Abstract: A method is provided for removing chromium from a chromium containing waste material wherein the waste material is dried by indirect heating, sized to a particle size of less than 0.105 mm, mixed with alkaline and oxidizing reactants, and reacted in a reaction vessel by indirect heating using approximately the stoichiometric oxygen requirement to form a reaction material containing water soluble chromates. The reaction material is cooled and resized, and then subjected to an aqueous solvent extraction to produce a solid phase containing substantially no chromium and an aqueous phase containing water soluble chromates. This aqueous phase is subjected to evaporation resulting in a concentrated chromate phase. The waste material has been rendered non-hazardous and the chromium has been recovered as useful chromates.

Abstract: A method for separating volatilizable contaminants from soil by introducing the soil into a rotary aggregate dryer through which a working gas indirectly heated to between 750.degree. F. and 1800.degree. F. is drawn to vaporize the contaminants, and for recovering the contaminants for environmentally sound disposal or recycling by downstream treatment of the effluent drawn off from the dryer. The downstream treatment includes cooling the effluent to condense and precipitate out a substantial portion of the contaminants and passing the effluent through activated carbon.

Abstract: A stable adhesive composition is comprised of a polyfunctional epoxide which is the reaction product of a polyglycidyl ether and a water soluble polyhydroxy compound. The polyfunctional epoxide has an epoxy equivalent weight of at least about 130 and is soluble in water at a level of up to about 5 percent by weight. A catalyst is present in the adhesive composition at a level of up to about 0.8 percent by weight as triethylamine.