Abstract: An improved electrostatic precipitator, and its process of operation is described which contains essentially vertical tubes acting as vertical collector electrodes with discharge wire electrodes suspended therein, wherein a novel nonfouling chain screen is employed as a distributor for the upward flowing gas stream and collected dust is dropped onto and passed downwardly through the chain screen for discharge.

Abstract: A process is described for the separation and recovery of phosphorus from phosphorus-dirt mixtures by adding a quaternary ammonium compound to the mixture, while it is under an aqueous cover, agitating same, and separating a lower phosphorus phase from an upper dirt phase. The mixtures are treated prior to addition of the quaternary ammonium compound, where required, by lowering their dirt to phosphorus levels sufficiently low to permit them to be destabilized.

Abstract: Process for producing granular tetrasodium pyrophosphate having a bulk density of about 0.73 to about 0.84 g/ml and a dissolving time of about three minutes or less by heating crystalline disodium orthophosphate dihydrate at a slow heating rate, not over about 5.degree. C. per minute, until its temperature reaches about 130.degree. C. and then calcining it at about 350.degree. C. to about 550.degree. C. until it is converted to tetrasodium pyrophosphate.

Abstract: Low bulk density, soda ash-based, nonphosphate laundry detergents are prepared by (a) loading nonaqueous liquid surfactant onto substantially anhydrous, hydratable soda ash particles, (b) turbulently dispersing the surfactant-loaded particles into an inert gaseous medium while wetting the dispersed particles with an atomized stream of dilute aqueous sodium silicate or with separate atomized streams of water and concentrated aqueous sodium silicate, and (c) recovering the resultant particulate detergent. Preferably, natural soda ash is used in the process, and both nonionic and anionic surfactants are loaded onto the soda ash, in that order.

Abstract: The excessive wear and formation of ring-like cavities in carbon crucibles used to contain iron-based compositions that are heated in a plasma furnace to a temperature of from about 2000.degree. C. to aboout 2700.degree. C. are reduced or eliminated by adding carbon particles to the crucible in amounts of at least about 6 weight percent of the melt, and preferably in amounts exceeding the solubility of carbon in the heated melt.

Abstract: An improved electrostatic precipitator, is described which contains essentially vertical tubes acting as vertical collector electrodes with discharge wire electrodes suspended therein, wherein a novel nonfouling chain screen is employed as a distributor for the upward flowing gas stream and collected dust is dropped onto and passed downwardly through the chain screen for discharge.

Abstract: A fast-dissolving, non-caking, food grade sodium tripolyphosphate is produced by spraying into a spray dryer an aqueous sodium orthophosphate feed liquor having an Na.sub.2 O:P.sub.2 O.sub.5 ratio of from about 1.60 to about 1.67 containing potassium hydroxide or a soluble potassium salt in amounts to yield about 0.4% to 0.8% by weight potassium in the final product, heating the feed to at least 440.degree. C. to form sodium tripolyphosphate, cooling the sodium tripolyphosphate and adding to it at least about 1% by weight moisture.

Abstract: Compacted shapes of phosphatic material, suitable as a charge for a phosphorus furnace, are produced by compacting a mixture of calcined phosphate fines and phosphoric acid. The compacted shapes are conveniently produced on a roll briquetting press.

Abstract: Nodule fines, formed by abrasion of an electric furnace feed material of phosphate shale nodules, are utilized by mixing a recycle stream of the nodule fines with fresh phosphate in the presence of phosphoric acid prior to forming the shale into nodules. The phosphoric acid prevents loss in mechanical strength of the nodule caused by admixture with the nodule fines.

Abstract: Ferrophos is treated in a plasma furnace by maintaining an electric arc between a cathode and at least one point on the surface of the ferrophos which serves as the anode in the presence of an inert plasma gas, maintaining the average temperature of the ferrophos at about 2,000.degree. C. to about 2,700.degree. C., evolving gaseous phosphorus from the ferrophos until it contains less than about 7% by weight phosphorus, removing a purified phosphorus gas as one product and a metal concentrate having a reduced phosphorus content as a coproduct.

Abstract: Phosphoric acid is treated to remove and/or tie up heavy metals and antimony to enable the acid to be used in electrical semiconductor applications by reacting the acid with hydrogen sulfide and with hydrogen peroxide in separate treating steps. The hydrogen sulfide precipitates metal sulfides which are separated from the acid, and the hydrogen peroxide oxidizes dissolved antimony so that it is tied up and does not post-precipitate in the acid after removal of the metal sulfides.

