Abstract: A method of treating a metal carbonate salt includes hydrolyzing a metal halide salt to form a hydrohalic acid and a hydroxide salt of the metal in the metal halide salt. The metal includes an alkaline earth metal or an alkali metal. The method includes reacting the hydrohalic acid with the metal carbonate salt, wherein the metal carbonate salt is a carbonate salt of the alkaline earth metal or alkali metal, to form CO2 and the metal halide salt. At least some of the metal halide salt formed from the reacting of the hydrohalic acid with the metal carbonate salt is recycled as at least some of the metal halide salt in the hydrolyzing of the metal halide salt to form the hydrohalic acid and the hydroxide salt.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus of embodiments of the invention relate to treating water including contacting a liquid stream with a source comprising inorganic and/or divalent ions and separating the stream into an effluent and a fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream, wherein the effluent comprises more sulfate and more inorganic and/or divalent ions than the stream. Methods and apparatus relate to treating water including a reaction unit comprising an inlet for feed fluid and an inlet for inorganic and/or divalent ions and a separator unit comprising an inlet for output from the reaction unit, an outlet for effluent, and an outlet for fluid comprising less sulfate than the feed fluid. Some embodiments include introducing the fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream into a subterranean formation.

Abstract: Oil is recovered from a mercury containing Hg-containing solids containing abradants by mixing the solids with a sulfidic compound in a molar ratio of sulfur compound to mercury from 5:1 to 5,000:1, and the sulfidic compound when dissolved in water, yields S2-, SH—, Sx2-, or SxH— anions, and optionally a solvent, forming a mixture. The mixture is then separated to recover a first phase containing treated oil in water, and a second phase containing treated abradants having a reduced concentration of mercury. In one embodiment, the treated abradants contain less than 100 ppmw mercury. The abradants are provided by removing at least a portion of a mercury-containing coating from a surface by abradant blasting, laser ablation, laser thermal desorption, and sponge jet blasting.

Abstract: A membrane reactor used for electrochemically converting a carbon dioxide gas into an expected product includes a cavity, a solid electrolyte membrane separator, a cathode, an anode, and a power source. The solid electrolyte membrane separator is disposed in the cavity and divides the cavity into two chambers defined as a cathode chamber and an anode chamber. The cathode is disposed in the cathode chamber, and the anode is disposed in the anode chamber. The cathode is a trickle bed structure including a porous conductive layer and cathode particles disposed on the porous conductive layer. The power source is disposed outside the cavity to provide an electrolytic voltage.

Abstract: To provide a probe card that is used when carrying out electrical inspection of a high-density fine circuit board to be measured. A probe card has plural probe pins, an insulator having plural through-holes through which the probe pins pass, and a pair of substrates that are positioned at both sides of the insulator and that have supporting holes into which end portions of the probe pins are inserted respectively. The pair of substrates and the insulator are provided so as to be slidable. One substrate is formed of a material having a same value as or an approximate value of a coefficient of thermal expansion of a fine circuit board to be measured, and another substrate is formed of a material having a same value as or an approximate value of a coefficient of thermal expansion of a wiring board for signal input/output.

Abstract: Oil is recovered from a mercury containing oily solids by mixing the solids with at least a treating agent selected from selected from flocculants, sulfidic compounds, demulsifiers, and combinations thereof, and optionally a solvent, forming a mixture. The mixture is then separated to recover a first phase containing treated oil having less than 50% of the original amount of mercury in the oily solids, and a second phase containing treated solids having a reduced concentration of mercury. In one embodiment, the oily solids comprise filter aid materials, e.g., diatomaceous earth filter media, removed from a mercury removal filtration unit by backflushing the filter.

Abstract: A membrane reactor used for electrochemically converting a carbon dioxide gas into an expected product includes a cavity, a solid electrolyte membrane separator, a cathode, an anode, and a fuel cell. The solid electrolyte membrane separator is disposed in the cavity and divides the cavity into two chambers defined as a cathode chamber and an anode chamber. The cathode is disposed in the cathode chamber, and the anode is disposed in the anode chamber. The fuel cell is disposed outside the cavity to provide an electrolytic voltage. The fuel cell includes a fuel inlet, an oxidant inlet, and a reaction product outlet. The expected product includes a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas. The hydrogen gas used as a fuel is fed in the fuel inlet, and the oxygen gas used as an oxidant is fed in the oxidant inlet for the fuel cell to produce electrical power.

Abstract: Both the reaction of hydride-forming compositions with hydrogen to form hydrides, and the decomposition of such hydrides to release hydrogen may be promoted electrochemically. These reactions may be conducted reversibly, and if performed in a suitable cell, the cell will serve as a hydrogen storage and release device.

Abstract: Systems are described for dissolving metal silicates to: produce metal hydroxide; remove carbon dioxide or other acid gases from the atmosphere or other gas mixture by reacting such gases with the metal hydroxide; penetrate or excavate metal silicates; extract metals or silicon-containing compounds from metal silicates; and produce hydrogen and oxygen or other gases.

Abstract: A method for concentrating an aqueous caustic alkali produced by a membrane cell process by using a single or multiple effect evaporator system in which the vapor flows in a counter direction to the aqueous caustic alkali flow and the heat recovered from the catholyte circulation line is used as part of the concentration process. In one embodiment, a catholyte heat recovery heat exchanger and evaporation chamber are located after the last effect of a multiple effect evaporator system. In another embodiment, the catholyte heat recovery heat exchanger and evaporation chamber are located prior to the single or multiple effect evaporator system. In yet another embodiment, the catholyte heat recovery process is used in conjunction with additional heat exchanger processes to further concentrate the final product as desired.

