Docstoc feed for: Legal->Patents->Hazardous Or Toxic Waste

Blasting System And Blasting Method - Patent 8153855

Patents-363 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:25:54 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, April 16, 2012

The present invention relates to a blasting system and a blasting method for blasting an object to be blasted such as an explosive object in a pressure vessel.BACKGROUND ART There is conventionally known a blasting method for blasting an explosive object, such as a military ammunition used for, for example, a chemical weapon or the like (e.g., a projectile mortar, a bomb, a land mine and a naval mine). Specifically, what is known as the substance includes a steel shell which accommodates a burster and a substance hazardous to a human body. An example of the hazardous substance is a chemical agent such as a mustard gas and lewisite hazardous to thehuman body. The blasting method does not require disassembling for an object to be treated, and is therefore suitable for treatment for the above explosive objects. This method enables treatment for not only well-preserved ammunition but also ammunitionhard to disassemble due to secular deterioration, distortion or the like. Furthermore, it is capable of decomposing almost all the hazardous substances due to an ultra-high temperature and pressure caused by an explosion. The method is disclosed, forexample, in Patent Document 1. However, this blasting method has problems to be solved as follows. Most of the above-mentioned blasting treatment is conducted in a closed pressure vessel in view of outside-leakage prevention of a hazardous substance, or reduction in the impact of a noise, a vibration or the like caused by the blasting onsurroundings. The blasting may generate an off-gas containing a combustible component such as CO, H.sub.2 and CH.sub.4, or a residue of the above hazardous substances. Before the off-gas is exhausted to the atmosphere, the combustible components orresidual hazardous substances contained in the off-gas need to be removed (detoxified) to reference values or below. Removal of the combustible components is also necessary for blasting an explosive object without the above hazardous substances.

Process For Treating Radioactive Waste Water To Prevent Overloading Demineralizer Systems - Patent 8148594

Patents-363 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:27:52 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, April 16, 2012

The process and apparatus of the invention relate to processing waste water from nuclear power reactors and other sources of water contaminated with radionuclides and other interfering materials and/or contaminates. In particular, the presentprocess and apparatus are related to processing waste waters contaminated with colloidal, suspended and dissolved radionuclides and other contaminates. In the commercial nuclear power industry, there are primarily two types of reactor systems used in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP's), namely boiling water reactors (BWR's) and pressurized water reactors (PWR's). Both use water to moderate the speedof neutrons released by the fissioning of fissionable nuclei, and to carry away heat generated by the fissioning process. Both also use water to generate steam for rotating the blades of a turbine generator. Water flows through the reactor core, isrecycled, and inevitably becomes contaminated with iron (Fe-55), nickel (Ni-63), colloidal and soluble cobalt (Co-58, and Co-60), cesium (Cs-137), and other radionuclides. The water further becomes contaminated with non-radioactive organics, e.g., oils,greases and total organic carbon (TOC), biologicals, and colloids (e.g., iron rust). In a boiling water reactor (BWR), the water passing through the core will be used directly as steam in driving turbine-generators for the production of electricity. In a pressurized water reactor (PWR), the primary water that flows through thereactor is isolated by steam generators from the secondary water that flows through the turbine generators. In both cases, while the chemical constituents of the waste water will be different, these reactor systems will produce radionuclides andcolloidal, suspended and dissolved solids that must be removed before the waste water may be reused or released to the environment. The presence of iron (as iron oxide from carbon steel piping) in Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) circuits and waste waters is a decades old problem. The

Electrochemical Capacitive Concentration And Deactivation Of Actinide Nuclear Materials - Patent 8143471

Patents-363 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:33:53 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, April 16, 2012

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the concentration and deactivation of actinide-containing materials from nuclear fuel cycles. More particularly, this invention relates to an electrochemical apparatus for concentrating and deactivatingactinide-containing materials from nuclear fuel cycles. This invention further relates to a method for concentrating and deactivating actinide-containing materials from nuclear fuel cycles. 2. Description of Related Art The processing of nuclear waste residue waste streams to reduce radio nuclide activity levels and matrix volume is a significant challenge which must be overcome to achieve nuclear stabilization and volume reduction so that geologic repositorieswill provide adequate storage volume. Although these nuclear waste residues contain fairly stable oxide forms, they are very dilute. Residues containing actinides include graphite, pyrochemical salts, combustibles, incinerator ash, ceramic crucibles, plastic filters, and sand/slag crucibles. Currently, most of these wastes are stored and buried. It is known, however, thatincinerator ash, sand and related materials can be treated with oxidative catalysts to reduce plutonium concentrations to a very low level. Some oxides, such as TiO.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2, have been shown to attract actinide cations. See Morris, D. E., "Aqueous Electrochemical Mechanisms in Actinide Residue Processing", Final Report to U.S. Department of Energy, LANL Project 59967,Sep. 30, 2000. In this report, a mediated electrochemical oxidation/reduction process (MEO/R) was used to achieve nuclear stabilization and volume reduction. In particular, sorption reactions of UO.sub.2.sup.2+ and Eu.sup.3+ on SiO.sub.2 and TiO.sub.2and several aluminosilicate minerals were investigated. In this electrochemical process, anion clusters of SiO.sub.2 and TiO.sub.2 are formed in an aqueous solution which adsorb the nuclear cations to form precipitates. Thus, the nuclear wastes areentrained in

Activated Oxidizing Vapor Treatment Method - Patent 8129579

Patents-363 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:44:55 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, April 15, 2012

The present invention relates to the art of treating articles with highly reactive oxidant vapors. It finds particular application in conjunction with deactivating biological and chemical warfare agents, such as blistering agents (e.g., mustardgas), acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors (e.g., nerve gas), and biotoxins (e.g., botulinum toxin) and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated, that the present invention will find application in conjunctionwith the oxidation of other substances. Liquid oxidants have been developed which can deactivate biological warfare agents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,957 to Wagner, et al. In Wagner, a strong oxidant solution is sprayed as a liquid or foam onto equipment in the fieldwhich is or has potentially been contaminated with biological and chemical warfare agents. After treatment, the solution is rinsed from the equipment with water, which can be permitted to flow onto the ground, as it is nontoxic. Although effective, theliquid Wagner solution has drawbacks. First, it is difficult for liquids to penetrate crevices, fine cracks, ducts, and partially protected or lapping parts. Second, in enclosed spaces, such as in the interior of airplanes and buildings, cleanup anddisposal of the liquid solution can be problematic. Third, liquids can damage some equipment, such as electronic or electrical equipment. The present application delivers the strong oxidant to the surfaces to be decontaminated in a vapor phase to facilitate penetration and cleanup.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, biological and chemical warfare agent residues are deactivated by oxidation with a vapor phase oxidant. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a means is provided for oxidizing biological and chemical warfare agents with an oxidant vapor. One advantage of the present invention resides in its improved penetration. Another advantag

Method For Separation Of Constituents From Matrices - Patent 8129578

Patents-363 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:44:35 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, April 15, 2012

Since the early 1950's, the various branches of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have been aggressively developing and manufacturing nuclear weapons and energy components involvingvarious radioactive materials. The process of refining nuclear materials and decontaminating various apparatus used in these processes and others with various types of organic and inorganic materials has generated hundreds of thousands of tons of soils,sludges, debris or other residuals contaminated with radionuclides and various hazardous and non-hazardous organic and inorganic chemical constituents. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined a waste that containsradionuclides and hazardous or non-hazardous waste constituents as a mixed waste. Historically, mixed waste was typically stored on site in containers in designed containment areas, or storage vessels or disposed of in landfill cells or trenches. The disposal of mixed waste in DOD or DOE landfills or trenches is no longerpermitted. Due to the promulgation of EPA regulations, mixed waste is not permitted to be disposed of at an EPA approved hazardous waste facility or a radioactive waste facility until the constituents can be separated and segregated from each other. This need to remediate the mixed waste at these sites is being accelerated due to the fact that the DOE and DOD are currently undergoing a major restructuring effort, whereas numerous DOE and DOD facilities throughout the country are beingdecommissioned and decontaminated for light industrial, commercial or residential redevelopment. A large percentage of these facilities contain soil, sludges or other residuals, which is defined by the EPA as a mixed waste. To compound the problem, themixed waste that has been buried in trenches and landfills has had a significant impact on groundwater reserves in some locations. These areas must be remediated in accordance with EPA regulat

