Patents by Inventor William F. Drinkard
William F. Drinkard has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10456816Abstract: An improved method for the demilitarization of HC smoke ordnance comprising hexachloroethane (HCE), zinc oxide, and granular aluminum in a metal container, the method comprising opening the container and extracting the HCE by contact with a suitable solvent which solubilizes and extracts the HCE from the remaining zinc oxide and aluminum, rendering the materials safe for further handling or disposal.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2018Date of Patent: October 29, 2019Inventor: William F. Drinkard
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Patent number: 9926206Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as seafloor manganese nodules, by leaching with aqueous HNO3 and NO gas, and more particularly to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, and copper. It also provides a method to leach manganese material to release the titanium, vanadium, cerium, molybdenum and other metals from the manganese oxides and to make them available to be recovered.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2014Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: DEEPGREEN ENGINEERING, PTE. LTD.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J. Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Publication number: 20160280561Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as seafloor manganese nodules, by leaching with aqueous HNO3 and NO gas, and more particularly to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, and copper. It also provides a method to leach manganese material to release the titanium, vanadium, cerium, molybdenum and other metals from the manganese oxides and to make them available to be recovered.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2014Publication date: September 29, 2016Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J. Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Patent number: 9328400Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as seafloor manganese nodules, by leaching such materials with aqueous HNO3 and polymerized nitric oxide (N2O3)x, and more particularly to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, and copper. It also provides a method to leach manganese-containing material to release any titanium, vanadium, cerium, molybdenum and other metals from the manganese oxides and to make them available to be recovered, as well as providing a method of producing a fertilizer grade nitrate product.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2013Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: DEEPGREEN ENGINEERING, PTE. LTD.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J. Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Patent number: 9284627Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as nodules recovered by undersea mining, including reacting the materials with ammonia, and leaching with a mineral acid, and to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, copper, titanium, vanadium, cerium, and molybdenum. A method for the production of nitrate products is also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2013Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: DEEPGREEN ENGINEERING, PTE. LTD.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J. Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Publication number: 20150368120Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as seafloor manganese nodules, by leaching with aqueous HNO3 and NO gas, and more particularly to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, and copper. It also provides a method to leach manganese material to release the titanium, vanadium, cerium, molybdenum and other metals from the manganese oxides and to make them available to be recovered.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2014Publication date: December 24, 2015Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J. Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Publication number: 20150218672Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as nodules recovered by undersea mining, including reacting the materials with ammonia, and leaching with a mineral acid, and to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, copper, titanium, vanadium, cerium, and molybdenum. A method for the production of nitrate products is also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2013Publication date: August 6, 2015Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J. Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Publication number: 20150152524Abstract: An improved method for treating manganese-containing materials, such as seafloor manganese nodules, by leaching such materials with aqueous HNO3 and polymerized nitric oxide (N2O3)x, and more particularly to methods for recovering valuable constituents from such nodules, especially manganese, cobalt, nickel, iron, and copper. It also provides a method to leach manganese-containing material to release any titanium, vanadium, cerium, molybdenum and other metals from the manganese oxides and to make them available to be recovered, as well as providing a method of producing a fertilizer grade nitrate product.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 6, 2013Publication date: June 4, 2015Applicant: DEEPGREEN ENGINEERING PTE. LTD.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Hans J, Woerner, William M. Nixon
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Patent number: 8814980Abstract: An improved method for processing of nickel-bearing ores, particularly saprolite and limonite, to recover the valuable minerals contained therein, comprising leaching the ore with nitric acid to form a slurry; separating the iron values by precipitation, removing the iron values; forming a liquid/solid residue in which nickel, cobalt and magnesium are in solution, and manganese and aluminum, when present, are solid residues in oxide form; conducting a liquid-solid separation and removing the solids; and recovering the nickel, cobalt, and manganese from the liquid-metal concentrate. The leachate is recovered and nitric acid from the leachate is recycled.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2011Date of Patent: August 26, 2014Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, IncInventors: William F. Drinkard, Jr., Hans J. Woerner
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Publication number: 20120073407Abstract: An improved method for processing of nickel-bearing ores, particularly saprolite and limonite, to recover the valuable minerals contained therein, comprising leaching the ore with nitric acid to form a slurry; separating the iron values by precipitation, removing the iron values; forming a liquid/solid residue in which nickel, cobalt and magnesium are in solution, and manganese and aluminum, when present, are solid residues in oxide form; conducting a liquid-solid separation and removing the solids; and recovering the nickel, cobalt, and manganese from the liquid-metal concentrate. The leachate is recovered and nitric acid from the leachate is recycled.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2011Publication date: March 29, 2012Inventors: William F. Drinkard, JR., Hans J. Woerner
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Patent number: 8038767Abstract: An improved method for processing of nickel bearing saprolite and limonite ores to recover the valuable minerals contained therein, comprising leaching the ore with nitric acid to form a slurry; separating the iron values by precipitation, removing the iron values; forming a liquid/solid residue in which nickel, cobalt and magnesium are in solution, and manganese and aluminum are solid residues in oxide form; conducting a liquid-solid separation and removing the solids; and recovering the nickel, cobalt, and manganese from the liquid-metal concentrate. The leachate is recovered and nitric acid from the leachate is recycled.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2008Date of Patent: October 18, 2011Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Jr., Hans J. Woerner
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Patent number: 8016913Abstract: An improved method for processing of nickel-bearing ores, laterite ores, saprolite and limonite ores, oxidic and sulfide ores, metallurgical wastes, and other metal-bearing materials, to recover the valuable minerals contained therein, comprising comminuting ore to a desired size; leaching the ore at about 70 C to 130 C for about 30 minutes to 4 hours with nitric acid, raising the temperature of the solution to form a liquid/solid residue in which nickel, cobalt and magnesium values are in solution, and iron, manganese, and aluminum are solid residues in oxide form; conducting a liquid-solid separation and removing the solids; and recovering the nickel, cobalt, and manganese from the liquid-metal concentrate. The leachate is recovered and the nitric acid from the leachate is recycled.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2008Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventor: William F. Drinkard, Jr.
