Abstract: A process for selectively oxidizing an organic molecule by reacting said organic molecule and oxygen in the presence of a selective oxidation catalyst supported on a mesh-like structure.

Abstract: In a supercritical oxidation process, the oxidized supercritical fluid effluent (46) discharged from the upper region of the reactor vessel (10) is contacted with a cold quench liquid (66) so as to produce a relatively solids free vapor stream (53) and a liquid stream (51) containing the bulk of the precipitates and other solids carried over in the oxidized supercritical fluid effluent (46). The temperature of the resultant liquid stream (51) is maintained at a temperature below the solids solubility inversion temperature, typically below 600.degree. F., so as to dissolve a substantial portion of the precipitates and other solids collected therein.

Abstract: Process in which manganese nodules are treated to enable metal values to be recovered. Manganese ore nodules are treated in a two-stage fluid bed process to produce a leachable product. In the first stage, dried nodules are calcined using direct fuel injection under a neutral or slightly oxidizing atmosphere to remove about one-half of the oxygen content. Subsequently, in the second stage, the calcined nodules are reduced with synthesis gas to render the metal values leachable. The metal values such as copper and nickel are leached from the reduced nodules with an ammonia-ammonium carbonate leach solution.

Abstract: A process in which copper, nickel, cobalt and molybdenum are recovered by direct leaching of comminuted raw manganese nodules with an aqueous ammoniacal leach solution containing cuprous ions. During the process cuprous ions are consumed and are oxidized to cupric ions. The cuprous ions are regenerated by reducing the cupric ions with a reducing gas. An improvement is disclosed which results from increasing the pressure of the reducing gas. This increased pressure facilitates maintaining a high cuprous ion concentration in each reaction vessel, by increasing the rate at which the cuprous ions are regenerated from the cupric ions without affecting the rate at which the metal values are recovered from the nodules, which in turn, increases the efficiency of each reactor thus enabling the size of reactors to be reduced.