Micro Encapsulation Composition For Hydrocarbons And Detoxification Of Highly Hazardous Chemicals And Substances - Patent 8115046

Patents-363 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:45:46 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 14, 2012

The present invention relates, generally, to a composition and method for remediation of hydrocarbon spills. More particularly, the present invention relates to a two-component water based micro encapsulation composition and method for thecleanup of hydrocarbon spills or contaminates on a number of different surfaces and media.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMicro Encapsulation There are many sites contaminated with hazardous organic substances. These contaminants permeate and adsorb onto soils, diffuse to interstitial saturated zones, dissolve into ground waters, and migrate to subsurface aquifers over time. Contaminants may strongly adsorb on soil structures and be only slightly water soluble, making removal difficult. Thus, the ease of contaminant transport within and removal from the soil by most commercially acceptable technologies is variable at anyparticular site. Likewise, contaminants may be resistant to normal subsurface chemical and biological degradation processes, thus limiting the selection of a treatment process. Depending on the processes, soil, sludge or aggregate remediation technologies are often divided into three categories. One group uses chemical reduction, oxidation, thermal destruction or biochemical means to change the pollutants intonon-hazardous products of different chemical composition. Examples are catalytic dehalogenation, Fenton oxidations, ozone, thermal treatments such as incineration and anaerobic/aerobic bioremediation either in situ or ex situ, bioventing, bioslurry,biofiltration and anaerobic dechlorination. A second category consists of mass transfer technologies that use physical or chemical means to take the contaminants out of the soil followed by treatment or destruction in another process step. These are often called "Pump and Treat"technologies. Steam stripping, soil vapor extraction, soil washing, low or high-temperature thermal desorption and solvent extraction are examples of this second technology category. Thes

Aqueous Phase Oxidation Process - Patent 8115047

Patents-363 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:45:34 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 14, 2012

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,292, entitled "Comprehensive Energy Producing Methods for Aqueous Phase Oxidation," issued on 29 Sep. 1998, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In the event of a conflict, the subject matter explicitlyrecited or shown herein controls over any subject matter incorporated by reference. All definitions of a term (express or implied) contained in any of the subject matter incorporated by reference herein are hereby disclaimed. The paragraphs shortlybefore the claims dictate the meaning to be given to any term explicitly recited herein subject to the disclaimer in the preceding sentence.BACKGROUND A number of attempts have been made over the years to develop a process that is capable of effectively and cost efficiently oxidizing a variety of feed materials. Many of these processes were initially developed for use in smelting or theremoval of metal from ores. These processes consumed large amounts of energy, emitted noxious gases, and rarely achieved complete recovery of all the metals entering the process. They were also limited to very specific uses related to smelting, whichmade them largely unsuitable for use with other feed materials. Other processes have also been developed to oxidize various feed materials. One in particular was an aqueous phase oxidation process that oxidized a feed material in a solution of nitric and sulfuric acid. The reaction occurred in apressurized reactor that was maintained at a temperature no greater than about 210.degree. C. Oxygen gas was added to reoxidize a substantial portion of the reduction products of nitric acid that were formed during oxidation of the feed materials. Although this process was a significant advance over conventional techniques at the time, it still suffered from a number of problems. For one, the process used a significant amount of oxygen gas to oxidize the reduction products of nitricacid. The oxygen gas was initial

Process And Composition For The Immobilization Of High Alkaline Radioactive And Hazardous Wastes In Silicate-based Glasses - Patent 8115044

Patents-363 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:44:47 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 14, 2012

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to treatment of high alkaline radioactive and hazardous wastes, and more particularly to processes for immobilizing a waste containing one or more of radionuclides, hazardous elements, hazardous compounds,and other compounds present in the waste. 2. Background of the Invention The use of radioactive and hazardous materials in the world has led to the accumulation of a significant amount of radioactive and hazardous wastes. There is an international consensus regarding the planned disposal of these wastes by buryingthem in the ground in deep geological repositories. At the present time, high-level radioactive wastes are being placed in long-term storage awaiting permanent disposal. Once buried, with the passage of time, groundwater and hydrothermal solutions canmake contact with the radionuclides, hazardous elements, or hazardous compounds contained in the wastes. As a result, groundwater and hydrothermal solutions can facilitate the leaching of radionuclides, hazardous elements, and hazardous compounds out ofthe wastes into the biosphere in which plants and animals live. In addition, even without the interference from groundwater and hydrothermal solutions, radionuclides, hazardous elements, or hazardous compounds could possibly diffuse out of the wastes,resulting in contamination of the biosphere. Therefore, improper containment of the wastes can create a significant problem. There are a number of existing processes that can potentially reduce the leaching and/or diffusion of radioactive and hazardous wastes. The existing processes, however, have various disadvantages. For example, cementation is commonly used toimmobilize low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste. This process is undesirable because a large volume of cement is required to immobilize a small quantity of wastes vastly increasing the size of the disposal area. Furthermore, cement ishighly susceptible to

Nuclear Waste Removal System And Method Using Wet Oxidation - Patent 8115045

Patents-363 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:44:39 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 14, 2012

The present invention relates generally to components containing nuclear waste and more particularlyto removing such waste from the components. Nuclear waste as defined herein is unwanted deposits, sludges, or salts that reside in a tank, vessel or heat exchanger that are generated during normal operation of a nuclear power plant or other nuclearmaterials facility.BACKGROUND U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,368 discloses a "wet" oxidation process for reducing the volume of low level radioactive and mixed waste to enable the waste to be more economically stored in a suitable repository, and for placing the waste into a formsuitable for permanent disposal. U.S. Pat. No. 6,444,276, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a method for decontaminating a surface that includes the steps of bringing a surface of a component formed of an unalloyed steel or a low-alloy steel into contact with asolution containing an oxalic acid for dissolving a contaminated layer from the component. One of the most common components containing nuclear waste is a waste tank. Retrieval of waste from nuclear waste tanks is described in, for example, "Tank Waste Retrieval, Processing and On-site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites:Final Report" National Research Council (2006) ISBN 978-0-309-10170-7. As described therein, tank waste typically includes supernatant liquid, saltcake and sludge. Typically, in a first retrieval step called bulk waste retrieval, the supernatant liquid is removed using a transfer pump. The saltcake typically isdissolved in water. The resulting solution is then pumped in the same manner as the supernatant liquid. The sludge may be mobilized using larger mixer pumps that mix the sludge into a slurry by directing a jet of water into the waste layer, and thisslurry also is pumped out. What remains after this bulk waste retrieval is called residual waste. The residual waste often includes radioactive material on the internal surfaces of the tank above the level o

Method And Device For Evaporate/reverse Osmosis Concentrate And Other Liquid Solidification - Patent 8114004

Patents-363 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:43:58 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Friday, April 13, 2012

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device and method for using a liquid sequestering solidification agent provided to and arranged in a container to convert liquid or fluid based streams provided through a manifold system to the container, intoa dirt-like, solid waste form which meets waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for burial at radioactive and other burial facilities. 2. Background Information Radwaste water in the commercial nuclear power industry is frequently evaporated or processed through a reverse osmosis system (RO) to reduce the volume of the waste fluid being generated and handled. During the evaporation/RO process, theradwaste water will typically be concentrated until the water becomes saturated with one or more constituents or substances found in the water. After the radwaste water is concentrated, the concentrated liquids still need to undergo additionalprocessing to make them ready for disposal. In the past, evaporate/RO concentrates have usually been dried to dry solid for disposal. This drying process normally took place at the actual nuclear power plant, or off-site at a radioactive waste processing facility. The equipment used fordrying is often bulky, difficult to shield for radiological dose, and challenging to mobilize and demobilize. Also; the operating, maintenance and upkeep on this equipment has usually been extremely costly. This is due to the fact that the dryingprocess is very energy and radioactive dose intensive; and the liquids utilized are corrosive and fouling to such equipment. Patent references in the past prior art appear to set forth inventions including: 1. Kath et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,549, showing a process of encapsulating depleted uranium and forming a homogeneous mixture of depleted uranium and moltenthermoplastic polymer; 2. McClure et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,122 showing a method of solidifying specified aqueous wastes by exposing them in measured amounts to neutralized, cross

