Patents by Inventor Richard Scharp

Richard Scharp 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).

  • Process for the purification of acidic metal-bearing waste waters to permissible discharge levels with recovery of marketable metal products
    Patent number: 7279103
    Abstract: Acidic metal-bearing wastewaters are treated to produce a finished water of sufficient purity to meet discharge standards while recovering metals removed in forms which are commercially valuable. The metals are selectively precipitated, either in a batch or in a continuous system, for removal of individual metal products in a specific sequence of steps from the wastewater. In each step, the pH is adjusted to the specific pH range and sulfide ion is introduced to precipitate the metals, excepting the removal of ferric iron and aluminum which is achieved using hydroxide precipitation. Bioconversion process using unique equipment converts sulfate in the wastewater to the hydrogen sulfide gas required for the precipitation process. This bioconversion process reduces the sulfate in the wastewater so that the water can be directly discharged or used for agricultural applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: United States of America Enviromental Protection Agency
    Inventors: John Burckle, Rakesh Govind, Fred Kawahara, Richard Scharp, Henry Tabak
  • PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF ACIDIC METAL-BEARING WASTE WATERS TO PERMISSABLE DISCHARGE LEVELS WITH RECOVERY OF MARKETABLE METAL PRODUCTS
    Publication number: 20070090057
    Abstract: Acidic metal-bearing wastewaters are treated to produce a finished water of sufficient purity to meet discharge standards while recovering metals removed in forms which are commercially valuable. The metals are selectively precipitated, either in a batch or in a continuous system, for removal of individual metal products in a specific sequence of steps from the wastewater. In each step, the pH is adjusted to the specific pH range and sulfide ion is introduced to precipitate the metals, excepting the removal of ferric iron and aluminum which is achieved using hydroxide precipitation. Bioconversion process using unique equipment converts sulfate in the wastewater to the hydrogen sulfide gas required for the precipitation process. This bioconversion process reduces the sulfate in the wastewater so that the water can be directly discharged or used for agricultural applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2005
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Inventors: John Burckle, Rakesh Govind, Fred Kawahara, Richard Scharp, Henry Tabak