Abstract: Structural members having strength properties comparable or superior to those of solid wood are made from a composite wood material comprised of elongated wood flakes bonded together with a binder. The grain direction of the flakes extend generally parallel to their longitudinal axis and the flakes are oriented so that the longitudinal axis of at least a majority is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the structural member. The structural member is formed as a solid one-piece unit or assembled from two or more structural components which are made from the composite wood material and are joined together in angular relationship with an adhesive.

Abstract: Highly metallized, non-pyrophoric pellets are produced from a finely-divided iron ore concentrate by preparing a moistened mixture of the ore concentrate, a finely-divided carbonaceous material in an amount at least sufficient to reduce all the iron oxide to metallic iron, about 1 to about 30 weight % of a bonding agent, such as burned or hydrated lime, and 0 to up to about 3 weight % of a siliceous material (as available SiO.sub.2), such as silica, forming green pellets from this mixture, drying the green pellets to a moisture content of 5% or less, hydrothermally hardening the dried, green pellets by contacting them with steam under pressure, and metallizing the hardened pellets by tumbling them in a reduction furnace, such as a rotary kiln, at a reduction temperature of about 1033.degree. C.

Abstract: An article, such as a pallet having a substantially flat deck member and a plurality of hollow legs projecting from the deck member, is molded as a one-piece unit from a papermill sludge. Dried, comminuted papermill sludge is blended with a fibrous reinforcing material, preferably a cellulosic material such as fibrous bark particles, and a resinous particle board binder, the resulting mixture of furnish is formed into a loosely fitted mat, and the mat is placed between dyes of a mold and press and compressed to substantially the desired shape under temperature and pressure conditions sufficient to bond the sludge and bark particles together.

Abstract: Carbonaceous fines, such as coke fines, bituminous coal fines, anthracite coal fines, lignite fines, coal char, lignite char, wood char and mixtures thereof, are formed into hardened, crush-resistant agglomerates by preparing a moistened mixture including a major proportion of the carbonaceous fines, about 1 to about 15 weight % of a bonding agent, such as burned lime, CaO, or hydrated lime, Ca(OH).sub.2, and about 0.25 to about 10 weight % of a siliceous material, such as silica, having available SiO.sub.2 for reacting with the bonding agent to form silicate or hydrosilicate bonds therewith; allowing the resulting mixture to stand a time period sufficient for a substantial portion of the free internal moisture in the pores of the carbonaceous fines to migrate to the surface thereof; forming the mixture into green discrete agglomerates; drying the green agglomerates to reduce the free moisture content therein to about 5% or less; and hydrothermally hardening the green agglomerates.

Abstract: A high grade fraction is recovered from lithium-containing ores by conditioning a finely-ground aqueous pulp of the ore with a conditioning reagent formed by incorporating a water-soluble polyvalent metal salt into an aqueous solution of an alkali metal silicate and with an anionic collector and then subjecting the conditioned pulp, without desliming, to a froth flotation operation whereby a concentrate containing lithium and a tailing containing gangue are produced.

Abstract: The thermally activated electrochemical cell includes a cathode, an anode and a solid electrolyte which is non-conductive at ambient temperatures and is capable of becoming an ionically conductive liquid upon being heated above its melting point. The electrolyte is an organic solvent solvate of certain alkali metal salts which is formed by coordinating the salt with a polar organic solvent preferably having a Gutmann donor number greater than 18 and a dielectric constant of at least 20.

Abstract: A thermal energy storage material which is stable at atmospheric temperature and pressure and has a melting point higher than 32.degree.F. is prepared by dissolving a specific class of clathrate forming compounds, such as tetra n-propyl or tetra n-butyl ammonium fluoride, in water to form a substantially solid clathrate. The resultant thermal energy storage material is capable of absorbing heat from or releasing heat to a given region as it transforms between solid and liquid states in response to temperature changes in the region above and below its melting point.