Method Of Decontaminating Radioisotope-contaminated Surface Vicinity Region By Use Of Nonthermal Laser Peeling Without Re-melting, Without Re-diffusion And Without Re-contamination - Patent 8097765

Patents-363 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:25:33 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 12, 2012

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 371, of International Application No. PCT/JP2007/060872,filed May 29, 2007, which claimed priority to Japanese Application No. 2006-147918, filed May 29, 2006 in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a method by which areas near the surfaces of apparatuses that are contaminated by many kinds of radioisotopes as the result of handling many radioisotopes in the neighborhood of accelerators, nuclear reactors, RIproduct manufacturing factories, nuclear fuel factories, nuclear fuel reprocessing factories, etc. are decontaminated by non-thermal laser peeling without suffering re-melting, re-diffusing or re-contaminating, and an apparatus used in that method. Whena substance is irradiated with pulsed laser the pulse duration of which is extremely short, ranging from several hundred femtoseconds to less than several picoseconds, it is evaporated or removed from the irradiated region at a sufficiently faster speedthan the energy dissipation of the laser, and the energy dissipation of laser-induced, laser-accelerated or laser-energized electrons and other particles, and the thermal effects of these energy dissipations are transmitted from the irradiated region tonearby areas; this phenomenon is called "non-thermal laser peeling."BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, the areas near the surfaces of apparatuses and the industrial products that are contaminated by radioisotopes are decontaminated by the following methods. (1) The surface is physically or mechanically removed by sand blasting, grinder, surface polishing tool, and the like. (2) The surface-deposited layer contaminated by radioisotopes is chemically corroded away with a chemical agent such as a chelating agent or an acid. (3) The surface-deposited layer containing radioisotopes is irradiated with a continuous laser, a long-pulse laser or a short-pulse laser having a pulse duration with a peri

System For Treating Carbon Dioxide, And Method For Storing Such Treated Carbon Dioxide Underground - Patent 8096934

Patents-363 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:54:51 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 12, 2012

S The present Application is based on International Application No. PCT/JP2007/062915, filed on Jun. 27, 2007, which in turn corresponds to Japanese Application No. 2006-178345 filed on Jun. 28, 2006, and priority is hereby claimed under 35 USC.sctn.119 based on these applications. Each of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into the present application.FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the storing underground of carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) that is in exhaust gas generated from a combustion furnace or an incinerator, and more particularly to a method and system for treating carbon dioxide withoutthe need for a facility that changes carbon dioxide into a supercritical fluid.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As a countermeasure against global warming, it is Japan's duty to reduce, between 2008 and 2012, the emission volume of greenhouse gas by an average of 6% per annum from the level of 1990. However, in 2002, the volume of Japan's greenhouse-gasemissions increased by 7.6% over the volume for 1990. If this continues, it will be difficult to achieve the 6% reduction goal. Therefore, the government has adopted the Kyoto Protocol Target Achievement Plan, which has standards stricter than those ofexisting countermeasures against global warming, and which presents goals for reducing the CO.sub.2 that is emitted when energy is utilized in various sectors of societal activity. The plan provides that, for 2010 the volume of CO.sub.2 emissions fromthe energy-conversion sector (e.g., power plants) should be 16.1% less than in 1990, the volume from the industrial sector should be 8.6% less, the volume from the transportation sector should not be more than 15.1% higher, the volume from the othersector including the service sector should not be more than 15.0% higher, and the volume of household emissions should not be more than 6.0% higher. However, in Japan, energy-saving measures have already been implemented in the i

System And Method For Accelerating The Conversion Of Asbestos In The Process Of Mineralogical Conversion - Patent 8093443

Patents-363 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:56:16 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 12, 2012

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the destruction and recycling of asbestos wastes and, more particularly, to an apparatus and system for the process of mineralogical conversion of asbestos waste to accelerate or otherwise improve the efficiencyof the mineralogical conversion process that is employed for conversion of asbestos waste into non-asbestos products. 2. Description of the Related Art Asbestos is a term referring to a family of historically useful fibrous minerals that most commonly belong to the serpentine and amphibole mineral groups including such species as chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, and anthophyllite. Moreprecisely referred to as "asbestiform minerals", they are hydrated silicates that generally contain substituted iron, calcium, magnesium, and sodium in various proportions. The Serpentine group of minerals including chrysotile, antigorite and lizarditeare all represented by the approximate composition: Mg.sub.3[Si.sub.2O.sub.5] (OH).sub.4. Of these, chrysotile represents the majority of all asbestos minerals consumed for industrial and commercial purposes. There is substantial variation in mineralchemistry and physical characteristics of asbestiform minerals but they all have similarities in basic structure that is typically modified because of variations in the concentrations of calcium, iron, magnesium and sodium. Asbestos has been used in thousands of products and in numerous workplaces. Although the harm caused by asbestos is not apparent at first, asbestos exposure can lead to serious, debilitating, and often fatal diseases. These includemesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and asbestosis. Usually, a period of 10 to 40 years or more passes before the asbestos victim exhibits the first asbestos disease symptoms. In the workplace, there is no "safe" level of asbestos exposure. For thisreason, increased limitations and restrictions on its use in commercial products, handling and disposal have been and conti

Electrochemical Removal Of Dissociable Cyanides - Patent 8093442

Patents-363 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:55:58 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 12, 2012

FIELD OF INVENTION The method of the invention provides means of destroying highly stable metal cyanide ions found in a solution, and converting the cyanide to harmless by-products. Contrary to conventional methods which merely complex the cyanide into amechanically or physically removable complex, the present method destroys the cyanide found in the sample. By judicious selection of the anode, the pH during electro-oxidation, and furthermore preferably by selecting the applied current density, theinventors have developed conditions necessary to destroy the cyanide.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In various industries, such as aluminum smelters, high amounts of spent potlining or other leachates are contaminated with stable metal cyanides, typically compounds containing the ferro-cyanide complex ions. The management of these industrialby-products is expensive requiring secure containment mechanisms to prevent cyanide leachate migration or runoff. This is of grave environmental concern to the inventors and to society at large. The present invention consists of destroying CN containedin these compounds, by electrochemical oxidation in an inexpensive and energetically economical manner. U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,275 describes a process for the treatment of waste liquors containing a cyano-complex such as ferricyanide by electrolysing the liquor using an iron anode thereby forming ferrocyanide or a ferricyanide ion containingcomplex salt, both of which form a blue colloid of Prussia Blue and surface in the liquor to form a scum which is separable from the remaining of the waste liquor. WO 01/62993 describes a process for recovery of cyanide by electrochemical dissociation of the metal-cyanide complex and electrowinning of the metal while the free cyanide generated in the process is recovered in a membrane. Szpyrkowicz et al. (Annali di Chimica, 93, 2003) describes electrochemical oxidation to destroy cyanide in wastewaters of copper plating, using various anode materials (

Method For Degrading Chemical Warfare Agents Using Mn(VII) Oxide With-and-without Solid Support - Patent 8084662

Patents-363 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:29:27 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 12, 2012