Abstract: Phosphorus values in the raffinate from wet acid purification and nodule fines from an electric phosphorus furnace are recovered as elemental phosphorus by forming briquettes with a bed of the raffinate and nodule fines, curing the briquettes and feeding the cured briquettes plus the requisite coke and silica fluxing agent into an electric phosphorus furnace.

Abstract: Pork and other meat products are cured with pickling solutions from which nitrite is effectively exhausted during curing, thereby avoiding nitrosoamine formation, by buffering the solutions at the requisite acid pH with an alkali metal (M) glassy phosphate of the formula M(PO.sub.2 OM).sub.n OM having an M/P mole ratio of 1.188/1 to 1.250/1 and an average chain length (n) of about 8-11.

Abstract: Alkali metal phosphates are recovered from a water immiscible solvent solution of aqueous wet process phosphoric acid by neutralizing the acid with a basic alkali metal salt in a ratio of alkali metal to phosphorus of 1 to 3.5 to form at least the mono alkali metal phosphate. The solvent is given a water wash to recover entrained alkali metal phosphates. The resulting aqueous solution aforesaid and wash liquor containing the alkali metal salts are separated from the stripped solvent.

Abstract: In the electric arc furnace production of elemental phosphorus, cold phossy water is segregated from hot phossy water. The cold phossy water is discharged to a lined pond wherein solids settle to form a clarified cold water which is recycled for cooling and washing purposes. The hot phossy water is passed through a lamellar settler wherein phosphorus and solids are separated as a sludge to form a clarified hot water. The clarified hot water, without requiring additional heat, is recycled for process use. Phosphorus is recovered from the sludge to reduce to a minimum the amount of phosphorus discharged with dirt from the hot phossy water to the pond.

Abstract: Beryllium is efficiently recovered from silicate ores in a hydrometallurgical, single solvent, process which avoids the complexities, high costs and hazards ofpyrolytic, fluorination and acid leach methods, by contacting the ore in a closed reactor at elevated temperature and autogenous pressure with a concentrated caustic solution and lime or lime hydrate to form a slurry containing dissolved beryllium, reducing the pressure to about one atmosphere and the temperature to below the boiling point of the caustic solution, separating by-product solids to leave a pregnant leach liquor, diluting and digesting the leach liquor to precipitate the beryllium and to leave a caustic mother liquor, and separating the beryllium. The caustic mother liquor can be recycled to the ore contacting step in a closed loop version of the process.

Abstract: Heat is recovered from the phosphorus combustion chamber of a furnace phosphoric acid plant by placing in the combustion chamber a heat exchange surface having a protective meta acid coating thereon. Pressurized water can be used as a heat exchange fluid.

Abstract: Formcoke is produced by introducing feedstocks of calcined coal particles, bituminous binder, an aqueous carbohydrate and phosphoric acid into a mixing zone. The resulting mixture is compacted into shapes, such as briquettes, which are then cured in an oxygen-containing atmosphere and optionally heated to coking temperatures.

Abstract: The alcoholysis and phenolysis of phosphorus pentasulfide is accelerated by reacting the phosphorus pentasulfide with an alcohol or phenol in the presence of a catalytic amount of a catalyst consisting essentially of water, phosphoric acid, a phosphate salt, sulfuric acid or mixtures thereof. The dialkyl- or diaryldithiophosphoric acids produced are useful in the production of such products as motor oil additives, insecticides, etc.

Abstract: A process is described for converting wet acid into sodium tripolyphosphate by pretreating the wet acid in a pretreatment stage with a sodium source and SiO.sub.2 to precipitate fluoride values from the wet acid, solvent extracting the pretreated wet acid to remove further impurities, reacting the solvent extracted acid with a sodium source in a made up stage to form a sodium orthophosphate liquor, heating the resulting liquor in a calcining stage to produce sodium tripolyphosphate, passing gases from the calcining stage into a scrubber liquor to remove fluoride impurities and entrained sodium tripolyphosphate, recycling scrubber liquor to the make up stage to recover sodium tripolyphosphate values, and removing a bleed stream from the recycled scrubber liquor and recycling it to the pretreatment stage to remove fluoride impurities therein in the pretreatment stage.