Abstract: An improvement in the treatment of sludge recovered from a pond containing tailings from a water extraction process of tar sands characterized in that the froth produced from a treatment of the sludge is diluted with water which is at an ambient temperature, and the diluted froth is agitated and aerated vigorously for a short time to obtain an upper froth layer which contains most of the bitumen and substantially reduced amounts of mineral and water. The upper froth layer is obtained by, e.g., skimming it from the froth produced by the agitation and aeration.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the recovery of bitumen from a sludge. The sludge is diluted with water and subjected to high-shear agitation and aeration and the sludge settled to obtain an upper bitumen-containing froth layer and a lower sludge layer of reduced bitumen content. The recovery of bitumen is increased over that obtained with aeration and mixing with mild agitation or with aeration alone or with agitation alone.

Abstract: In order to facilitate the retrieval and launching of a pipeline scraper, as well as intermediate handling including transportation and cleaning, a trailer-mounted cradle apparatus is employed. The cradle is vertically adjustable to accomodate different heights of incoming and launching traps. An integral reel and cable unit is provided to assist in pulling a scraper from an incoming trap into the cradle and, optionally, to start the scraper into a launching trap.

Abstract: In the process of converting alkyl substituted aromatic hydrocarbon to nitriles by ammoxidation where the aromatic hydrocarbon compound, oxygen and ammonia are reacted in the presence of an ammoxidation catalyst under ammoxidation conditions to obtain the nitrile, the improvement of supplying the total amount of ammonia reactant to the reactor as an aqueous solution of ammonia, carbon dioxide and their hydrolysis products (e.g. an ammonium carbonate solution). The major advantage of the process is that it achieves excellent conversion to nitrile without excessive burn of ammonia or organic reactant and avoids the necessity to separate ammonia from off-gases since the aqueous ammonia and carbonate containing solution is suitable for recycle.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of essentially pure ferromagnetic .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 by bringing a solution of a water soluble iron salt to a pH between about 8.0 and 11.0 to obtain a suspension of iron hydroxide, passing air through the iron hydroxide suspension at a temperature of from about 25.degree. to about 80.degree. C., and separating said pure .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3.