1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to reactive sorbents and methods of making and using the same for the decontamination of surfaces contaminated with highly toxic materials, including Chemical Warfare Agents ("CWAs") and/or ToxicIndustrial Chemicals (TIC's), and the like, and for neutralizing such chemical and biological compounds or agents. 2. Description of the Prior Art Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs) typically classified as litter vesicants or nerve agents, pose a risk to both military personnel and to the population at large. Technologies for the safe disposal, facility and site cleanup and destruction ofstockpiles are needed to protect the environment and the public. Additionally, the use of CWAs and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) by terrorists is a potential threat to the civilian population. Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents pose a risk tosoldiers and to the civilian population. In the past three decades, CWAs have been used by the former Soviet Union army in Cambodia, Laos and Afghanistan (mycotoxins, yellow rain, tricothecene), by Iraq against Iran ((mustard gas (HD) and nerve agent(tabun)), and Iraq against its Kurdish dissidents (mustard gas (HD) and nerve agent (HCN)). Also, the use of Sarin gas by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, in 1995 was the first known terrorist attack against a civilian population resulting in some 12 deaths and1,000 casualties. Some 20 nations are suspected of possessing CWAs or have the means to make them. Representatives from more than 130 nations signed the final draft of the Chemical Weapons Convention in January of 1993, which outlaws the production, use, sale,and stockpiling of these chemicals and their means of delivery including the destruction of existing stocks by the year 2005. Thus far, about sixty of the signatory nations have ratified the treaty which entails the destruction of 25,000 tons and 50,000tons of CWAs in the United States and former Soviet Union, respectively. Thes

Method Of Removing Radioactive Materials From A Submerged State And/or Preparing Spent Nuclear Fuel For Dry Storage - Patent 8067659

Patents-363 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:11:18 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The present invention relates generally to the field of transporting and/or preparing high level radioactive waste ("HLW") for dry storage, and specifically to apparatus and methods for transporting, removing and/or preparing HLW for dry storagefrom a fuel pool/pond.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the operation of nuclear reactors, the nuclear energy source is in the form of hollow zircaloy tubes filled with enriched uranium, typically referred to as fuel assemblies. When the energy in the fuel assembly has been depleted to a certainlevel, the assembly is removed from the nuclear reactor. At this time, fuel assemblies, also known as spent nuclear fuel, emit both considerable heat and extremely dangerous neutron and gamma photons (i.e., neutron and gamma radiation). Thus, greatcaution must be taken when the fuel assemblies are handled, transported, packaged and stored. After the depleted fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor, they are placed in a canister. Because water is an excellent radiation absorber, the canisters are typically submerged under water in a pool. The pool water also serves to coolthe spent fuel assemblies. When fully loaded with spent nuclear fuel, a canister weighs approximately 45 tons. The canisters must then be removed from the pool because it is ideal to store spent nuclear fuel in a dry state. The canister alone,however, is not sufficient to provide adequate gamma or neutron radiation shielding. Therefore, apparatus that provide additional radiation shielding are required during transport, preparation and subsequent dry storage. The additional shielding is achieved by placing the canisters within large cylindrical containers called casks. Casks are typically designed to shield the environment from the dangerous radiation in two ways. First, shielding of gammaradiation requires large amounts of mass. Gamma rays are best absorbed by materials with a high atomic number and a high density, such as concrete, lead, and steel. Th

Hazardous Gas Abatement Method - Patent 8063262

Patents-363 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:34:27 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, December 12, 2011

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for hazardous gas abatement and emission control. Contaminated gas is decomposed, cleaned and neutralized. The present invention is particularly useful for global warming gases and otherhard to decompose gases. These gases may include perflourocarbons (PFCs), tetraflouromethane (CF.sub.4), hexaflouroethane (C.sub.2F.sub.6) and many other ozone depleting global warming and greenhouse gases. The present system is also useful fordecomposing the exit stream of a semiconductor process by removing gases such as arsine (AsH.sub.3) or phosphine (PH.sub.3). High temperatures are required to clean, neutralize and decompose these types of gases. Existing systems do not provide adequate heating to effectively cleanse exit gas streams of global warming gases. Previous gas cleaning systems include controlled decomposition/oxidation (CDO) and others. These previous systems suffered fromlow efficiency in performance and considerable downtime of equipment during maintenance. Industries, such as the semiconductor industry, have a considerable need for gas cleansing systems in order to comply with environmental emissions codes andregulations. In existing gas cleaning systems heaters are used. However, the heaters insufficiently heat all of the gases, and the heaters become fouled and unable to efficiently transfer heat. They also become so burdened with particulate contaminants orreaction products as to interfere with free flow of gases through the cleaning systems. Periodic cleaning of the heaters and the chambers becomes necessary, which requires shutting down of the systems or taking the treatment apparatus off line,resulting in duplicate systems and greater expense. If the systems are not cleaned contaminated gases will be released. Needs exist for improved apparatus and systems for cleaning heater compartments in contaminated gas treatment methods and apparatus. Needs still exist for improved systems for neutral

Method Of Treatment Of Dredged Material For Beneficial Use - Patent 8057378

Patents-363 — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:16:18 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, December 12, 2011

1. Field of the Invention This invention is directed to a method for the treatment of dredged material. More particularly, this invention is directed to a method to decontaminate and solidify dredged material so as to render it suitable for beneficial use. 2. Background Information Harbors and waterways require shipping lanes to be dredged on a regular maintenance basis in order to prevent the shipping lanes from silting up. Material that is dredged out of port or harbor locations typically contains a wide range of toxiccontaminants, from heavy metals to oils and pesticides. Three alternatives may be considered for management of dredged material: confined disposal, open-water disposal, and beneficial use. Confined disposal is problematic since confined facilities must have all potential escape routes of the contaminants eliminated, including effluents during placement, surface runoff, leachates, direct uptake by plants and animals andvolatilization to air. Open-water disposal is limited by the fact that the dumping of contaminated sediments in waters is not permitted under various legislative measures, including, for example, the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act. Accordingly, treatment of the contaminated dredged material for rendering it suitable for beneficial use is a most desirable alternative. Several examples of beneficial use are available. For example, the dredged material may be used as beach nourishment, which may be necessary if natural replacement of material moved along the shoreline by littoral transport is not available. However, only the gravel and sand portion of dredged material is suitable for beach nourishment, making separation and decontamination obligatory. As a second example, dredged material may be used as manufactured topsoil; however, only fine particlesare suitable for such use, so that separation and decontamination of clay and silt is required. In addition, when used for agricultural purposes, the material has

Stripping Method - Patent 8053622

Patents-363 — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:51:02 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, November 09, 2011

This application is a filingunder 35 U.S.C. 371 of international application number PCT/GB2006/001034, filed Mar. 21, 2006, which claims priority to application number 0506041.3 filed Mar. 24, 2005, in Great Britain, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference. The present invention relates to a method for stripping alumina, such as removal of fluoride from alumina as a stripping method, for example where the alumina has been used to extract radiofluoride such as [.sup.18F]fluoride from aradiosynthesis reaction mixture. The invention further provides apparatus for performing said method. Alumina (aluminium oxide) is used for removal of fluoride from water by adsorption, for example in treatment of aqueous effluent and treatment of drinking water. Alumina is also used for removal of unreacted [.sup.18F]fluoride from aradiosynthetic reaction mixture, for example following synthesis of 2-[.sup.18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([.sup.18F]FDG). Radiotracers, such as [.sup.18F]FDG are now often prepared on an automated radiosynthesis apparatus using nucleophilic radiofluorination chemistry with .sup.18F.sup.-, based on the reagent Kryptofix.TM. 2.2.2. There are several examples ofsuch apparatus commercially available, including Tracerlab MX (Coincidence Technologies SA) and Tracerlab FX (Nuclear Interface GmbH). Such apparatus commonly comprises a cassette, often disposable, in which the radiochemistry is performed, which isfitted to the apparatus in order to perform a radiosynthesis. The cassette normally includes fluid pathways, a reaction vessel, and ports for receiving reagent vials as well as any solid-phase extraction cartridges used in post-radiosynthetic clean upsteps. Where radiosynthesis is performed on an automated apparatus, one important factor for the efficiency of the apparatus is how quickly the apparatus can be used to perform a subsequent run--this is dependent on how much residual radioactivity ispresent in the cassette as th

