Patents Examined by Melissa Stalder
  • Patent number: 8454742
    Abstract: A lightweight artificial stone system comprises a plurality of artificial stones, each of the artificial stones formed of at least some portion of cement, expanded glass, and styrene, the lightweight artificial stones having a density in the range of between about 30 and 70 pounds per cubic foot, each of the stones having six sides and including a first height dimension and a second width dimension, each of the height and width dimensions having a length unit being substantially a multiple of two, each of the stones having four ninety degrees corners and four of the six sides having a smooth surface to provide tight, cement-free seams between adjacent stones, the tight, cement-free seams inhibiting viewing of structure behind said plurality of artificial stones, each of the stones being of such a light weight so as to be held in position in the system by a lath-less and cement-free adhesive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Inventor: Tom Scanlan
  • Patent number: 8454926
    Abstract: Disclosed is method for separating solute from an aqueous solution comprising providing a first aqueous solution substantially saturated with solute, contacting the first aqueous solution with a clathrate former under conditions sufficient to form clathrates and to precipitate the solute from the first aqueous solution, separating solute from the clathrates by removing a first stream comprising clathrates and solute, and removing a second stream comprising solute, decomposing the clathrates into the clathrate former and a second aqueous solution, the second aqueous solution comprising solute in a concentration less than the concentration of solute in the first aqueous solution, and recycling the second aqueous solution by contacting said solution with a source for the solute to form a third substantially saturated aqueous solution for use as, or in combination with, the first aqueous solution, wherein the method is continuous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Cargill, Incorporated
    Inventors: Robert Lee, Don Ireland, Gene Chauffe
  • Patent number: 8454914
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a process for recovering ruthenium at a sufficient recovery rate from a solid in which a ruthenium compound is supported on a carrier. The present invention relates to a process for recovering ruthenium, comprising the following steps (1) to (3): (1) bringing a solid in which a ruthenium compound is supported on a carrier, into contact with a reducing gas, to thereby reduce the ruthenium compound; (2) cooling the solid obtained in the step (1) to 250° C. or lower under an atmosphere of a non-oxidizing gas; and (3) mixing the solid obtained in the step (2) with an oxidizing solution, to thereby dissolve ruthenium in the solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignees: Furuya Metal Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yoshinari Hirai, Tomohiro Maruko, Kohei Seki
  • Patent number: 8409533
    Abstract: A boundary layer carbonation process for producing sodium bicarbonate crystals having specific surface area in the range 0.4 m2/g to 2.5 m2/g from Trona, wherein in one embodiment the process comprises the steps of: providing Trona particles having a particle size range of ?4+120 mesh; pre-wetting the Trona particles with water to provide a plurality of pre-wetted Trona particles each having a liquid water solution boundary layer deposited thereon; and carbonating the pre-wetted Trona particles across the water boundary layer to provide a product comprising sodium bicarbonate crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Church & Dwight Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Dragomir M. Bracilovic, Andrew D. Kurtz, Joseph Paluzzi, Zbigniew M. Senk
  • Patent number: 8323596
    Abstract: A method for extracting zinc from an aqueous ammoniacal zinc solution containing impurities, the method comprising the steps of: (i) contacting the aqueous ammoniacal zinc solution containing impurities with an organic phase comprising an ammonium salt of an organic extractant dissolved in a hydrophobic diluent, allowing transfer of the zinc to the organic phase and transfer of ammonium to the aqueous phase, thereby providing a zinc-enriched, ammonium-depleted organic phase and an ammonium-enriched, zinc-depleted aqueous phase containing impurities; (ii) separating the zinc-enriched, ammonium-depleted organic phase from the ammonium-enriched, zinc-depleted aqueous phase containing impurities; (iii) contacting the zinc-enriched, ammonium-depleted organic phase with an aqueous solution containing positively charged species, allowing transfer of the zinc from the organic phase and transfer of positively charged species from the aqueous phase, thereby providing an aqueous zinc solution and an organic phase con
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Metaleach Limited
