Abstract: A collector is disclosed that is made of a polyolefin fiber having amidoxime groups and that is capable of efficient adsorptive recovery of useful metals such as uranium, vanadium, cobalt and titanium which are dissolved in small quantities in seawater. In the presence of a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophilic group, a polymerizable monomer having a cyano group is grafted to a polyolefin fiber by radiation-initiated graft polymerization to form both a hydrophilic group and a cyano group in the same graft side chains, and the cyano groups in the graft side chains are reacted with hydroxylamine to be converted to amidoxime groups, thereby producing a collector capable of recovering dissolved metals from seawater.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a structure of a metal collecting material for use in seawater or river water or industrial wastewater to give the most excellent adsorption efficiency. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for efficiently separating and recovering valuable metals or noxious metals from a metal collecting material having collected said valuable metals from seawater or noxious metals from river water or wastewater with the least possible waste generation. A metal collector according to an aspect of the present invention is formed by stacking at least partially alternate layers of a fibrous metal collecting material with a spacer for introducing a liquid to be treated into said collecting material, wherein the area of spacer side faces represents 25-75% of the total area of collecting material side faces and spacer side faces in the side faces of the stack.

Abstract: A radiation graft treated material in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric material that is composed of polymer monofilament fiber of which only the surface has undergone a radiation-induced graft polymerization but of which the center remains unaffected by grafting.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a filter material capable of killing microorganisms, bacteria, fungi or viruses in air or liquids. Antimicrobial organic polymer materials of the present invention comprise an organic polymer material having a polymer side chain containing a unit derived from an N-alkyl-N-vinylalkylamide on a backbone of a polymer substrate, wherein triiodide ion is carried on said organic polymer material.

Abstract: A method for performing radiation-inducted graft polymerization on substrates in the form of webs of woven or non-woven fabric, which includes the steps of exposing a substrate woven or non-woven fabric composed of polymer fiber to electron beams in a nitrogen atmosphere, contacting the irradiated substrate with a specified amount of monomer in a nitrogen atmosphere, and subjecting the monomer and the substrate in mutual contact to graft polymerization in a nitrogen atmosphere, characterized in that the first through third steps are performed in succession.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a graft polymerization method that can be applied to even organic polymer substrates having relatively low strength while overcoming the problem of inhomogeneous grafting.

Abstract: A polymer substrate for radiation-induced graft polymerization in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric that comprises a woven or non-woven fabric composed of polymer fiber and a reinforcement polymer having a greater strength and a slower rate of radiation-induced graft polymerization than said polymer fiber. Also, radiation graft treated stock prepared from said polymer substrate. In another aspect, a radiation graft treated material in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric material that is composed of polymer monofilament fiber of which only the surface has undergone a radiation-induced graft polymerization but of which the center remains unaffected by grafting.

Abstract: A collector is disclosed that is made of a polyolefin fiber having amidoxime groups and that is capable of efficient adsorptive recovery of useful metals such as uranium, vanadium, cobalt and titanium which are dissolved in small quantities in seawater. In the presence of a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophilic group, a polymerizable monomer having a cyano group is grafted to a polyolefin fiber by radiation-initiated graft polymerization to form both a hydrophilic group and a cyano group in the same graft side chains, and the cyano groups in the graft side chains are reacted with hydroxylamine to be converted to amidoxime groups, thereby producing a collector capable of recovering dissolved metals from seawater.

Abstract: A radiation graft treated material in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric material that is composed of polymer monofilament fiber of which only the surface has undergone a radiation-induced graft polymerization but of which the center remains unaffected by grafting.

Abstract: A method for performing radiation-inducted graft polymerization on substrates in the form of webs of woven or non-woven fabric, which includes the steps of exposing a substrate woven or non-woven fabric composed of polymer fiber to electron beams in a nitrogen atmosphere, contacting the irradiated substrate with a specified amount of monomer in a nitrogen atmosphere, and subjecting the monomer and the substrate in mutual contact to graft polymerization in a nitrogen atmosphere, characterized in that the first through third steps are performed in succession.

Abstract: A collector is disclosed that is made of a polyolefin fiber having amidoxime groups and that is capable of efficient adsorptive recovery of useful metals such as uranium, vanadium, cobalt and titanium which are dissolved in small quantities in seawater. In the presence of a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophilic group, a polymerizable monomer having a cyano group is grafted to a polyolefin fiber by radiation-initiated graft polymerization to form both a hydrophilic group and a cyano group in the same graft side chains, and the cyano groups in the graft side chains are reacted with hydroxylamine to be converted to amidoxime groups, thereby producing a collector capable of recovering dissolved metals from seawater.

