Abstract: It is disclosed a purifier assembly and method for removing impurities from an electrolytic bath before using the same with an electrolytic cell for making a metal, such as aluminum or aluminium. The assembly comprises a purification tank, located upstream the cell, for containing the bath; and at least one row, preferably at least two rows, of alternating vertically oriented cathodes and anodes configured to be operatively connected to a power supply for providing an electric current to the anodes and cathodes. The rows of vertically oriented cathodes and anodes are configured in size to be inserted into the tank. The purifier assembly is configured to maintain an anode-to-cathode distance (ACD) between the cathodes and anodes. The purifier is particularly adapted for removing sulfur, phosphorus, iron, and/or gallium from cryolite for the eco-friendly production of aluminum with a cell using oxygen-evolving or inert anodes, which preferably requires a purer bath.

Abstract: An improved process for making a structural foamed polymer, a multilayer polymer film, sheet or tube, a pultrusion polymer profile, a compression molded extruded fiber reinforced polymer pre-form, a strand foamed polymer and a SCORIM formed polymer article. The improvement includes the step of dispersing a multi-layered silicate material with the polymer so that the polymer has dispersed therein single layers of silicate material, double layers of silicate material, triple layers of silicate material, four layers of silicate material, five layers of silicate material and more than five layers of silicate material, the volume percent of the one, two, three, four and five layers of silicate material greater than the volume percent of the more then five layers of silicate material. In each of the above embodiments an important benefit of the instant invention is the orientation of the plane of the layers of silicate material.

Abstract: This invention provides a thermoplastic polymer foam having a density of up to 800 kg/m3. The foam is made from a hydrogenated vinyl aromatic polymer that contains pendant cycloaliphatic groups. This polymer is conveniently made by hydrogenating a poly(vinyl aromatic) polymer such as polystyrene or a polystyrene-butadiene block copolymer. A suitable blowing agent is a mixture comprising (a) one or more fluorine-containing carbon compounds and (b) carbon dioxide, nitrogen, an alcohol having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a linear or cyclic hydrocarbon having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a ketone, an alkyl ether, an alkyl halide, water or a mixture thereof.