    Inventors: Garry Mervyn Johnston, Matthew Leslie Sutcliffe, Nicholas James Welham
  • Patent number: 8309042
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a process for recycling ore in the chloride process, without the build-up of silica-containing gangue in the chlorination reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: E I du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Matthew Donnel Eisenmann, Jorge Lavastida, Timothy Josiah McKeon, James Elliott Merkle, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8298502
    Abstract: A preparation method of lithium carbonate, in recovering valuable resources of a lithium-ion battery, reducing impurities from lithium carbonate, having a pretreatment process, comprising: a first step cleaning an organic phase containing nickel and lithium prepared by a solvent extraction by use of a sulfuric acid solution containing nickel and enriching lithium in the cleaning solution; a second step extracting a residual nickel only by an organic solvent from a post-cleaning solution in which the lithium is enriched; and a third step controlling pH of the post-extraction solution containing the lithium by ammonia water or lithium hydroxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Yamaoka, Naoki Higuchi, Makoto Narisako, Daisuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8282898
    Abstract: A process for formulating high purity potassium chloride from a carnallite source. The process takes advantage of solubility differences and saturation levels in a multiple salt system generated upon dissolution of carnallite. In the system, the sodium chloride is kept in solution and the magnesium chloride present in the system is controlled to be in a concentration range of between 12% and 25% by weight. This avoids co-precipitation of sodium chloride with the potassium chloride during crystallization and therefore prevents the sodium chloride from contaminating the potassium chloride. The result is high grade potassium chloride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Karnalyte Resources Inc.
    Inventor: Robin Phinney
  • Patent number: 8283278
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for sulfurizing a hydrocarbon treatment catalyst, comprising: at least a first step of depositing, on the surface of the catalyst, one or more sulfurization auxiliaries of formula (I): and at least a second step of placing the catalyst in contact with a sulfur-containing gaseous mixture containing hydrogen and a sulfur compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Eurecat S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Dufresne, Eric Nagy, Pauline Galliou
  • Patent number: 8273680
    Abstract: A process for producing geometric shaped catalyst bodies K whose active material is a multielement oxide of stoichiometry [BiaZ1bOx]p[BicMo12FedZ2eZ3fZ4gZ5hZ6iOy]1, in which a finely divided oxide BiaZ1bOx and, formed from element sources, a finely divided mixture of stoichiometry BicMo12FedZ2eZ3fZ4gZ5hZ6i are mixed in a ratio of p:1, this mixture is used to form shaped bodies and these are treated thermally, where 0<c?0.8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Andreas Raichle, Catharina Horstmann, Frank Rosowski, Klaus Joachim Mueller-Engel, Jochen Petzoldt, Ulrich Cremer
  • Patent number: 8257671
    Abstract: A method of leaching copper sulfide ore includes leaching copper from copper sulfide ore using a sulfuric acid solution comprising iodide ion and iron (III) ion surplus to the iodide ion as a leaching solution; reducing iodine in a solution obtained after the leaching step to less than 1 mg/L by an activated carbon treatment; and oxidizing iron (II) ion or newly added iron (II) ion in a solution obtained after the iodine reduction step by using iron oxidizing microbes to recover iron (III) ion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Kuwano, Atsuko Abe, Manabu Manabe, Akira Miura
  • Patent number: 8252253
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for recovering ruthenium from a used ruthenium-comprising catalyst which comprises ruthenium as ruthenium oxide on a support material which is not readily soluble in mineral acid, which comprises the steps: a) the ruthenium oxide-comprising catalyst is reduced in a gas stream comprising hydrogen chloride and, if appropriate, an inert gas at a temperature of from 300 to 500° C.; b) the reduced catalyst from step a) comprising metallic ruthenium on the sparingly soluble support material is treated with hydrochloric acid in the presence of an oxygen-comprising gas, with the metallic ruthenium present on the support being dissolved as ruthenium(III) chloride and obtained as an aqueous ruthenium(III) chloride solution; c) if appropriate, the ruthenium(III) chloride solution from step b) is worked up further.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Guido Henze, Heiko Urtel, Martin Sesing, Martin Karches
  • Patent number: 8252481
