Abstract: A method for recycling polymeric materials, including a mechanical separation step (B), a first density separation step (C), an intensive cleaning step (E), and a second density separation step (G, V) is described. Additional separation steps, such as a third density separation step (M, W), and optionally a fourth density separation step (Ga, Gb). Further less essential steps such as wetting (A), grinding (D), air flow separation (K), drying (I), electrostatic sorting (Z) and optional sorting (Za) steps may also be carried out to achieve optimized and refined separation. Polymeric materials from refuse or crushed motor vehicles may thus be separated, and polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins may be recycled.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for the recovery of bastnaesite and other minerals containing rate earth oxide from complex, weathered ores containing barite, borite, fluorites and/or barite, fluorites, silicates and iron oxides, and comprises reverse barite flotation using a barite collector containing the following individual reagents: 1 1. Petroleum sulphonate 30-40% by weight 2. Sulphosuccinate 30-40% by weight 3.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for separating solids from liquids by means of flotation, particularly for separating impurities and ink particles from fibre suspensions, with several injectors 10, which are provided inside a flotation cell 1. It is mainly characterised by the injectors 10 being arranged in one row.

Abstract: The invention relates to a flotation mechanism (4) comprising a directional element (25) and vertical vanes (26) located in a flotation cell (2). The directional element is symmetrical and is fixed at the centre to the lower section of the hollow shaft of the mechanism. According to the corresponding method, due to the directional element (25), which is cylindrically inclined downwards from the outer edge the flotation mechanism directs the gas-slurry suspension that is formed in a downward slanting direction towards the side wall of the cell. The mineral suspension rises upwards from the side wall towards the centre of the cell, from where the flow is diverted to the edges of the cell and the froth generated is removed from the cell. Using this flotation mechanism enables a powerful agitation, extending throughout the entire mixing zone (I).

Abstract: The invention relates to a flotation machine and method for improving flotation effect in the flotation machine which is provided with members for feeding material to be treated in the flotation machine, members for removing the treated material out of the flotation machine at least in the upper part of the flotation machine and in the bottom part of the flotation machine, a mixing mechanism comprising a stator and a rotor located inside the machine, air supply means for supplying air to the mixing mechanism and forming a froth bed in the upper part of the flotation machine, at least one member for adjusting free space of the froth bed created in the flotation machine. According to the invention a conducting member is installed inside the flotation machine in order to add flowing material for slurry dilution in the slurry area essentially above the top art of the rotor, but below the froth zone.

Abstract: A froth flotation process typically used to separate particulate materials such as coal, has a mixed size feed (1) separated in a sieve bend (2) into a stream of relatively fine particles (3) and a stream of relatively coarse particles (14). The fine particles are fed to a flotation cell (7) in the normal manner, while the coarse particles are mixed with wash water (16) and distributed onto or into the froth layer (10) by wash water distribution apparatus (19, 20). Alternative variations of wash water distribution apparatus able to handle coarse particles are also described.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for separating acceptable objects from unacceptable objects. The device includes a moving inclined conveyor having an upper edge and an opposingly located lower edge. Also provided are a plurality of collection cells, with each cell defined by a first wiper and an opposingly located second wiper. The cells are located along the conveyor. At least one feed is also associated with each of the cells, and the at least one feed is positioned to deposit objects on the conveyor at an upper edge near the first wiper. An acceptable object collector is associated with each of the cells. The acceptable object collector is positioned to retrieve objects which have moved downwardly along the conveyor from the feed. The second wiper is positioned to obstruct the movement of unacceptable objects which have moved along said conveyor and to urge unacceptable objects into at least one unacceptable object collector located on the lower edge of said conveyor.

Abstract: A device for reclaiming material, such as used wet ready mixed concrete, having a hopper for receiving the used concrete into a excess of water and floating the suspended cement particles out through a weired overflow for further reclamation while the solid sand and aggregate is augured from the bottom of the hopper for further washing and separation into sand and aggregate for reuse.

Abstract: A recycling process for garbage containing a high proportion of paper where printed paper is first separated from the garbage. The garbage is then into pieces and light and heavy components are separated out in a classification tank. The remaining organic mass suspended in water is hydrolyzed and subjected to anaerobic digestion followed by aerobic co-composting. The resulting solid is a high grade fertilizer while biogas produced by the process is converted to electrical energy in a combined cycle installation.