Chemical Oxidation Method And Compounds - Patent 8049056

Patents-363 — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:50:26 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, November 09, 2011

The present invention relates generally to the chemical oxidation of organic contaminants and, in particular, to the stabilizing of ozone for the purpose of destroying organic contaminants.BACKGROUND Both State and Federal governments have issued regulations governing hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants in the environment. Subsurface soil and groundwater contamination with organic and inorganic contaminants has been the concern ofState and Federal government since the 1970's. Action levels and clean-up standards have been promulgated by both State and Federal government for numerous organic and inorganic contaminants. Regulated organic contaminants in the subsurface environmentinclude, but are not limited to: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) such as tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), trichloroethane (TCA), dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride; fuel constituents suchas benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, methyl tert butyl ether (MTBE), tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ethylene dibromide (EDB); pesticides such as (but not limited to) DDT; herbicides such as (but not limitedto) silvex. Regulated inorganic contaminants in the subsurface environment include: heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic, chromium, mercury, silver. The State and Federal regulations that govern these subsurface contaminants outline a protocol forsubsurface investigation to identify the extent of contamination, identification of the human health and ecological risk posed by the contaminants, development of remedial action alternatives for reducing or eliminating any significant risk posed by thecontaminants, and selection and implementation of remedial measures to achieve the remediation goals. In situ (ISCO) and ex situ (ESCO) chemical oxidation technologies have emerged as prominent remedial measures due to cost-effectiveness and timeliness for achieving remediation goals. This te

High Throughput Chemical Munitions Treatment System - Patent 8047978

Patents-363 — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:37:26 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, November 09, 2011

The present invention relates to improved methods and devices for safely treating, neutralizing, and disposing of chemical munitions and other similarly toxic and/or dangerous materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to atransportable, high throughput facility capable of semi-continuous operation.BACKGROUND AND RELATED ART Recent attention to buried chemical weapon materiel has highlighted the need for remediation systems to destroy recovered chemical warfare materiel (CWM) at a substantially faster rate than can be done with systems currently used by the ProjectManager for Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel (PM NSCM). The attention has highlighted the fact that the PM NSCM's inventory of mobile remediation systems--the Explosive Destruction System (EDS) and the Rapid Response System (RRS)--were originallydesigned to address only small volumes of recovered CWM. These systems have worked very well and have achieved a significant degree of acceptance with the public and within the regulatory community. However, the near continuous use of the existing fourEDS platforms and the extension of the Chemical Weapon Convention deadlines have shown the throughput of these systems is inadequate to address many of the identified CWM disposal/burial sites. Devices for safely handling explosives are well known in the art. For example, Fylling, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,479, describes a mobile container in which an explosive, such as a time bomb, can be placed after discovery for transport to asuitable location for disarming. In includes a ballistic grille to vent explosion gases in an upwardly direction. Hickerson, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,601, describes a container for explosive devices that includes inner and outer cylinders tosubstantially contain detonation fragments and the blast. This device is intended to transport improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or homemade bombs to a safe disposal area. Benedick et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,247, describes

Energy Generation Process - Patent 8034989

Patents-363 — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:05:37 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The development of explosives has been important in the history of civilization. The earliest explosives were deflagrating, beginning with black powder. Roger Bacon, in the thirteenth century, detailed the preparation of black powder. It wasoriginally used in firearms, and not until the seventeenth century was it used in mines. Detonating explosives were developed in the nineteenth century, based on the work of Alfred Nobel. Mr. Nobel succeeded in mixing nitroglycerin with an absorbent instead of a liquid which was difficult to handle and dangerous to transport. Asolid substance, dynamite, was developed that was sensitive to the action of a blasting cap, but was relatively insensitive to ordinary shock. Since the development of detonating explosives, continuing effort has been directed to maximize both the explosive force and the safety of explosive compositions and processes. Ammonium nitrate-fuel oil compositions have been effectiveexplosives and safe to transport, but exhibited relatively modest detonating energy. A wide variety of high energy reactions has been explored to discover means for generating a high heat of reaction and explosive energy. The known thermite reaction, in which iron oxide is reacted with aluminum to form iron and aluminum oxide,can generate a heat of reaction of about 0.94 kcal per gram and will reach a temperature of about 2200.degree. C. In addition, it has been recognized that chemical compounds that are exposed to high temperatures will rapidly decompose. It has also beenrecognized that the reaction of polytetrafluoroethylene with aluminum under pressure generates about 3.16 kcal per gram. Despite a wide variety of known high energy reactions, including those noted above, continued effort has been directed toward the development of explosive processes that will yield exceptional energy.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the discovery of a process that generates a heat of reaction that is many times gr

Method Of Making Harmful Material Remediating Agent And For Using The Same - Patent 8026404

Patents-363 — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:13:44 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, October 05, 2011

The present invention relates to a harmful material remediating agent which can remediate environmental pollutants such as harmful organic compounds and nitrate and nitrite nitrogen-containing compounds at low cost and high efficiency.BACKGROUND ART Highly volatile organic compounds, e.g., halogenated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, aromatic compounds such as benzene, xylene and toluene, and aldehydes such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde are industriallywidely used as solvents, detergents, etc., and organic agricultural chemicals such as organic chlorine compounds and organic phosphorus compounds are used as insecticides, fungicides and herbicides in agricultural fields. Some of these organic compoundshave toxicity or carcinogenicity for men or cause inhibition of growth and induction of malformation for animals and plants, and preparation, use and disposition of them are severely regulated. However, many of the above organic compounds are hardlydecomposable, and those which have been abandoned or leaked under no severe control or those which have been used before issuance of regulations, such as DDT and BHC, remain in the environment. These compounds have polluted soil or underground waterover a long period of time, and, furthermore, highly volatile matters discharged into atmosphere have polluted the atmosphere, which have caused serious social problems. Furthermore, recently, it has been reported that a part of organic compounds act asso-called endocrine disturbing substances (or environmental hormones) which inhibit generative power of animals and plants. On the other hand, since nitrate and nitrite nitrogen-containing compounds have carcinogenicity, recently, discharge of them is severely controlled as water pollutants, and chemical industries and fertilizer industries are demanded to cope withthe problems. Moreover, in agriculture, organic nitrogen compounds contained in fertilizers produce nitrate and nitrite nitrogen-co

Reduced Weight Decontamination Formulation Utilizing A Solid Peracid Compound For Neutralization Of Chemical And Biological Warfare Agents - Patent 8022265

Patents-363 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:55:05 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Sandia National Laboratories has previously developed DF-200, an enhanced aqueous decontamination formulation for the neutralization of chemical and biological warfare agents and biological pathogens. Two formulations associated with DF-200 are summarized below: DF-200HF (Enhanced Formulation for High Foam Applications): 2.0% Variquat 80MC (cationic surfactant) 1.0% Adogen 477 (cationic hydrotrope) 0.4% 1-Dodecanol (fatty alcohol) 2.0% Polyethylene Glycol 8000 (polymer) 0.8% Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (solvent) 0.5% Isobutanol (solvent) 5.0% Bicarbonatesalt (buffer and peroxide activator) 3.5% Hydrogen Peroxide (oxidant) 2.0% Propylene Glycol Diacetate or Glycerol Diacetate (peroxide activator) 10.0% Propylene Glycol (organic stabilizer) .about.2.0% Potassium Hydroxide (pH adjustment) Water(Remainder--.about.70%) Note: The formulation can be adjusted to a pH value between 9.6 and 9.9; and is effective for decontamination of all agents tested. DF-200NF (Enhanced Formulation for No Foam Applications): 2.0% Benzalkonium Chloride 2.0% Propylene Glycol Diacetate or Glycerol Diacetate 3.5% Hydrogen Peroxide 5.0% Potassium Bicarbonate 10.0% Propylene Glycol (organic stabilizer) .about.2.0%Potassium Hydroxide Water (Remainder--.about.75%) A new form of the Sandia National Laboratories decontamination formulation (DF-200) is needed to meet the CBW agent decontamination requirements of the US Department of Defense (DoD), and other potential users, for significantly reduced weightand volume burdens. Of primary interest and benefit to the warfighter is the use of one formulation for battlefield and fixed site decontamination that is easily deployable, fast reacting, environmentally friendly with low toxicity and corrosivityproperties, and that has a low logistics burden. Currently, the aqueous-based DF-200 is provided in an `all-liquid` configuration where all water is included within the packaged formulation. The current decontamination formulation of the US DoD(Eas

