Abstract: A process is provided for preparing a spent noble metal fixed-bed catalyst for precious metals recovery, comprising: a) adding the catalyst to a caustic solution to wash the spent catalyst and to make a wash slurry having an alkaline pH, wherein the spent catalyst has been in contact with chloroaluminate ionic liquid catalyst, and wherein the spent catalyst comprises from 5 to 35 wt % chloride; and b) filtering the wash slurry and collecting: i) a filter cake having from at least 70 wt % of the chloride in the spent catalyst removed and having the noble metals retained, and ii) a wash filtrate. Also provided is a filter cake comprising a washed consolidated cake having 40 to 75 wt % solids, a cake moisture content from 25 to less than 60 wt %, 0.1 to 1.5 wt % total noble metals, and a residual chloride content of from zero to less than 4 wt %.

Abstract: If a conductive mayenite compound having a large specific surface area is obtained, the usefulness thereof in respective applications is remarkably increased. A conductive mayenite compound powder having a conduction electron density of 1015 cm?3 or more and a specific surface area of 5 m2g?1 or more is produced by: (1) a step for forming a precursor powder by subjecting a mixture of a starting material powder and water to a hydrothermal treatment; (2) a step for forming a mayenite compound powder by heating and dehydrating the precursor powder; (3) a step for forming an activated mayenite compound powder by heating the compound powder in an inert gas atmosphere or in a vacuum; and (4) a step for injecting electrons into the mayenite compound through a reduction treatment by mixing the activated mayenite compound powder with a reducing agent.

Abstract: A method for removal of metal ions from rice hulls. The method includes: 1) providing a water storage reactor, and disposing a gas dispersion device at the bottom of the water storage reactor; 2) bagging rice hulls, placing it in the water storage reactor, and pressing down on the bagged rice hulls to be lower than a water surface in the water storage reactor; 3) spraying industrial flue gas into the water storage reactor; controlling the amount of the industrial flue gas such that about 1 g of carbon dioxide is dissolved per 100 g of water, thus generating a carbonic acid solution; 4) allowing the carbonic acid solution to react with metal ions in the rice hulls to yield a precipitate; and 5) washing the rice hulls collected in step 4), washing again with desalinated water, and then squeezing the rice hulls.

Abstract: A method for separating arsenic and heavy metals in an acidic washing solution which contains both arsenic and heavy metal, more particularly in a washing solution which is formed in copper smelting and contains sulphuric acid, comprises a separation process section, in which arsenic and at least one primary heavy metal are separated from one another. The separation process section comprises a processing step, in which hydrogen peroxide H2O2 is added to the washing solution, and the separation process section comprises a precipitation stage, in which the washing solution is admixed with a sulphide precipitation reagent, causing the at least one primary heavy metal to precipitate in the form of a metal sulphide. The processing step in this system is carried out before the precipitation stage.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for recycling lead-acid batteries, and more specifically, relates to purifying and recycling the lead content from lead-acid batteries. A system includes a reactor that receives and mixes a lead-bearing material waste, a carboxylate source, and a recycled liquid component to form a leaching mixture yielding a lead salt precipitate. The system also includes a phase separation device coupled to the reactor, wherein the phase separation device isolates the lead salt precipitate from a liquid component of the leaching mixture. The system further includes a closed-loop liquid recycling system coupled to the phase separation device and to the reactor, wherein the closed-loop liquid recycling system receives the liquid component isolated by the phase separation device and recycles a substantial portion of the received liquid component back to the reactor as the recycled liquid component.

Abstract: There are provided processes for treating red mud. For example, the processes can comprise leaching red mud with HCl so as to obtain a leachate comprising ions of a first metal (for example aluminum) and a solid, and separating said solid from said leachate. Several other metals can be extracted from the leachate (Fe, Ni, Co, Mg, rare earth elements, rare metals, etc.). Various other components can be extracted from solid such as TiO2, SiO2 etc.

Abstract: A multi-layer ceramic capacitor is made by alternately layering a dielectric layer constituted by a sintered body of a ceramic powder, and an internal electrode layer. The ceramic powder contains, as a main composition, barium titanate powder having a perovskite structure with a median size of 200 nm or smaller as measured by SEM observation, wherein the barium titanate powder is such that the percentage of barium titanate particle having twin defects in the barium titanate powder is less than 10% as measured by TEM observation and that its crystal lattice c/a is 1.0075 or more.

Abstract: Disclosed are silicon carbide powders and a method of preparing the same. The method includes forming a mixture by mixing a silicon (Si) source, a carbon (C) source, and a silicon carbide (SiC) seed, and reacting the mixture. The silicon carbide (SiC) powders include silicon carbide (SiC) grains having a ?-type crystal phase and a grain size in a range of about 5 ?m to about 100 ?m.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods by which lead from spent lead-acid batteries may be extracted, purified, and used in the construction of new lead-acid batteries. A method includes forming a first mixture in a first vessel, wherein the first mixture includes a lead-bearing material and a carboxylate source, which react to precipitate lead salt particles. The method includes separating a portion of the first mixture from a remainder of the first mixture, wherein the portion includes lead salt particles having specific densities below a specific density threshold value and/or having particle sizes below a particle size threshold value. The method includes forming a second mixture in a second vessel, wherein the second mixture includes the lead salt particles from the separated portion of the first mixture. The method further includes separating the lead salt particles of the second mixture from a liquid component of the second mixture.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a precious metal recovery process in which an acid sulfidic feed material is subjected to acid pressure oxidation and an alkaline sulfidic feed material is subjected to alkaline pressure oxidation, with the discharge slurries from the pressure oxidation processes being combined to reduce neutralization requirements prior to precious metal recovery.