    Abstract: According to the invention, a fuel cell system features a fuel cell (14) having a solid polymer electrolyte membrane (4), and an antioxidant residing in or contacting the solid polymer electrolyte membrane (4), for inactivating active oxygen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masashi Ito
  • Patent number: 8247130
    Abstract: A hydrogen electrode constituted of a mixed phase composed of an oxide sinter having particles of at least one member selected from Ni, Co, Fe, and Cu on a surface part thereof and coated wholly or partly with a film having mixed conductivity and a sinter having ionic conductivity is formed on a surface of an electrolyte having oxygen ion conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Norikazu Osada, Takayuki Fukasawa, Keizo Shimamura
  • Patent number: 8242040
    Abstract: A process for the removal of corrosion metal contaminants from a carbonylation catalyst solution comprising an iridium and/or rhodium carbonylation catalyst, an alkali and/or alkaline earth metal and corrosion metal contaminants in which the catalyst solution is contacted with a cation exchange resin having its active sites partially loaded with a sufficient amount of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal to maintain the concentration of said alkali and/or alkaline earth metal in the catalyst solution and recovering a catalyst solution of reduced corrosion metal contaminant content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: BP Chemicals Limited
    Inventors: Andrew David Poole, Stephen James Smith
  • Patent number: 8226919
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing titanium compounds from hexachlorodisilane, wherein hexachlorodisilane is treated with an organic compound (V) which contains the structural units ?C—S— or ?C—O—.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Wacker Chemie AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Knies, Hans Eiblmeier
  • Patent number: 8221710
    Abstract: Methods for recovering base metals, including, among other metals, molybdenum and nickel, from metal sulfides containing a Group VIB metal and a Group VIII metal. Generally, the methods comprise: contacting metal sulfides with a leaching solution containing ammonia and air to dissolve the metals into the leaching solution, forming a slurry containing soluble complexes of the metals, ammonium sulphate and solid residue containing ammonium metavanadate and any carbonaceous materials. The solid residue containing ammonium metavanadate and carbonaceous materials is then separated from the slurry and metal complexes are precipitated from the slurry by adjusting the pH. A second slurry may be formed comprising a second solid residue and a primary filtrate comprising ammonium sulfate solution that is substantially free of metals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sherritt International Corporation
    Inventors: John Stiksma, Roman Berezowsky
  • Patent number: 8221709
    Abstract: Disclosed are compositions and methods for separating gangue material from metallic sulfide ores. The compositions typically include a lignosolfonate and do not include a cyanide salt. Suitable lignosulfonates may include lignosulfonates, for example hardwood lignosulfonate having a weight average molecular weight of about 3 kDa to about 12 kDa and having a relatively low sulfur content and a relatively low sulfonate content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: LignoTech USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry D. Gargulak, Lori L. Bushar
  • Patent number: 8202502
    Abstract: The invention provides hydrophobic surface-treated silica particles having (1) a ratio T2:T3 of about 0.4 or more, wherein T2 is the intensity of a peak having a chemical shift in the CP/MAS 29Si NMR spectrum centered within the range of ?56 ppm to ?59 ppm, and wherein T3 is the intensity of a peak having a chemical shift in the CP/MAS 29Si NMR spectrum centered within the range of ?65 ppm to ?69 ppm, and (2) a ratio (T2+T3)/(T2+T3+M) of greater than about 0.05, wherein M is the intensity of a peak having a chemical shift in the CP/MAS 29Si NMR spectrum centered within the range of +7 ppm to +18 ppm. The invention also provides a method of preparing hydrophobic surface-treated silica particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Cabot Corporation
    Inventors: Joachim K. Floess, William R. Williams, Dmitry Fomitchev
  • Patent number: 8198205
    Abstract: Provided is a decomposition method of an aromatic block copolymer, wherein the aromatic block copolymer comprises a segment 1 represented by the following general formula (1) and a segment 2 comprising a structural unit represented by the following general formula (2) and/or a structural unit represented by the following general formula (3), and the segment 2 is subjected to chemical decomposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Tomohito Yoshii, Shino Matsumi