System For Controlling The Reactivity Of Boronic Acids - Patent 8013203

Patents-363 — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:40:16 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 03, 2011

BACKGROUND The Suzuki-Miyaura reaction is a palladium- or nickel-catalyzed cross coupling between a boronic acid or a boronic ester and an organohalide or an organo-pseudohalide. (Miyaura, A. Chem. Rev., 1995) This cross coupling transformation is apowerful method for C--C bond formation in complex molecule synthesis. The reaction is tolerant of functional groups, and has become increasingly general and widespread in its use for coupling of organic compounds. (Barder, 2005; Billingsley, 2007;Littke, 2000; Nicolaou, 2005) Boronic acids are notoriously sensitive to many common reagents. (Hall, 2005; Tyrell, 2003) It is therefore typical to introduce the boronic acid functional group during the last step of a building block synthesis. However, many of the methodsfor doing so (hydroboration, trapping organometallic reagents with trimethylborate, etc.) are intolerant to a variety of common functional groups, such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, alkynes and olefins. This makes the synthesis of structurallycomplex boronic acid building blocks quite challenging. In contrast, organostannanes are remarkably tolerant to a wide variety of reaction conditions and are routinely carried through multiple steps en route to structurally complex coupling partners. As a result, organostannanes have found widespread use in complex molecule synthesis (De Souza, M. V. N., 2006; Pattenden, G., 2002; Hong, B.-C., 2006) despite their well-known drawbacks including toxicity, high molecular weight, and byproducts that aredifficult to remove. The ability to similarly carry protected boronic acids through multi-step synthetic sequences could substantially heighten their utility and broaden the scope of their applicability. One area of research on the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction is the development of protecting groups for the boronic acid functional group. A compound that includes a protected boronic acid and another functional group can undergo chemicaltransformations of the other function

Method For Treating Fly Ash - Patent 8013205

Patents-363 — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:35:41 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 03, 2011

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS This applications is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2008/010977, filed on Dec. 20, 2008 and claims benefit to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2008 004 796.1, filed onJan. 17, 2008. The International Application was published in German on Jul. 23, 2009 as WO 2009/089896 A2 under PCT Article 21(2).FIELD The present invention relates to a method for treating, in particular for inertizing fly ash from incineration plants.BACKGROUND Upon combustion of inhomogeneous or contaminated fuels, in particular, such as household refuse, flue gases are formed, which, besides the main combustion products of carbon dioxide and water, to an increasing degree of contamination, alsocontain numerous contaminants, such as dust, acidic gases, heavy metals and organic substances, for example. In this context, it is known that many of these groups of contaminants, in particular, however, the heavy metals released during combustion,become concentrated in the fly ash. In the course of a waste-gas purification, the fly ash, together with a multiplicity of the contaminants bound into the same, are separated out as filter ash or filter dust by dust separators immediately following the combustion and flue gascooling. At present, filter ash or filter dust from waste incineration plants is dumped in underground landfills since it is not suited for an open landfilling (for example, in accordance with waste class II, TA household waste) due, inter alia, to thehigh concentration of water-soluble metal compounds. Therefore, for an open landfilling, it is desirable that the fly ash be rendered harmless prior to a landfilling of this kind. Christine Hallgren, Birgitta Stromberg: Current Methods to Detoxify Fly Ash from Waste Incineration; Report no. TPS 2004:1 Svensk Fjarrvarme AB, 2004, ISSN 1402-5191, describes currently available technologies for treating filter ash from wasteincinera

Use Of Partly Prehydrated Lime For Separating A Solid Matter/liquid Mixture, Method For Treating Sludge And Purified Sludge Obtained By Said Method - Patent 8013204

Patents-363 — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:35:22 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 03, 2011

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application is a 35 U.S.C. .sctn..sctn.371 national phase conversion of PCT/FR2005/002215, filed Sep. 6, 2005, which claims priority of French Patent Application No. 0409767 filed Sep. 15, 2004, which is herein incorporated byreference. The PCT Application was published in the French Language.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field The present invention relates to a novel use of partly prehydrated lime, which contains CaO that reacts with H.sub.2O after a certain lag phase, that is to say a delayed reactivity quicklime (abbreviated to: "DRQL"), in the field of separatingsolid matter from a mixture comprising said solids and a liquid (i.e. liquid/solid separation, denoted hereinafter for convenience by "solid matter/liquid separation" or "solids/liquid separation"), and in particular in the field of separating the solidmatter from a suspension in a liquid. It also relates to a method for treating a sludge, in which the solids are concentrated, decontaminated, dried and recovered using said delayed reactivity partly prehydrated lime. Finally it relates, as novelindustrial products, to (a) the purified sludge (denoted hereinafter by "solid material derived from a sludge") obtained according to this method, on the one hand, and to (b) the combination of a DRQL with at least one Fe.sup.3+ and/or Al.sup.3+ salt,which is used to carry out this method, on the other hand. 2. Discussion of the Prior Art It is known that various techniques for solids/liquid separation have been developed in order to concentrate the solid matter contained in a solids/liquid mixture when at least one portion of said solids is dispersed in the liquid of saidmixture, especially when they are in the form of suspensions of particles, such as is the case for sludges. Said concentrated mixtures thus obtained, especially the concentrated suspensions, must often undergo subsequent treatments before being able to be handled, stored or reused

Method For Eliminating Pollutants Contained In An Elastic Part - Patent 8008537

Patents-363 — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:20:21 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 02, 2011

The present invention relates to a method of eliminating the pollutantscontained in an elastomer part. The method is suitable for any type of elastomer material, but is preferably applied to the sealing gaskets provided in pumps. It is well known that the polymerization of elastomers allows low molecular weight and generally toxic monomers and polymers to exist within the elastomer. Furthermore, for elastomers, curing agents are used based on sulfur or peroxide, andother additives are also used that produce residues within the elastomer. Just like the above-mentioned low molecular weight monomers and polymers, the residues are also of low molecular weight relative to the polymers constituting the elastomer. When parts made of elastomer are intended to come into contact with certain pharmaceutical substances that are fragile, or that must remain very pure, it is known to extract the pollutants, in particular the pollutants of low molecular weight,before using the parts made of elastomer, so as to avoid the pollutants mixing with the pharmaceutical substance. In particular, that method is used for gaskets made of elastomer that are intended for aerosol valves. Hexafluoroacetone (HFA) propellant gases, sometimes associated with ethanol, can be good solvents. They therefore risk dissolving thepollutants contained in the elastomer gaskets, and mixing them with pharmaceutical substances that are themselves also dissolved or in suspension in said propellant gas. In the past, the substances used to extract the pollutants before the gaskets were used were chlorofluorocarbons CFCs (in particular Freon 11) that give satisfactory results, but that have a damaging effect on the ozone layer of the atmosphere,such that they had to be abandoned for environmental reasons.SUMMARY An object of the present invention is to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks by means of a solution for substituting CFCs that guarantees satisfactory elimination of the pollutants contained in elasto

Process For The Complete Combustion And Oxidation Of The Mineral Fraction Of Waste Treated In Direct Incineration-vitrification Apparatus - Patent 8003845

Patents-363 — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:39:16 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 02, 2011

