Patents by Inventor Clay E. Easterly

Clay E. Easterly has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method for the removal and recovery of mercury
    Patent number: 5597729
    Abstract: The present invention is an enhanced method for the removal and recovery of mercury from mercury-contaminated matrices. The method involves contacting a mercury-contaminated matrix with an aqueous dispersant solution derived from specific intra-amoebic isolates to release the mercury from the mercury-contaminated matrix and emulsify the mercury; then, contacting the matrix with an amalgamating metal from a metal source to amalgamate the mercury to the amalgamating metal; removing the metallic source from the mercury-contaminated matrix; and heating the metallic source to vaporize the mercury in a closed system to capture the mercury vapors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Assignee: Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Clay E. Easterly, Arpad A. Vass, Richard L. Tyndall