Abstract: Hydrotalcite-like contact materials are stable in the crystalline oxide structure and essentially reversible in anion exchange. Large crystalline sheet materials having increased sorption of SO.sub.X are provided by incorporation of certain organic acid anionic species to modify the hydrotalcite/brucite structure. Typical industrial applications include sulfur removal from fluid catalyst cracking process, cold-side combustion gas sulfur abatement and cleaner coal gasification.

Abstract: An adsorbent that can be used to remove environmental contaminants such as organics, cations and anions in a single process step is prepared from humic acid. The adsorbent can be a soluble humic acid in liquid form (e.g., in aqueous solution) or the humic acid can be insolubilized and/or immobilized on a solid support. The adsorbent can also be used to recover agriculturally desirable metals in chelated form from contaminated water. The liquid form of the adsorbent can be used to wash solids to remove contaminants.

Abstract: A fire retardant absorbent material including coir fibres and/or coir dust, an effective quantity of a fire retardant material in the form of small particles, the particle size of the fire retardant material being of the order of less than 1 micron to ensure that the fire retardant material substantially penetrates or substantially coats at least a substantial proportion of the coir fibres present in the absorbent material.

Abstract: A method for efficient removal of lead co-catalyst species from organic process streams arising from diaryl carbonate synthesis, by contacting the organic reaction mixtures with an aqueous acid, salt, or acid/salt solution, thereby extracting the treated mixture into an aqueous phase, or by treating the organic reaction mixtures with solid oxalic acid or oxalic acid salt, or an aqueous solution of oxalic acid or oxalic acid salt, thereby resulting in precipitation of the lead. The precipitated lead may then be calcined to provide a lead compound that is catalytically active in the carbonylation of phenol to yield diary carbonates. Use of these methods will substantially reduce both financial and environmental concerns for the preparation of diaryl carbonates.