Abstract: An apparatus and method for separating heavy metals and precious stones from alluvial material wherein the apparatus comprises a frame, a gold pan supported on the frame and a vibration means supported on the frame adapted to provide a vibration to the gold pan. The apparatus may further comprise a water pump supported on the frame operable to introduce a quantity of water to the gold pan. The apparatus may further comprise a screen supported above the gold pan. The method comprises providing a gold pan supported on a frame, introducing a quantity of an alluvial material to the gold pan and vibrating the gold pan so as to remove lighter material leaving the heavy metals and precious stones therein.

Abstract: A novel consumer grade automatic sorter for pieces is disclosed with an application to organizing interlocking toy brick systems. The invention of a novel means to propel and separate pieces, and process sensor data in combination with standard methods for binning and storage. A novel mechanical screw is proposed to propel the parts. The device comprises a novel combination of backgrounds and artificial intelligence/machine learning to enable sensing of colors, estimation of size, and transparency of pieces. In addition, a method to embed a neural network efficiently on a microcontroller is disclosed.

Abstract: Processing shredder residue fines to recover valuable metals, such as copper, from waste materials. The disclosed systems and methods employ processes that further refine the waste materials to concentrate the metallic material after the waste materials are initially processed. Processes include employing a destoner, and optionally multiple destoners and screens, to concentrate metal constituents in the shredder residue fines.

Abstract: A solvent that reversibly converts from a hydrophobic liquid form to hydrophilic liquid form upon contact with water and a selected trigger, e.g., contact with CO2, is described. The hydrophilic liquid form is readily converted back to the hydrophobic liquid form and water. The hydrophobic liquid is an amidine or amine. The hydrophilic liquid form comprises an amidinium salt or an ammonium salt.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system are provided for separating material. In some embodiments the separator may include a deck. The deck may accept the material to be separated at a feed end and may provide separated output material at a discharge end. The flow of the material along the deck from the feed end to the discharge end may define a feed direction. The deck may be subject to a vibration or conveyance aligned with the feed direction. The deck may include riffles or corrugations. The riffles may be oriented at an angle relative to a direction of the vibration or conveyance, or at an angle relative to the feed direction. The deck may be subjected to an end-to-end elevation or slope. The end-to-end slope may be positive/downhill, negative/uphill, or zero.

Abstract: A separation apparatus contains: a dispersion liquid introduction path to which a dispersion liquid containing particles is introduced; a separation path that has a inclined upper face inclined with respect to a direction of gravity and separates the particles; and a discharge path from which particles separated by the separation path are discharged.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fluidic separation device comprising: at least one microchannel (2; 66) extending along a longitudinal axis (X), the microchannel having a cross-section that presents a width measured along a first transverse axis (Y) and a thickness measured along a second transverse axis (Z) perpendicular to the first, the width being greater than the thickness, the microchannel including, along the second transverse axis, bottom and top walls (3 and 4); at least first, second, and third inlets (7, 8, and 9) in fluidic communication with the microchannel (2), the second inlet (8) being disposed on the second transverse axis (Z) between the first and third inlets (7 and 9); and at least first and third transverse separation walls (10 and 11) respectively separating the first and second inlets and the second and third inlets, the first and second separation walls (10; 11) being arranged in such a manner that the second inlet (8) is separated from each of said bottom and top walls (3 and 4

Abstract: A bag (600) comprises a storage region (630), a fines filter (635), and a fines trap (640). A plurality of chevron-like regions (620) that join the flat sides of the bag are spaced by a plurality of open regions (625). When a mixture of coarse (700) and fine (705) particles is stored in the bag, the fine particles, including fluids, gravitate toward the bottom of the bag and pass through the fines filter. Once in the trap, the fines are prevented from exiting the bag as its contents are dispensed. After separation, the fines can be dispensed from the bag by opening a seal (615) at the bottom of the bag. The bag can be made of materials including plastic, fabric, paper, metal, and the like.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for removing heavy metals such as gold from sand. A mixture of sand and metals is placed in a hollow tube which has an open end, an opposite closed end at a relatively lower position, an exterior, and an interior formed into spiral grooves. The grooves are arranged in a helical fashion so that metal caught in the grooves is carried toward the open end of the tube as the tube is rotated. Water is supplied to the tube to mix with the sand and metal, so that rotation of the tube causes relatively heavy metal to be washed from the sand and water mixture into the grooves. The mechanism can be transported to a location where heavy metals naturally occur in sand or other materials.

Abstract: The invention is related to mining industry, namely to devices for dispersion of solid minerals in particular quartz sands and associated minerals.

Abstract: A solid substance removing device comprising a body provided with a fluid inlet pipe and a fluid outlet pipe and a filtering part disposed between the fluid inlet pipe and the fluid outlet pipe inside said body, the filtering part having (a) a thickness in the range of 5-500 mm, (b) a percentage of voids in the range of 60-99.5 vol. %, and (c) a contact surface area in the range of 100-2000 m2/m3. Owing to the construction described above, it is made possible to facilitate removal of the solid substance and, at the same time, prevent new generation of a polymer during the production of an easily polymerizing substance.

Abstract: An improved flow field-flow fractionation (flow FFF) process has been developed which permits the high-resolution separation of analytes without stopping or reversing the axial flow, introducing additional axial flow streams, or further splitting the axial flow stream. The improved procedure speeds up, streamlines, and simplifies the apparatus and the procedure without unduly concentrating the sample, permits the use of flow-sensitive detection technologies in a manner which has previously been difficult or impossible, and avoids the artifactual aggregation which is known to result from other relaxation procedures. The process also permits the calculation of the channel width w without reference to system or void peaks in the fractogram. These capabilities render the improved flow FFF procedure more accurate as well as more practical, and permit automated flow FFF separations to be routinely performed on commercially-available HPLC systems with only minor modifications.