Abstract: A separation process is provided for treating a feed material comprising silica, feldspar, and metal impurities, including at least one of mica, iron impurities, or refractory heavy minerals, to form one or more products for use in making glass. In the process, the feed material is floated in the presence of a depressant to inhibit the flotation of feldspar and thereby form a concentrate containing at least most of the silica and a tailings fraction containing at least most of the feldspar. The concentrate and tailings fractions can be converted into the products by magnetically removing the metal impurities therefrom.

Abstract: A selected kaolin crude or crude fraction is purified by physical or physical/chemical means, such as froth flotation and/or selective flocculation, to remove discrete particles of TiO.sub.2 and in some cases, discrete iron minerals. The pure (or purified clay) must then be agitated in the presence of water with a particulate grinding media such as, for example, sand, alumina or zirconia beads, to increase the 2 micron content of the kaolin. An intermediate ground product that contains a substantial weight percentage of particles finer than 1 micron is generated as a result of grinding. The particles finer than 1 micron in the ground kaolin also include those particles in the previously pure or purified kaolin that were present in the naturally occurring clay. A pulp of the ground clay is then fractionated to remove particles larger than 2 microns, e.g., to remove at least 95%, preferably at 100% by weight, of the particles larger than 2 microns, while minimizing the removal of particles finer than 1 micron.

Abstract: A device for centrically charging tanks (9) with a spin chamber (1, 10) connected to an inlet (20) and to a vertical downpipe (2, 12) ending seamlessly in a trumpet-shaped mouth (3, 18). Rotary flow charges circular settlement tanks and sand sorters and sedimentation tanks in such a way that the Coanda effect is activated at the trumpet-shaped mouth (3, 18) and in turn causes the rotary outflow of fluid from the vertical pipe (2, 12) to be diverted into the horizontal plane or vertically upwards as well as a radially symmetrical flow in the tank (9). There is a guiding pipe (14, 16) in the downpipe (2, 12) with preferably circular apertures around its periphery and which is open to the atmosphere at the top.

Abstract: The invention proposes using liquefied carbon dioxide as a separation agent for flotation and/or sedimentation separation, which is particularly suitable for separating foodstuff mixtures such as meat components, because it can be maintained in liquid phase at the freezing point of water and is inert with respect to many substances of the mixture. By controlling the pressure and/or the temperature at values of about 26 bar and -14.degree. C., the density of the separation agent can be adjusted to correspond to that of water so that water containing substances of the mixture can be readily separated.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method incorporating a sorter, cyclone and thickener for removing sludge from water, and includes the step of separating the inorganic constituents or matter in the sludge, such as stones, gravel, sand, etc., from the organic constituents or matter thereof, such as wood, roots, etc. The inventive method is also suitable for processing sediment that contains decaying organisms.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process and an apparatus for beneficiating a mineral ore, such as phosphate-containing ore, in a substantially vertical column. The feed subjected to the benefication preferably has a particle size of less than 20 mesh. The feed is introduced into the column, containing at least one baffle, into which there is also introduced a gas at the bottom portion thereof and a liquid through at least one column inlet at the top of the column. The baffle and the rates of introduction of the feed, the gas, and the liquid are such as to create relatively high turbulence conditions within the column. The enriched, beneficiated product is removed at the top of the column, while the waste products, such as silica-containing material, in the case of a phosphate ore, are recovered at the bottom of the column.

Abstract: A process for removing mineral matter from feed coal employing liquid carbon dioxide. A water slurry of pulverized feed coal is mixed with liquid carbon dioxide. Demineralized coal is collected in the liquid carbon dioxide phase while separated mineral matter concentrates in the water phase. The two liquid phases are separately drawn off and their solid contents recovered.

Abstract: Dimercaptodihydroxy alkanes are used as a curing agent for epoxide resins and as ore flotation agents.

Abstract: A method for separation of seeds, in which the seeds are incubated in a suitable environment and then dried to produce a pronounced difference in moisture content between filled-dead seeds and filled-viable seeds. These two seed fractions are then separated from each other by utilizing the moisture content difference.The seed fractions may e.g. be separated from each other by placing seeds in a liquid the density of which is somewhat lower than the density of viable seeds but higher than the density of filled-dead seed. In such a case the filled-dead seeds will float up whereas the viable seeds sink.

Abstract: There is described a process for separating from a mixture of mineral components at least one of the components. The process comprises the steps of (a) dispersing the mixture of mineral components in water so as to form an aqueous suspension containing said mixture of mineral components, (b) mixing together said aqueous suspension and a non-polar organic liquid in which there has been dissolved or suspended an anionic collector for at least one of the components of the mixture of mineral components, the volume ratio of said aqueous suspension to non-polar organic liquid being controlled and the conditions under which said aqueous suspension and non-polar organic liquid are mixed together being such that only a small amount of energy is dissipated therein in a short time in order to effect the mixing together thereof and one liquid is uniformly dispersed in the other but a stable emulsion is not formed and (c) thereafter separating, or allowing to separate, the two liquid phases.

