Abstract: A process for removing impurities contained in the crystal lattice of minerals, comprising the steps of forming a mixture of a mineral capable of structurally reorganizing its crystal lattice which contains an impurity in its crystal lattice and a halogen anion, and water; heating the mixture to the mineral's structural reorganization transition temperature; holding the mixture at the structural reorganization transition temperature for a sufficient period of time to allow the impurity to freely migrate from the lattice to combine with the halogen anion; and separating the combined impurity and anion from the mixture to render the mineral essentially free of the impurity. The process is applicable to numerous minerals and impurities, but is especially useful to remove arsenic from fluorspar. Numerous halogen anions can be employed, such as chlorides, fluorides, bromides and iodides, but the preferred halogen anion is a metal chloride such as calcium chloride.

Abstract: A process and system for the recovery of desirable constituent materials from vehicle tire pieces through pyrolysis. The system includes a pyrolysis section that is divided into a plurality of individual heating zones. Each of the heating zones is heated to a distinct operating temperature that is independent from the operating temperature of the remaining heating zones. Vehicle tire pieces are fed into the infeed end of the pyrolysis section by a rotatable feed cylinder that includes a screw-like flight extending from the inner wall of the feed cylinder. As the feed cylinder rotates, the flight directs the supply of vehicle tire pieces into the infeed end of the pyrolysis section. The pyrolysis section includes a rotary kiln that is divided into the plurality of heating zones.

Abstract: A process for removing impurities contained in the crystal lattice of minerals, comprising the steps of forming a mixture of a mineral capable of structurally reorganizing its crystal lattice which contains an impurity in its crystal lattice and a halogen anion, and water; heating the mixture to the mineral's structural reorganization transition temperature; holding the mixture at the structural reorganization transition temperature for a sufficient period of time to allow the impurity to freely migrate from the lattice to combine with the halogen anion; and separating the combined impurity and anion from the mixture to render the mineral essentially free of the impurity. The process is applicable to numerous minerals and impurities, but is especially useful to remove arsenic from fluorspar. Numerous halogen anions can be employed, such as chlorides, fluorides, bromides and iodides, but the preferred halogen anion is a metal chloride such as calcium chloride.

Abstract: An oil shale retorting method and apparatus moves a bed of oil bearing shale particles along a generally horizontal path and passes through the bed at spaced points a plurality of discrete nonoxidizing gas streams heated to different oil educting temperatures to vaporize and educe different weight fractions of oil from the kerogen in the shale into the gas streams. Preferably the heated gas streams are also passed through the moving shale bed upstream from distillation of the volatile oil constituents to preheat the shale particles and condense the educted oils which become suspended as stable mists and are mechanically separated from the gas streams. Heat energy is preferably removed from the spent shale particles of the moving bed by burning them with combustion air downstream from the retorting sites, and such heat energy is transferred to the nonoxidizing streams to raise them to different oil educting temperatures before they are passed through the moving bed to educe oil from the shale particles.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recovering oil from shale comprises forming a bed of oil bearing shale particles on a plurality of rotatable apertured cylindrical rollers having filler members in the nip between adjacent rollers; transporting the bed by rotating the rollers to frictionally engage the shale particles and transfer them onto and across the filler members to continuously agitate the particles as they are being transported at a velocity substantially lower than the circumferential velocity of the rollers; passing through the moving bed at spaced points a plurality of discrete streams of nonoxidizing gas heated to different temperatures sufficiently high to educe different weight fractions of oil from the kerogen in the shale as vapors into the gas streams; and separating the different weight oil fractions from the gas streams.

Abstract: An oil shale retorting method and apparatus moves a bed of oil bearing shale particles along a generally horizontal path and passes through the bed at spaced points a plurality of discrete nonoxidizing gas streams heated to different oil educting temperatures to vaporize and educe different weight fractions of oil from the kerogen in the shale into the gas streams. Preferably the heated gas streams are also passed through the moving shale bed upstream from distillation of the volatile oil constituents to preheat the shale particles and condense the educted oils which become suspended as stable mists and are mechanically separated from the gas streams. Heat energy is preferably removed from the spent shale particles of the moving bed by burning them with combustion air downstream from the retorting sites, and such heat energy is transferred to the nonoxidizing streams to raise them to different oil educting temperatures before they are passed through the moving bed to educe oil from the shale particles.