Abstract: Process for the combined regeneration of at least two soluble salts contained in a residue of an industrial process comprising heavy metals, comprising: adding an amount of reactive aqueous solution needed to completely dissolve the salts which are desired to be regenerated to the residue; subjecting the resulting aqueous suspension to a separation to obtain an aqueous production solution on the one hand and insoluble impurities on the other hand, which are removed; successively subjected the aqueous production solution to at least two selective crystallization steps intended to crystallize, separately, the at least two soluble salts which are desired to be regenerated, which are washed, dried and regenerated separately; and adjusting the concentration of at least one of the soluble salts to be regenerated in the aqueous production solution, at the moment when such solution is subjected to the step of crystallization of this salt, to give rise to the selective crystallization of this salt, by addition of a co

Abstract: Systems are described for dissolving metal silicates to: produce metal hydroxide; remove carbon dioxide or other acid gases from the atmosphere or other gas mixture by reacting such gases with the metal hydroxide; penetrate or excavate metal silicates; extract metals or silicon-containing compounds from metal silicates; and produce hydrogen and oxygen or other gases.

Abstract: Ion transport apparatus (e.g. an electrolytic eluent generator or a suppressor for ion chromatography) in which ions in a first chamber are transported to a liquid in second chamber through a wall comprising an ion exchange bead sealed in a bead seat. The wall is capable of transport ions but of substantially blocking bulk liquid flow.

Abstract: A method of operating a chlor-alkali electrolytic cell comprising a catholyte compartment containing a cathode, an anolyte compartment containing an anode, and a liquid-permeable diaphragm partitioning the catholyte and anolyte compartments, is described. The method comprises adding water-insoluble inorganic particulate material, e.g., clay mineral, and alkali metal polyphosphate, e.g., tetrasodium pyrophosphate, to the anolyte compartment of the electrolytic cell while the cell is operating. The water-insoluble inorganic particulate material and alkali metal polyphosphate may be added to the anolyte compartment in the form of an aqueous slurry.

Abstract: A bipolar membrane, usable for electrodialysis of aqueous electrolytes, comprises two ion exchange membranes, respectively anionic and cationic, juxtaposed along a common surface, wherein, along said common surface, a gel based on hydrated metal sulpate and/or sulphite, including less than 0.01 mol % of indium, cerium, manganese and copper sulphates gel, is formed.

Abstract: The invention proposes a process and waste treatment plant for regenerating alkali metal hydroxide (3) from an alkaline aqueous waste stream (5) that contains alkali metal C3+ carboxylate byproduct. The waste stream (5) is acidified and the resulting liquour (9) is fed to a first distillation zone (12) to distil carboxylic acid and water. Alternatively, it is fed to a settling zone (14) from which an upper organic layer (16) is recovered as well as a lower aqueous phase (17; 104) which is fed to the first distillation zone. The overhead product (20) from the first distillation zone is condensed and separated into a carboxylic acid layer which is either purged (28) or fed (101) to the settling zone (25). The lower layer (32) of the condensate is redistilled and the water bottoms stream (47) is fed to the cathode compartment (60) of an electrolytic cell (58), while the bottoms stream (52) from the first distillation zone is supplied to the anode compartment (59).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method to control of the presence of nickel and/or iron in a caustic solution using at least two magnets to remove about one third of the nickel and/or iron present in a caustic solution. The method involves passing cell liquor through a first magnet at a flow rate of about 600-900 gallons per minutes removing a significant amount of nickel and/or iron from the cell liquor forming first fluid, then evaporating a significant amount of water out of that first fluid and raising the temperature of that first fluid to above 330 F., then cooling the more concentrated caustic solution to a temperature of between about 75 and 100 F.

Abstract: The flow resistance of a diaphragm based on a fiber material is modified by treating the diaphragm during or after preparation thereof with a dispersion comprising a fluorine-containing component and optionally with a solution comprising a precursor of ZrO.sub.2.

Abstract: Process for manufacturing sodium hydroxide by the electrodialysis of sodium carbonate in an electrodialysis cell having three compartments, in which an aqueous sodium carbonate solution is introduced into a compartment of the cell which is bounded between two cationic membranes, an acid is introduced into a compartment which is bounded between one of the cationic membranes and a cationic face of a bipolar membrane, and an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution is removed from a compartment which is adjacent to an anionic face of the bipolar membrane.

Abstract: A cation exchange membrane for electrolysis, which comprises at least 2 layers of fluorine-containing polymer films having sulfonic acid groups, wherein a first layer facing a cathode is made of a three component polymer of the following monomers (A), (B) and (C) and has a thickness of from 50 to 150 .mu.m, and a second layer has a thickness of from 50 to 300 .mu.m:(A) CF.sub.2 =CF(OCF.sub.2 CFCF.sub.3).sub.m O(CF.sub.2).sub.n SO.sub.3 Mwherein m=0 or 1, n=1 to 5, and M is hydrogen or an alkali metal, ##STR1## wherein m=0 or 1, and Rf is a C.sub.1-10 perfluoroalkyl group.

Abstract: The operation of electrolytic cells employing ion exchange membranes is improved by addition to the catholyte of a fluorinated ionomer resin resulting in a long-term reduction in the operating voltage of the electrolytic cell.