Abstract: A fragmented material is dissolved continuously by impregnation and immersion into a solvent bath in which said material is subjected to a moderate mixing movement allowing it to be kept within the interior of said bath to undergo dissolution therein until formation of fine residual particles of insoluble material which are maintained in suspension by this movement, the whole being removed continuously by a controlled overflow of the bath. This process is applied to cellulose contained in various lignocellulosic materials, which is dissolved continuously by immersion of the previously impregnated material into a bath of hydrochloric acid through which hydrogen chloride gas is caused to bubble, to effect complete dissolution of the cellulose and suspension of the fine insoluble residual lignin particles.

Abstract: A tar separating device for separating tar from hot rinsing liquid, specifically, the rinsing liquid of a receiver of a coke oven battery including a container having a rinsing liquid inlet, a solids removal device for removing solids from the liquid as the liquid enters the container, a tar dewatering chamber located in the container near the inlet such that the rinsing liquid entering the container flows over the outer surface of the chamber and a tube in the container for conveying rinsing liquid into the tar dewatering chamber. The inlet to the tube is located at a point distant from the rinsing liquid inlet to the container. At the tube inlet point, the temperature of the liquid is lower than that at the inlet. The present invention utilizes this temperature differential to effect a particularly distinct separation between the tar and the water. The device further includes means for separately removing the tar and the water from the dewatering chamber.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to silicon carbide whisker recovery from a mixture of silicon carbide whiskers and carbonaceous silicon carbide particles. The invention involves shredding the mixture down to a specified size, dispersing the mixture in water to form an aqueous mixture, agitating the aqueous mixture, mixing the aqueous mixture with an immiscible organic solvent which is lighter than water, agitating the resulting water-organic solvent mixture, allowing the organic solvent and its contents to rise above the water and its contents, separating the two liquid phases into an organic solvent phase and an aqueous phase and, lastly, performing a solid-liquid separation on each of the two phases, thereby obtaining from the aqueous solution the desired silicon carbide whiskers and obtaining from the organic solvent solution a carbonaceous silicon carbide particle product.

Abstract: Marine sediment contains organic matter which can be extracted to provide a source of energy, by extracting the organic matter from the marine sediment when in the form of a slurry, and separating the organic matter from the extracted material.

Abstract: A method of separating highly hydrophobic plastics from a plastics mixture comprising placing the plastics mixture in an aqueous liquid medium, keeping the aqueous liquid medium in an agitated state to disperse the plastics mixture whereby the plastics having a higher hydrophobicity float on the aqueous liquid medium surface, and removing the plastics floating on the surface of the aqueous liquid medium.

Abstract: Waxy, small granule starch of high spreadability, and waxy, large granule starch which is capable of forming an exceptionally clear and bright paste, are simultaneously produced by steeping waxy barley grain for a period of at least 12 hours in an aqueous solution containing sulfur dioxide at a temperature of 45.degree.-55.degree. C so as to swell the grain and extract soluble protein contained within said grain, water washing and milling said steeped grain, separating the starch from fibers and protein, suspending said starch in water to form a suspension containing less than 15% wt solids, permitting larger granules to settle for a period of at least 2 hours and recovering a larger granule fraction, said larger granules being characterized by an average particle size of greater than 10.mu., and breaking the remaining suspension and recovering therefrom a smaller granule fraction, said small granules being characterized by an average particle size of from 2.5 to 10.mu..

Abstract: A chip washer which has its cylindrical upper part an upwards directed outlet pipe and an outlet channel for washed chips and in which the foreign materials separated from the chips sink into the funnel part attached to the upper part as its continuation, the funnel part having been linked by means of a valve to a tubular part to remove foreign materials. The washer is partly or entirely filled with a washing liquid which is introduced tangentially from close to the edge of the upper part of the washer in such a manner that the washing liquid is put into a circulatory motion forcing the chips fed from the upper part of the washer downwards in the circular space between the side wall of the upper part and the outlet pipe, whereby the chips freed from foreign materials pass into the outlet pipe and from there into the outlet channel, and the foreign materials pass into the funnel part and further through the valve into the tubular part.

Abstract: A method apparatus of sorting germinating seeds from non-germinating seeds. The seeds are disposed on the surface of a liquid carrying the seeds and germinating seeds are separated from non-germinating seeds by means of liquid streams acting on parts projecting down into the liquid from the germinating seeds.