
Methods of making carbonate aggregates are provided. Aspects of the methods include: preparing a carbonate slurry, subjecting the carbonate slurry to rotational action, e.g., by introducing the carbonate slurry (optionally with an aggregate substrate) into a revolving drum under conditions sufficient to produce a carbonate aggregate, e.g., made up of a spherical coating on a substrate and/or agglomeration particles. Also provided are aggregate compositions produced by the methods, as well as compositions that includes the carbonate coated aggregates, e.g., concretes, and uses thereof.
Abstract:
A continuous countercurrent flow process for converting FGD gypsum to ammonium sulfate and calcium carbonate including countercurrent flows with internal recycle of liquids to maximize the purity of reaction products while minimizing reaction times, and further include embodiments of the process that provide a yield of both ammonium sulfate and calcium carbonate to be 97 to 100%, and embodiments that provide for processes having a total time of reaction being 8 to 12 minutes, the invention further including processes for removing contaminants from the FGD gypsum employing an acid rinse process and/or a slurry tank reactor process.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a process for separating and purifying multi-curie quantities Y of sufficient chemical and radiochemical purity suitable for use in medical applications without a series of Sr selective extraction chromatographic columns while minimizing loss of radioactive Sr parent and waste stream. The process includes dissolving a nitrate salt of an original Sr stock solution in H2O creating a strontium nitrate solution; acidifying the strontium nitrate solution containing Y with concentrated nitric acid; evaporating the strontium nitrate solution; filtering or centrifuging strontium nitrate solution to separate crystalline Sr nitrate salt from the solution; evaporating the remaining Y enriched supernate to dryness; dissolving the remaining Y enriched supernate in a strong acid; passing the solution through an yttrium selective extraction chromatographic column; rinsing the yttrium selective extraction chromatographic column with strong acid; and eluting yttrium from yttrium selective extraction column with strong acid.
Abstract:
Compositions and methods for selectively binding metal ions from source solutions are disclosed. The compositions include 1) polyamide-containing ligands covalently bonded to a particulate solid support, and 2) polyamide-containing polymeric resins. In the case of the ligand bonded to the solid support, the ligand is bounded or tethered to the solid support through a hydrophilic spacer such that the overall formula is SS-A-X-L. In this formula, SS is a particulate solid support such as silica or a polymeric bead, A is a covalent linkage mechanism, X is a hydrophilic spacer grouping, and L is a polyamide-containing ligand having three or more amide groups and two or more amine nitrogens separated by at least two carbons with the proviso that when SS is a particulate organic polymer, A-X may be combined as a single covalent linkage. With respect to the polyamide ligand-containing polymeric resin, this composition is a reaction product of a hydroxymethylated polyamide ligand and a polymerization and/or crosslinking agent.
Abstract:
A process of treating spent potliner material from aluminum reduction cells and recovering useful products. In the process of the present invention, spent potliner material is introduced into an acid digester containing, for example, sulfuric acid. As a result of this step, a gas component is produced which includes hydrogen fluoride, silicon tetrafluoride and hydrogen cyanide. Also, a slurry component is produced which includes carbon, a refractory material including silica, alumina, sodium compounds such as sodium sulfate, aluminum compounds such as aluminum sulfate, iron compounds such as iron sulfate, magnesium and calcium compounds such as magnesium and calcium sulfate. The slurry component remains in the digester after the gas component is removed. The gas component is recovered and heated to an effective amount to convert or decompose the silicon tetrafluoride to fumed silica, hydrogen cyanide to a remaining gas component.
Abstract:
A treatment process for crystallizing a metal sulfate involving pre-treating a feedstock comprising calcium, magnesium, and/or lithium impurities, the pre-treating involving pre-leaching the feedstock in the presence of a lixiviant, selectively extracting a first portion of any of the impurities from the feedstock, and forming a leached solution comprising an uncrystallized metal sulfate and any remaining impurities; and/or refining the leached solution and removing a second portion of any of the remaining impurities; and crystallizing the uncrystallized metal sulfate from the leached solution to form a crystallized metal sulfate. So processed, the crystallized metal sulfate may be battery-grade or electroplating-grade.