OR PRIORITY CLAM This application is a national phase of International Application No. PCT/FR2005/050365 entitled "Method Enabling The Complete Combustion And Oxidation Of The Mineral Fraction Of Waste Treated In A Direct Combustion-Vitrification Device", whichwas filed on May 25, 2005, which was not published in English, and which claims priority of the French Patent Application No. 04 51035 filed May 26, 2004.TECHNICAL AREA The invention relates to a process with which to achieve complete combustion and oxidation of the mineral fraction of waste treated in an apparatus for direct incineration-vitrification.PRIOR ART For several years, numerous research and development studies have been focusing on the problem of immobilizing the toxic fraction of combustible waste or mixed waste (organic and inorganic) in a matrix of vitreous or vitro-ceramic type (calledconfinement matrix), waste toxicity possibly being chemical (heavy metals) or radioactive. This type of research work is being conducted by multiple teams across the world since the advantages of said research are multiple: stabilising the waste to be treated, achieving a proven, durable confinement matrix, reducing the initial volumeof waste . . . . One solution proposed by the known prior art is an industrial process with which it is possible to achieve both incineration of the waste and vitrification of the mineral fraction of the waste in a single apparatus. Different technologiesapplied consist of forming a glass bath or molten matrix by fusion, and adding the waste to be treated to its surface. The organic fraction of the waste therefore decomposes or burns depending on the atmosphere prevailing inside the apparatus, while themineral fraction, except for the volatilized part, is incorporated more or less homogeneously into the molten matrix. Several technological pathways have been explored at laboratory or industrial level to obtain these results. In the variants most often encountered, the waste incine

Secondary Process For Radioactive Chloride Deweaponization And Storage - Patent 7994379

Patents-363 — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:19:16 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Friday, September 30, 2011

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram for creating a radionuclide containment composition. FIG. 2 shows an example of a flow diagram for containing radioactive chloride substances. FIG. 3 shows the structure of a 2:1 clay mineral. FIG. 4 shows another example of a flow diagram for containing radioactive chloride substances. FIG. 5 shows an example of a TEM image depicting a foliated lamellar aggregate and an SAED diffraction pattern. FIG. 6 shows another example of a TEM image depicting a foliated lamellar aggregate and an SAED diffraction pattern. FIG. 7 shows an example of a TEM image depicting subhedral platelets surrounded by subhedral lamellar aggregates and an SAED diffraction pattern. FIG. 8 shows an example of a TEM image showing subhedral platelets surrounded by a lesser amount of subhedral lamellar aggregates and an SAED diffraction pattern of. FIG. 9 shows an EDS compositions plot for Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 in wt %. FIG. 10 shows an EDS compositions plot for Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in wt %. FIG. 11 shows an EDS compositions plot for MgO and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in wt %. FIG. 12 shows an EDS compositions plot for Cs.sub.2O and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in wt %. FIG. 13 shows an example of TEM imaging of AgCl crystals. FIG. 14 shows TEM images and SAED of Cs-montmorillonite. FIG. 15 shows plotted chemical compositions of individual montmorillonite particles from the 10 month stability experiment, where a very weak relationship between Fe.sub.2O.sub.3/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Cs.sub.2O exists. FIG. 16 shows plotted chemical compositions of individual montmorillonite particles from the 10 month stability experiment, where a very weak relationship between MgO/Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and Cs.sub.2O exists. FIG. 17 shows an EDS compositions plot for SiO.sub.2--Al.sub.2O.sub.3, which shows a moderate linear trend for all reacted compositions. FIG. 18 shows an EDS compositions plot for MgO--Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. FIG. 19 shows an EDS composi

Apparatus For Transporting And/or Storing Radioactive Materials Having A Jacket Adapted To Facilitate Thermosiphon Fluid Flow - Patent 7994380

Patents-363 — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:15:34 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Friday, September 30, 2011

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of transporting and/or preparing high level radioactive waste ("HLW") for dry storage, and specifically to apparatus and methods for transporting, removing and/or preparing HLW for dry storagefrom a fuel pool/pond.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the operation of nuclear reactors, the nuclear energy source is in the form of hollow zircaloy tubes filled with enriched uranium, typically referred to as fuel assemblies. When the energy in the fuel assembly has been depleted to a certainlevel, the assembly is removed from the nuclear reactor. At this time, fuel assemblies, also known as spent nuclear fuel, emit both considerable heat and extremely dangerous neutron and gamma photons (i.e., neutron and gamma radiation). Thus, greatcaution must be taken when the fuel assemblies are handled, transported, packaged and stored. After the depleted fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor, they are placed in a canister. Because water is an excellent radiation absorber, the canisters are typically submerged under water in a pool. The pool water also serves to coolthe spent fuel assemblies. When fully loaded with spent nuclear fuel, a canister weighs approximately 45 tons. The canisters must then be removed from the pool because it is ideal to store spent nuclear fuel in a dry state. The canister alone,however, is not sufficient to provide adequate gamma or neutron radiation shielding. Therefore, apparatus that provide additional radiation shielding are required during transport, preparation and subsequent dry storage. The additional shielding is achieved by placing the canisters within large cylindrical containers called casks. Casks are typically designed to shield the environment from the dangerous radiation in two ways. First, shielding of gammaradiation requires large amounts of mass. Gamma rays are best absorbed by materials with a high atomic number and a high density, such as concrete, le

High Energy Disinfection Of Waste - Patent 7989673

Patents-363 — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:04:49 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, September 29, 2011

The field of the invention is waste disinfection.BACKGROUND Fluid organic waste typically contains a high degree of microorganisms. Much of this waste is disposed of into waterways through sewers and into the ground through septic tanks, leach lines and so on. In any case, the microorganisms ultimatelyinfect our potable water causing it to become unhealthy for consumption. In some instances steps are taken to disinfect the fluid waste before disposal. Many disinfection systems use chemicals to kill some of the microorganisms, but these systems are relatively ineffective because the fluid waste is so highlycontaminated to begin with. There are, however, disinfection systems that attempt to separate components of the waste and to dispose of the more contaminated products in a different way than the less contaminated components. U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,054,for example, teaches a system in which solid animal waste is separated from waste water using electrocoagulation. Thereafter, the solid waste is disposed of using incineration or other methods while the waste water is purified and then recycled. Methods of purification and disinfection often utilize can also utilize filters, reverse osmosis, ion exchange and even ultraviolet waves. Some of these methods, however, have proven to be relatively ineffective in terms of removing a highpercentage of microorganisms while others are problematic due to clogging and high expense. Ion exchange and ultraviolet systems generally work well, however, it is desirable to be able to produce small cluster water defined herein to mean a size of only 5-6 water molecules per cluster, and these methods are not effective at producingsuch results. Small cluster water is reported to have numerous useful characteristics. Among other things, small cluster water is said to provide: improved taste of foods; accelerated absorption of drugs and food through the digestive tract; andprevention of cancer due to reduced production of mutagens i

Treatment Of Particulate Biodegradable Organic Waste By Thermal Hydrolysis Using Condensate Recycle - Patent 7968760

Patents-363 — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:30:59 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A method and apparatus for the treatment of particulate biodegradable organic waste, and more particularly a method and apparatus for the thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic treatment of particulate biodegradable organic waste which method includescondensate recycling.BACKGROUND A number of countries in Asia and in Europe currently require or are expected to require biodegradable solid waste and food waste solids from residences, as well as restaurants and institutions that prepare and serve food, to be sourcesegregated from metal, glass, plastics, paper, and other solid waste materials. This regulatory trend is likely to be adopted by larger cities in both the United States and Canada. Currently, disposal of food waste-solids in these countries is bylandfill, incineration and to a limited degree composting to produce soil amendment. South Korea is one representative country seeking to restrict disposal of food waste and biodegradable solid waste. The Korean national government has indicated it intends to prohibit landfill disposal of food wastes by Jan. 1, 2006. Foodwastes are composed primarily of vegetables, fruits, grains, and meat/fish products that contain fiber, carbohydrate, fat, protein and inorganic ash. Data indicates that Korean source segregated food wastes contain 76-84% moisture and 16-24% dry matter. Additionally, the dry matter is 80-90% volatile. Incineration is a costly alternative, skeptically viewed by the Korean public because of environmental concerns. Regulatory requirements are becoming increasingly more stringent for land disposal of wastewater treatment biosolids and animal manures in North America, Europe, and Pacific Rim countries. South Korea currently disposes of wastewater treatmentbiosolids and animal manures by ocean dumping, but has agreed with the international community to cease this practice beginning in 2008. As an alternative to conventional landfill or incineration disposal, particulate food wastes, wastewater treatment