Abstract: A collector is disclosed that is made of a polyolefin fiber having amidoxime groups and that is capable of efficient adsorptive recovery of useful metals such as uranium, vanadium, cobalt and titanium which are dissolved in small quantities in seawater. In the presence of a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophilic group, a polymerizable monomer having a cyano group is grafted to a polyolefin fiber by radiation-initiated graft polymerization to form both a hydrophilic group and a cyano group in the same graft side chains, and the cyano groups in the graft side chains are reacted with hydroxylamine to be converted to amidoxime groups, thereby producing a collector capable of recovering dissolved metals from seawater.

Abstract: A collector is disclosed that is made of a polyolefin fiber having amidoxime groups and that is capable of efficient adsorptive recovery of useful metals such as uranium, vanadium, cobalt and titanium which are dissolved in small quantities in seawater. In the presence of a polymerizable monomer having a hydrophilic group, a polymerizable monomer having a cyano group is grafted to a polyolefin fiber by radiation-initiated graft polymerization to form both a hydrophilic group and a cyano group in the same graft side chains, and the cyano groups in the graft side chains are reacted with hydroxylamine to be converted to amidoxime groups, thereby producing a collector capable of recovering dissolved metals from seawater.

Abstract: An air purifying filter which comprises: (a) an ion-exchange fiber filter and (b) a high- or ultrahigh-performance filter comprising glass fibers is disclosed. The ion-exchange fiber filter preferably comprises a fibrous substrate and ion-exchange groups and hydrophilic groups which are chemically bound to the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Separation functional fibers are produced by exposing fibers with a core/sheath structure to an ionizing radiation and then grafting a polymerizable monomer to the fibers. Ion-exchange fibers are produced by introducing, through radiation-initiated graft polymerization, ion-exchange groups into the sheath of each of composite fibers the core and the sheath of which are composed of different kinds of high-polymer components. The separation functional fibers and the ion-exchange fibers are useful in various applications such as the production of pure water in electric power, nuclear, electronic and pharmaceutical industries and the demineralization of high-salt content solutions in the production of foods and chemicals. The fibers are also useful in removing harmful components from gases, as well as odorous components such as ammonia.

Abstract: Separation functional fibers are produced by exposing fibers with a core/sheath structure to an ionizing radiation and then grafting a polymerizable monomer to the fibers. Ion-exchange fibers are produced by introducing, through radiation-initiated graft polymerization, ion-exchange groups into the sheath of each of composite fibers the core and the sheath of which are composed of different kinds of high-polymer components. The separation functional fibers and the ion-exchange fibers are useful in various applications such as the production of pure water in electric power, nuclear, electronic and pharmaceutical industries and the demineralization of high-salt content solutions in the production of foods and chemicals. The fibers are also useful in removing harmful components from gases, as well as odorous components such as ammonia.

Abstract: A process for producing a fabric absorbent that is capable of efficient removal of odorous substances, in particular malodorous substances. The absorbent is obtained by exposing an organic high-molecular weight compound, such as polyolefinic polymers or halogenated polyolefinic polymers, to an ionizing radiation and thereafter graft polymerizing the high-molecular weight compound with a polymerizable monomer that contains ion-exchange groups and/or a polymerizable monomer that can be converted to ion-exchange groups so as to incorporate the ion-exchange groups in the high-molecular weight compound.

Abstract: Electrically regenerable desalting apparatus having the desalting compartment packed with ion exchangers produced by utilizing radiation-initiated graft polymerization, in which said ion exchangers are nonwoven fabrics in the form of a fiber assembly and a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are disposed in a face-to-face relationship, with a porous material being interposed between the two ion exchangers. Having the ability to reject ions from liquids, the apparatus is particularly suited to the production of pure water in the electrical power generating industries (including the nuclear industry), electronic industry and the pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry, as well as to the desalting of thick fluids encountered in food and chemical manufacturing processes.

Abstract: A monomer having cationic groups and a monomer having anionic groups are introduced into polymeric substrates such as fibers, woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics and membranous materials through radiation-initiated graft polymerization, thereby producing polymeric electrolyte complexes that have good physical properties and which can be formed into shapes that suit specific uses. Also disclosed is a process according to which hydrophilic groups and/or ion-exchange groups are introduced into polymeric substrates such as fibers, woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics and membranous materials through radiation-initiated graft polymerization. To introduce hydrophilic groups and/or ion-exchange groups, two or more monomers are used as selected from among hydrophilic monomers, monomers having cation-exchange groups (e.g. acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and styrenesulfonic acid salt), and monomers having anion-exchange groups (e.g. vinylbenzyltrimethyl ammonium salt and diethylaminoethyl methacrylate).

Abstract: The improved electrically regenerable demineralizing apparatus uses ion exchangers that are produced by radiation-initiated graft polymerization and that are packed in the demineralizing compartment of an electrodialyzer. The apparatus may use a mosaic ion exchanger that consists of alternately arranged cation- and anion-exchange groups. Alternately, the apparatus may have an immobilized amino acid packed in the demineralizing compartment of an electrodialyzer. The apparatus maintains consistent water quality for a prolonged time, is capable of treating from small to large volumes of water and yet is easy to service and manage.