Patents by Inventor Robin B. Somerville

Robin B. Somerville 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).

  • Patent number: 7056359
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a coal product having reduced sulfur emissions including the steps of grinding coal into a powder form having a desired particle size; blending the ground coal with hydrated lime; adding water to the blend so as to have a moisture content of between 10 and 30 weight percent and drying the water-added blend so as to have a desired reduced moisture content. The desired reduced moisture content is less than 1% of the total weight of the coal powder and the hydrated lime. The step of drying includes heating the water-added blend to a temperature of between 300 and 400° F. in an externally heated oven. Waste heat form a power plant can be used so as to head the blend.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Inventors: Robin B. Somerville, Liang-Tseng Fan
  • Patent number: 5718735
    Abstract: A method of preparing a high heating value fuel product having the steps of blending a hydrocarbon-containing material with a dried sewage sludge, mixing a monomeric polyalcohol to the blend of the hydrocarbon-containing material and the dried sewage sludge, introducing a pozzolanic agent to the mixture, and forming the mixture into a form suitable for handling. The hydrocarbon-containing material is a waste material having a heating value of greater than 7,000 BTU. The monomeric polyalcohol is a chemical selected from the group of triethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, and glycerine propylene glycol. The pozzolantc agent is either lime fly ash, kiln dust, or other lime-containing product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Solidiwaste Technology, L.P.
    Inventors: Robin B. Somerville, Liang-tseng Fan
  • Patent number: 5049285
    Abstract: The process for immobilizing a hazardous waste containing heavy metals comprises the steps of pretreating the waste by adding a sulfide to the hazardous waste so as to generate the sulfides of the heavy metals from the hazardous waste, mixing a chemical reagent with the pretreated waste, and blending the mixture of the chemical reagent and the pretreated waste with a pozzolanic material. The chemical reagent contains a mixture of a retarder and an accelerator. This process further comprises the step of mixing a neutralizing reagent with the hazardous waste so as to cause the hazardous waste to have a pH of between 5 and 14. The neutralizing reagent is an alkaline material, preferably lime, hydrated lime, or calcium hydroxide. The sulfide is either sodium hydrosulfide or sodium sulfide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1991
    Assignee: Solidiwaste Technology, L.P.
    Inventors: Robin B. Somerville, Liang-tseng Fan