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Publication number: 20100064854Abstract: An improved method for processing of nickel-bearing ores, laterite ores, saprolite and limonite ores, oxidic and sulfide ores, metallurgical wastes, and other metal-bearing materials, to recover the valuable minerals contained therein, comprising comminuting ore to a desired size; leaching the ore at about 70 C to 130 C for about 30 minutes to 4 hours with nitric acid, raising the temperature of the solution to form a liquid/solid residue in which nickel, cobalt and magnesium values are in solution, and iron, manganese, and aluminum are solid residues in oxide form; conducting a liquid-solid separation and removing the solids; and recovering the nickel, cobalt, and manganese from the liquid-metal concentrate. The leachate is recovered and the nitric acid from the leachate is recycled.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2008Publication date: March 18, 2010Inventor: William F. Drinkard, JR.
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Patent number: 6264909Abstract: An improved process for either the manufacturing of nitric acid, recycling of nitric acid, or recovering of nitric acid, comprising the steps of: providing a source of NOx; reacting NO from the source of NOx with HNO3 in the presence of NO2− to produce a resulting product; and reacting the resulting product with O2 and H2O to produce nitric acid.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 1999Date of Patent: July 24, 2001Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventor: William F. Drinkard, Jr.
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Patent number: 5997718Abstract: A method for extracting and reclaiming metals from scrap CdTe photovoltaic cells and manufacturing waste by leaching the waste with a leaching solution comprising nitric acid and water, skimming any plastic material from the top of the leaching solution, separating the glass substrate from the liquid leachate and electrolyzing the leachate to separate Cd from Te, wherein the Te is deposits onto a cathode while the Cd remains in solution.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 1998Date of Patent: December 7, 1999Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventors: Robert E. Goozner, Mark O. Long, William F. Drinkard, Jr.
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Patent number: 5980842Abstract: A method of separating calcium from mixtures of metal oxides, sulfides, nitrates and carbonates. Particulate calcium containing mixtures are leached with nitric acid to form calcium nitrate and metal nitrates, which are heated to dryness and to form metal oxides, while not affecting the calcium nitrate. The resulting mixture is then leached with water to obtain a calcium nitrate containing leachate and a residue of low solubility metal oxides and insoluble metal oxides. If desired, the calcium nitrate can be decomposed to form a lime product.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 1998Date of Patent: November 9, 1999Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Jr., Hans J. Woerner
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Patent number: 5912402Abstract: A treatment of metallurgical dust and recovery of valuable chemical commodities, comprising the steps of: leaching salts from the dust with water to create a washed EAF dust; reacting the washed EAF dust in a nitric acid solution resulting in a nearly complete dissolution of the zinc, cadmium, copper, magnesium, calcium, manganese and lead from a filtrate; removing iron from the filtrate by raising pH in the system with basic zinc carbonate; removing cadmium, copper and lead in an electrolytic cell, where copper and cadmium are collected at the cathode, and lead is collected at the anode; evaporating and decomposing the filtrate to obtain metal oxides and anhydrous calcium nitrate; leaching the solid residue with water to separate calcium nitrate in a marketable form; removing the zinc from the magnesium and manganese by leaching the residue with an amine solution; stripping the filtrate of ammonium carbonate to yield zinc precipitated as a zinc oxycarbonate; dividing the zinc oxycarbonate into a first streamType: GrantFiled: February 29, 1996Date of Patent: June 15, 1999Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Jr., Hans J. Woerner
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Patent number: 5897685Abstract: A method for extracting and reclaiming metals from scrap CdTe photovoltaic cells and manufacturing waste by leaching the metals in dilute nitric acid, leaching the waste with a leaching solution comprising nitric acid and water, skimming any plastic material from the top of the leaching solution, separating the glass substrate from the liquid leachate, adding a calcium containing base to the leachate to precipitate Cd and Te, separating the precipitated Cd and Te from the leachate, and recovering the calcium-containing base.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 1997Date of Patent: April 27, 1999Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventors: Robert E. Goozner, Mark O. Long, William F. Drinkard, Jr.
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Patent number: 5779877Abstract: A method for extracting and reclaiming metals from scrap CIS photovoltaic cells and associated photovoltaic manufacturing waste by leaching the waste with dilute nitric acid, skimming any plastic material from the top of the leaching solution, separating glass substrate from the leachate, electrolyzing the leachate to plate a copper and selenium metal mixture onto a first cathode, replacing the cathode with a second cathode, re-electrolyzing the leachate to plate cadmium onto the second cathode, separating the copper from selenium, and evaporating the depleted leachate to yield a zinc and indium containing solid.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 1997Date of Patent: July 14, 1998Assignee: Drinkard Metalox, Inc.Inventors: William F. Drinkard, Jr., Mark O. Long, Robert E. Goozner
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Patent number: 5030483Abstract: A process for the accelerated fixing of fixable chromate-containing wood preservatives in which wood freshly impregnated by any of the full-cell, modified full-cell, empty-cell, or modified empty-cell treating processes are subjected to fixing by contacting the wood with hot liquid medium, such as water, which liquid is either initially hot or is rapidly heated to sufficient temperature so that the entire bundle of wood is brought to a temperature sufficient for fixation to occur within a short economic period of time within the liquid medium. The process also produces a low-weight preservative impregnated wood product.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 1990Date of Patent: July 9, 1991Assignee: Drinkard Developments, a Delaware PartnershipInventor: William F. Drinkard, Jr.