Patents by Inventor Sofia Vichnevsky

Sofia Vichnevsky 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).

  • Chemimechanical desilication of nonwood plant materials
    Patent number: 7364640
    Abstract: A process for removing silica from nonwood plant materials involving both chemical and mechanical action is described. The silica-rich epidermal cells are liberated mechanically by a pre-pulping and low-consistency refining step and subsequently removed from the pulp via the filtrate of a thickening step. Amorphous silica is liberated chemically by using an alkaline dilution source in the pulper, then removed from the pulp via the filtrate of a thickening step and a dewatering step. The silica is then removed from the filtrate by adjusting the pH, followed by a separation step. The desilicated fibrous material may then be chemically or mechanically pulped and bleached using known processes. The silica removed from the nonwood plant material may then be used as a feedstock for other applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Alberta Research Council Inc.
    Inventors: Wade Chute, Sofia Vichnevsky
  • CHEMIMECHANICAL DESILICATION OF NONWOOD PLANT MATERIALS
    Publication number: 20050051287
    Abstract: A process for removing silica from nonwood plant materials involving both chemical and mechanical action is described. The silica-rich epidermal cells are liberated mechanically by a pre-pulping and low-consistency refining step and subsequently removed from the pulp via the filtrate of a thickening step. Amorphous silica is liberated chemically by using an alkaline dilution source in the pulper, then removed from the pulp via the filtrate of a thickening step and a dewatering step. The silica is then removed from the filtrate by adjusting the pH, followed by a separation step. The desilicated fibrous material may then be chemically or mechanically pulped and bleached using known processes. The silica removed from the nonwood plant material may then be used as a feedstock for other applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2004
    Publication date: March 10, 2005
    Inventors: Wade Chute, Sofia Vichnevsky