Abstract: Roller grate method and apparatus for simultaneously transporting, agitating and exchanging heat with a bed of solid mineral particles has elongated cylindrical horizontal rollers with gas passage apertures therethrough, a hopper for feeding mineral particles onto the rollers and forming a bed having a depth several times greater than the average diameter of the particles; a drive source to rotate the rollers and frictionally engage the cylindrical surfaces with the particles in the lowermost layer of the bed and urge the bed along a path of travel transverse to the axes of the rollers; elongated filler members disposed in the nip between adjacent rollers to prevent the particles from jamming the rollers and to provide resistance to the flow of the bed along said path of travel; and a heat chamber spanning the rollers and a fan for forcing a heat transfer gas stream through the gas passage apertures in the rollers and through the bed as it is being transported, the rollers and the filler members being adapted

Abstract: Roller grate apparatus for simultaneously transporting and transferring heat to or from a bed of material particles has elongated cylindrical parallel horizontal rollers rotatably driven in the same direction; filler bars disposed in the nip between adjacent rollers and together with the rollers forming a generally flat surface with constantly moving portions which continually tumble the material particles and urge them thereacross in a direction transverse to the roller axes; gas passage apertures in the rollers which permit a heat transfer gas stream to pass through the rollers; a heat transfer chamber spanning the rollers; and a fan for blowing a heat transfer gas stream through the chamber and the material bed being transported by the rollers.

Abstract: Roller grate material bed conveying and heat transfer apparatus which provides plural bed depths has cylindrical horizontal rollers driven in the same direction with gas passage apertures in the rollers and filler members in the nip between adjacent rollers. Means are provided to pass heat transfer gas streams through the bed as the rollers urge the material particles in a direction transverse to the roller axes and continually tumble the particles so that all surfaces thereof are exposed to the gas streams. A first plurality of rollers are positioned in a first generally horizontal plane to receive the material fed to the apparatus, and a second plurality of rollers downstream from the first rollers are at elevations lower than the first horizontal plane and preferably are driven at slower speed than the first rollers to thereby increase the material bed depth downstream from the first horizontal plane as the material particles are hardened by heat and can withstand greater bed depth without crushing.

Abstract: To prepare nickel laterite ore for selective reduction of its nonferrous metal oxides, it is comminuted (preferably to 85% minus 200 mesh) and is mixed with comminuted (preferably 100% minus 65 mesh) high volatile, high ash waste coal and a non-gaseous sulfur material. Carbon content of the coal is 50% to 150% of the amount of carbon needed for stoichiometric complete reduction of nonferrous metal oxides in the ore and partial reduction of its iron oxide content. The sulfur content of the sulfur material is such that, together with the sulfur content of the coal, the weight of sulfur is 1% to 1.5% of the weight of the ore. The mixture, preferably pelletized with water, is heated out of contact with air to bring it to 550.degree. C. (requiring 20 to 25 minutes) and is then passed to an aquatic quench. Volatiles in the coal provide reducing gas, and the ash content facilitates wet grinding after quench and provides a good filter bed for subsequent leaching to recover nonferrous metal values.

Abstract: Aeration flotation bar comprising a shaft mounted in a tank for rotation about a vertical axis and having a plurality of wedge configured bar members. Air through the shaft is distributed lengthwise through each wedge bar member simultaneously and from each wedge bar member is emitted as a fine jet through multiple jet bores formed in the trailing surface of the wedge bars. The fine air jets create a large mass of fine air bubbles which in the aggregate provide more surface for material such as coal or other flotable materials to adhere to thereby increasing the reclamation output of the tank or cell and increasing the efficiency of the tank or cell. In addition, the location of the fine jets are such that the fine air jet streams act on the area of the tank or cell where sanding is most likely to occur and thus eliminate or minimize the sanding tendency.

Abstract: Metal beads, e.g., magnesium beads, or Mg alloy beads, having a high degree of rotundity, and having a thin coating of sludge or slag ingredients, are recovered from entrapment in a friable contiguous material of sludge or slag material by (a) a primary milling of the friable matrix in a hammer mill or impact mill, (b) screening the material to collect the desired particle sizes, (c) attriting the material in a secondary milling operation to further, and gently, grind sludge material from around the beads, and (d) separating the rotund beads from the pulverized matrix material by using a shape-classifier, such as a slanted shaker table. The material may be treated beforehand by melting the metal-containing sludge or slag, adding a flux or emulsifier material with stirring to cause dispersion of the metal into a relatively narrow particle size range and then freezing the molten mixture. The invention is especially useful in the case of Mg beads, since Mg beads are malleable and pyrophoric.

Abstract: Methods of treating an oil derived by liquefaction of coal particles to separate unreacted solid matter therefrom and collect it in water or other aqueous medium, which comprise controlling the specific gravity of the oil to provide an oleaginous fluid having a substantially lower specific gravity than the aqueous medium, as by mixing the oil with a liquid that is miscible therewith and has a lower specific gravity, or by controlling the temperature of the oil, or both; contacting the fluid with the aqueous medium; moving the fluid in such a manner as to provide a substantial acceleration thereto in a direction to drive most of the solid matter away from the fluid and into the aqueous medium as by moving the fluid in a swirling path around an axis while maintaining a portion of the aqueous medium around at least a portion of the periphery of the path; and separating the aqueous medium with the solid matter contained therein from the fluid.