Abstract: In a process for controlling the product composition in an apparatus for sizing and sorting mineral raw materials, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one chamber, a sizing separation of the sand fraction into a sand product mass and into a micro particle sand fraction to be discharged via the overflow, is additionally performed in the chamber by means of the level of the fluidized bed in the chamber. For the adjustment of a pre-set concentration of micro particle sand in the sand product mass, the fluidized bed level is controlled such that the micro particle sand fraction in the supplied raw material mass is divided, by means of the fluidized bed, as a function of the pre-set admissible concentration into a micro particle sand fraction to be discharged into the sand product mass and a micro particle sand fraction to be discharged via the overflow.

Abstract: Sample focusing method and device for field-flow fractionation techniques that lead to improved detection, improved separation resolution, and a compressed sample plug while permitting a more straightforward quantitation of peaks and reliable large volume injections. The method and technique can be implemented in separations that are performed by a variety of field-flow fractionation techniques, including thermal FFF, electrical FFF, sedimentation FFF, gravitational FFF, dielectric FFF, photophoretic FFF, flow FFF, asymmetric flow FFF, and symmetric flow FFF. The sample focusing device can be integrally built into a separation channel or it can be manufactured as an attachable independent piece.

Abstract: The separation of silica or siliceous gangue from one or more desired minerals in an aqueous slurry via mechanical apparatus is improved by the addition of a small amount of an alkanol amine to the slurry. Examples of separation techniques benefiting from this technology include cyclones, tables and spiral separators.

Abstract: A new field flow fractionation process for the separation of particles using a modified channel structure to achieve hydrodynamic relaxation without involving a stop-flow procedure and thus provide improved speed of operation as well as improved sample concentration, the new improved channel structure comprising a thin channel having one or more permeable wall sections contained in the enclosing wall or walls of the channel, the permeable wall sections making up not more than 25% of the total wall area of the channel, and adjustable flow control valves for controlling the flowrate of any fluid at the inlet end of the channel and independent flow control valves for controlling the flow rate of the fluid being introduced into or withdrawn from the permeable wall sections.

Abstract: A continuous flow FFF process for the separation of samples of particles which uses a modified channel structure to reduce the relaxation effect, reduce sample adhesion to the wall, and where possible eliminate the stop-flow procedure and thus greatly increase the speed and stability of operation, said modified channel comprises a thin channel whose thickness is reduced at the inlet end for a substantial distance beyond the inlet, such as the conventional triangular or near triangular piece, and then broadened out at the outlet end of the channel.

Abstract: A process for continuous particle and polymer separation comprising injecting a stream of carrier fluid containing the material to be separated into the inlet end of a thin channel, adjusting the flow rate to a sufficiently high level that flow-dependent lift forces the different components to different transverse positions by the time they reach the end of the channel, splitting the outlet flow into at least two substreams by means of physical splitters, adjusting the flowrates of the multiple substreams such that the transverse position of the outlet splitting plane divides the particles into enriched fractions, collecting the enriched or separated components from the emerging outlet streams.

Abstract: An apparatus to acoustically fluidize a bed of fine particles comprises a generally box-shaped hollow chamber. An acoustic source is located at the bottom of the chamber and a convection inhibiting heater is located at the top of the chamber. An acoustic wave is directed from the source into the chamber to levitate and suspend fine particles within the chamber at determinable distances from the acoustic source according to the intensity and frequency of the acoustic wave.

Abstract: A thin channel split flow process for particle fractionation which effects a rapid and efficient separation of the particles comprising introducing a stream of fluid containing the particles to be separated into the inlet end of a thin enclosed channel whose transverse dimension is very small, applying a special field or gradient or combination thereof transversely across the thin dimension of the channel to create a driving force a component of which is perpendicular to the main flow plane, adjusting the flow rate to achieve laminar flow conditions throughout the channel to allow the particles under the influence of the field/gradient to segregate into different stream laminae as they approach different transverse equilibrium positions, splitting the channel stream at the outlet end into substreams containing different separated fractions of the particles in the initial mixture, recovering the substream and thereby recovering the separated fractions.

Abstract: A method is described which uses acoustic energy to separate particles of different sizes, densities, or the like. The method includes applying acoustic energy resonant to a chamber (14) containing a liquid or gaseous medium to set up a standing wave pattern that includes a force potential well wherein particles within the well are urged towards the center, or position of minimum force potential. A group of particles to be separated is placed in the chamber, while a non-acoustic force such as gravity is applied, so that the particles (50-52 in FIG.2) separate with the larger or denser particles moving away from the center of the well to a position near its edge and progressively smaller lighter particles moving progressively closer to the center of the well. Particles are removed from different positions within the well, so that particles are separated according to the positions they occupy in the well.

Abstract: A method for removing ash, sulfur and inertinite from crushed coal includes float/sink treatment in aqueous solutions of monosaccharides, disaccharides, hydrogenated monosaccharides, hydrogenated disaccharides and mixtures thereof. Such solutions also improve the performance of such heavy media physical cleaning equipment as cyclones, heavy media baths, tables, spirals, hydroclones, flotation cells, jigs and solid-bowl centrifuges.

Abstract: A starting method for an electro-pneumatically actuated wet-settling machine, for the separation of mineral mixtures, particularly coal, into their constituent components, in which the separation of the mineral mixture takes place through the pulsation of a separating liquid which is energized and controlled by means of compressed air in pulsation chambers which have electrically controlled air inlet and outlet valves, and in which the initiation of the wet-settling process takes place after a standstill, at least partially automatically, particularly through an electrically or electronically operating automatic starter, which starts at least some settling machine apparatus and/or their components in a predetermined dependency upon one another.