Abstract: A method for separating an amount of osmium from a mixture containing the osmium and at least one other additional metal is provided. In particular, method for forming and trapping OsO4 to separate the osmium from a mixture containing the osmium and at least one other additional metal is provided.

Abstract: A method for the hydrothermal synthesis of bismuth germanium oxide comprises dissolving a bismuth precursor (e.g., bismuth nitrate pentahydrate) and a germanium precursor (e.g., germanium dioxide) in water and heating the aqueous solution to an elevated reaction temperature for a length of time sufficient to produce the eulytite phase of bismuth germanium oxide (E-BGO) with high yield. The E-BGO produced can be used as a scintillator material. For example, the air stability and radioluminescence response suggest that the E-BGO can be employed for medical applications.

Abstract: A multi-layer ceramic capacitor is made by alternately layering a dielectric layer constituted by a sintered body of a ceramic powder, and an internal electrode layer. The ceramic powder contains barium titanate powder having a perovskite structure with a median size of 200 nm or smaller as measured by SEM observation, wherein the barium titanate powder is such that the percentage of barium titanate particles having twin defects in the barium titanate powder is 13% or more as measured by TEM observation and that its crystal lattice c/a is 1.0080 or more. The ceramic powder has a wide range of optimum sintering temperatures and thus offers excellent productivity and is particularly useful in the formation of thin dielectric layers of 1 ?m or less.

Abstract: Provided is a method for selectively extracting and inexpensively recovering scandium from an acidic solution containing calcium, magnesium, and scandium. The scandium extraction method according to the present invention involves subjecting an acidic solution containing calcium, magnesium, and scandium to solvent extraction using an extraction agent consisting of an amide derivative represented by the general formula below. In the formula, R1 and R2 represent the same or different alkyl groups, and R3 is a hydrogen atom or alkyl group. The amide derivative preferably consisting of one or more derivatives selected from glycine amide derivatives, histidine amide derivatives, lysine amide derivatives, and aspartic acid amide derivatives. The pH of the acidic solution is preferably pre-adjusted to between 1 and 4.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for recovery of noble metals from long-chain hydrocarbons, oils or tars, comprising a thermal treatment process in the presence of a defoaming agent having an ash fraction of 0.1% by weight or more.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a ferrous oxide nanoparticle includes a water removing step raising temperature of a solution containing an iron oxide, an organic acid dissolving the iron oxide, and a first solvent to a first temperature and removing water in the solution, a second temperature maintaining step raising the first temperature to a second temperature and maintaining the second temperature, and a particle extracting step extracting the ferrous oxide nanoparticle from the solution after the second temperature maintaining step.

Abstract: A lithium titanium oxide spinel having a ratio of FWHM1/FWHM2 at a spinning rate of about 5 kHz to about 50 kHz of about 1.70 or less, wherein FWHM1 is a full width at half maximum of a 7Li peak present about ?10 parts per million to about +10 parts per million in a solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of the lithium titanium oxide, FWHM2 is a full width at half maximum of a 7Li peak present about ?10 parts per million to about +10 parts per million in a solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of a lithium chloride standard reagent, and FWHM1 and FWHM2 are measured at the same spinning rate.

Abstract: The synthetic amorphous silica powder of the present invention is obtained by applying a spheroidizing treatment to a granulated silica powder, and by subsequently cleaning and drying it so that the synthetic amorphous silica powder has an average particle diameter D50 of 10 to 2,000 ?m; wherein the synthetic amorphous silica powder has: a quotient of greater than 1.35 and not more than 1.75 obtained by dividing a BET specific surface area of the powder by a theoretical specific surface area calculated from the average particle diameter D50; a real density of 2.10 to 2.20 g/cm3; an intra-particulate porosity of 0 to 0.05; a circularity of 0.50 to 0.75; and an unmolten ratio of greater than 0.25 and not more than 0.60.

Abstract: Method for processing bauxite, including grinding the bauxite and extracting iron; separating the resulting pulp into a solid phase and a liquid phase; extracting aluminum from the liquid phase at a pH of about 7 to 8 to form a precipitate of sodium hydrogen carboaluminate; separating the precipitate of sodium hydrogen carboaluminate from the neutralized pulp; extracting iron from the neutralized liquid phase at a pH of at least about 12 using to form a precipitate of iron hydroxide; separating the precipitate of iron hydroxide from the basic pulp to form an iron ore concentrate and a mother liquor chelate; concentrating the mother liquor chelate using evaporation; cooling the concentrated solution; carbonizing the cooled solution with gaseous carbon dioxide under pressure to crystallize sodium hydrogen carbonate; and separating the crystallized sodium hydrogen carbonate from the carbonized solution to form a chelate liquid phase and a sodium hydrogen carbonate solid phase.

Abstract: An objective of the invention is to provide a method and system for separating a particular rare earth element from a rare earth magnet at a high separation ratio and by a simple process. There is provided a rare earth separation method for separating a first and a second groups of rare earth elements contained in a magnet, the method including: a starting powder preparation step from the magnet; a magnet component oxidation heat treatment step; a rare earth oxide separation step from the magnet components oxide powder; a powder size optimization step; a chlorinating agent mixing step; a chlorination/oxychlorination heat treatment step of forming a “first group rare earth chlorides”/“second group rare earth oxychlorides” mixture; a selective dissolution step of selectively dissolving the first group rare earth chlorides in the solvent and leaving the second group rare earth oxychlorides undissolved in solid phase form; and a solid-liquid separation step.