Abstract: A process of purifying silica sand comprises grinding sandstone, washing and desliming the ground sandstone to remove the major part of the clay-type binder, attrition-scrubbing the deslimed sand particles to release further amounts of binder therefrom, washing and desliming to remove said binder, drying and heating the sand particles, treating the hot sand with sulfuric acid to convert the iron oxides, ferrosilicates and ferro-aluminous impurities into water soluble compounds, attrition-scrubbing the hot suspension of the chemically treated sand to release the strongly adhering stains of said impurities, washing with cold water and desliming, conditioning the sand suspension with fatty acids or petroleum sulfonate collectors, a polyalcohol frothing agent and, if necessary, a mineral acid to bring the pH to from 1.5 to 7.

Abstract: Relatively pure Si (having less than about 1 ppm of detrimental impurities therein) is obtained from ordinary quartz sand by uniformly admixing such sand with suitable glass-forming materials, such as boron oxide and alkali-metal carbonates or oxides, melting such admixture to form a glass, annealing the glass so as to obtain a phase separation comprised of an SiO.sub.2 -- rich phase and an impurity-rich phase, extracting the impurity-rich phase via strong acid, such as nitric acid, washing and drying the remaining glass and reducing such glass with carbon-containing compounds, such as graphite, sucrose, starch, etc., in an electric arc. The so-obtained relatively pure silicon is suitable for fabrication into semiconductor components, such as solar cells.

Abstract: A process is herein described for the manufacture of high purity, granular silicic acid from aqueous alkali metal silicate solutions by acidification thereof, freezing and subsequently thawing the reaction mixture, and filtering, washing and drying the insoluble residue formed, in which the alkali metal silicate solutions have a molar ratio of SiO.sub.2 :Me.sub.2 O of from about 2:1 to 20:1, Me representing an alkali metal, and before freezing the aqueous alkali metal silicate solutions are adjusted to a pH value in the range of from about 2.5 to 6 and to a SiO.sub.2 content of from about 1 to 10 percent by weight by means of one or more aqueous solutions or suspensions of organic acids which complex aluminum, titanium, and iron ions and which form soluble alkali metal salts under the conditions of the process.

Abstract: This invention involves a method of making high purity amorphous silica fibers having excellent resistance to devitrification by double leaching sodium silicate type fibers.

Abstract: A process for leaching sand to remove iron and other undesirable components in which the sand is treated with a series of leaching solutions which increase in acid concentration to about the midpoint of the process followed by decrease in concentration to a final wash water with the initial drainage from the sand mass being discarded while subsequent drainages are re-used for subsequent leaching operations with the addition of leaching acid to some of the drainage to provide the desired acid concentration.

Abstract: The apparatus is a rotatable resistance heating furnace including a rotatable cylindrical body portion having an interior space in the form of a truncated cone. The base of the truncated cone forms a discharge opening for rapid discharge of the amorphous silica. The furnace is provided with a resistance heating element which extends into the furnace interior through a top opening. In one embodiment a slidable filling tube is provided for charging the furnace during rotation thereof. The process utilizes the above-described apparatus and involves heating the crystalline silica to a temperature sufficient to convert it to the amorphous state, evacuating the furnace during the conversion to draw off by-product gases, and rotating the furnace to a speed sufficient to bring about a separation between the silica charge and the resistance heating element.

Abstract: The treatment of solid waste and sewage sludge with the recovery of natural resources comprising subjecting all or at least a portion of the sewage sludge to wet oxidation reaction to reduce the COD by an amount of at least 50% and preferably 50-85% and using the excess heat from the wet oxidation reaction to dry the solid waste and subjecting the combined solids from the wet oxidation reaction and the solid waste to pyrolysis under non-oxidizing conditions whereby the products from the pyrolysis reaction are readily separable into valuable constituents which are easily recovered.