Method For Reducing Contamination - Patent 7968761

Patents-363 — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:30:40 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, June 29, 2011

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Certain exemplary embodiments of the invention will be more readily understood through the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 100 of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system 200 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention generally relates to compositions, methods, and systems, embodiments of some of which can be useful for remediating contamination. Moreover, certain embodiments of compositions, methods, and/or systems of the presentinvention can be useful for reducing a concentration of a contaminant associated with a medium by treating the medium with ferric methylglycinediacetate (Fe-MGDA) and an oxidizing agent in amounts effective to oxidize at least a portion of thecontaminant. It is not currently known with certainty exactly how certain embodiments cause the reduction in concentration of the contaminant, and particularly, the precise reaction mechanism is currently unproven. Nevertheless, several potential theoriesto describe the mechanism of the reaction are recognized by the inventor of the present invention. According to certain theories, hydroxyl radicals, free radicals, or both react with and degrade at least the target contaminant. As a foundation for these theories, it is recognized by the inventor that numerous contaminated media, includingsoil and water, can be treated by the application of oxidants. The following table lists several oxidants and their oxidation potential: TABLE-US-00001 Oxidant Oxidation Potential, V Fluorine 3.0 Hydroxyl radical 2.8 Ozone 2.1 Hydrogen peroxide 1.8 Potassium permanganate 1.7 Chlorine dioxide 1.5 Chlorine 1.4 As shown in preceding table, hydrogen peroxide is a relatively powerful oxidant. Also shown in the preceding table is the much more powerful hydroxyl radical, a type of free radical, which is second in the list only to fluo

Reactive Nanoparticles As Destructive Adsorbents For Biological And Chemical Contamination - Patent 7956232

Patents-363 — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 06:07:01 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, June 22, 2011

1. Field of the Invention The present invention is broadly concerned with compositions and methods for sorbing and/or destroying dangerous substances such as chemical and biological warfare agents. The methods of the invention are carried out by simply contacting thetarget substance with particulate metal oxide or metal hydroxide compositions. These compositions can be unmodified, or alternately, can be coated with a second metal oxide or a metal nitrate or mixture of metal nitrates, have reactive atoms or mixturesof reactive atoms stabilized on their surfaces, or have species adsorbed on their surfaces. In another embodiment, the particulate metal oxides or metal hydroxides (unmodified or modified) which can be formed into pellets (e.g., by pressing or othermethods such as by using a binder) which possess the same destructive abilities as the metal oxides or metal hydroxide in powder form. Methods in accordance with the invention require the use of minimal liquids, thus resulting in very little effluent. Furthermore, the particulate metal oxide or metal hydroxide compositions utilized in the methods of the invention are not harmful to equipment or to humans and can easily be used directly at the site of contamination. 2. Description of the Prior Art The threat of biological and chemical warfare has grown considerably in recent times. Numerous countries are capable of developing deadly biological and chemical weapons. Some potent biological agents include the following: bacteria such asBacillus anthracis (anthrax) and Yersinia pestis (plague); viruses such as variola virus (small pox) and flaviviruses (hemorrhagic fevers); and toxins such as botulinum toxins and saxitoxin. Some potent chemical agents include: blister or vesicantagents such as mustard agents; nerve agents such as methylphosphonothiolate (VX); lung damaging or choking agents such as phosgene (CG); cyanogen agents such as hydrogen cyanide; incapacitants such as 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate; riot

Aqueous Phase Oxidation Process - Patent 7951988

Patents-363 — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:40:36 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Methods Of Removing A Constituent From A Feed Stream Using Adsorption Media - Patent 7947861

Patents-363 — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:01:08 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The present invention relates to an adsorption medium that may be used to remove an undesirable constituent from a water supply. More specifically, the present invention relates to an adsorption medium that includes polyacrylonitrile and ametal hydroxide or metal oxide, associated apparatus incorporating same, and methods of producing and using the medium.BACKGROUND Water supplies contaminated with arsenic (As) are a major health and environmental concern in the United States and worldwide. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that is present in rocks or soils. Over time, the arsenic leaches from therocks or soils into groundwater, surface water, wells, or other sources of drinking water. This arsenic contamination is referred to as indigenous arsenic contamination. Arsenic-contaminated solutions are also produced in a variety of industries, suchas mining, agriculture, semiconductor, or petroleum industries. These arsenic-contaminated solutions include process solutions and waste streams. The ingestion of significant amounts of arsenic can lead to disastrous effects on human health, which hasbecome well documented in parts of the Indian subcontinent, where tube wells have replaced surface water as the primary drinking water source. Many of the worst cases of arsenic poisoning have occurred in the West Bengal area, where As concentrations inthe drinking water can exceed 300 parts per billion (ppb). Health problems due to the consumption of As-contaminated water currently affect over 70 million people in Bangladesh. However, the deleterious consequences of lesser concentrations of As indrinking water are becoming evident in other parts of the world as well, e.g., Mexico, Argentina, and Taiwan. In September 2001, a National Academy of Science study concluded that even trace amounts of arsenic can cause bladder and lung cancer. In 1976, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established drinking water standards for arsenic at a maximum concentration l

System And Method For Treating Asbestos - Patent 7939705

Patents-363 — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 01:56:36 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, June 09, 2011

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to the treatment of asbestos containing material (ACM) with a mineralizing agent using a method, system, and apparatus that increases the receptivity of the ACM to the mineralizing agent. 2. Description of the Related Art Asbestos is a term referring to a family of historically useful fibrous minerals that most commonly belong to the serpentine and amphibole mineral groups including such species as chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, and anthophyllite. Moreprecisely referred to as "asbestiform minerals," they are hydrated silicates that generally contain substituted iron, calcium, magnesium, and sodium in various proportions. The serpentine group of minerals that includes chrysotile, antigorite, andlizardite are all represented by the approximate composition: Mg.sub.3 [Si.sub.2 O.sub.5] (OH).sub.4. Of these, chrysotile represents the majority of all asbestos minerals used for industrial and commercial purposes. There is substantial variation inmineral chemistry and physical characteristics of asbestiform minerals, but they all have similarities in basic structure that are typically modified because of variations in the concentrations of calcium, iron, magnesium, and sodium. Asbestos has been used in thousands of products and in numerous workplaces. Although the harm caused by asbestos is not apparent at first, asbestos exposure can lead to serious, debilitating, and often fatal diseases. These includemesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and asbestosis. Usually, a period of 10 to 40 years or more passes before the asbestos victim exhibits the first asbestos disease symptoms. In the workplace, there is no "safe" level of asbestos exposure. For thisreason, increased limitations and restrictions on asbestos use in commercial products, handling, and disposal have been and continue to be imposed in many countries around the world. As a toxic mineral, various attempts have been made to render asbestos ine

Calcium - Download as PDF

Patents-363 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:46:47 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The present invention relates to polysulfide reagents that are particularly useful for precipitating metals from wastewater, stabilization of multivalent metals such as chrome in hazardous waste residues, mercury removal from flue gases, and asan electrolyte in large-scale bromide/polysulfide electrical storage batteries. The present invention is further directed to methods to produce the polysulfide reagents.BACKGROUND ART It has become increasingly apparent over the past few years that several new technologies are emerging that will require large quantities of inexpensive alkaline polysulfide chemical reagents. One such technology has focused on thestabilization of the massive amounts of chromite ore processing residues (COPR) that have accumulated at various sites throughout the United States over the last several decades due to the absence of a cost-effective treatment methodology. According to one application of alkaline polysulfide chemical reagents which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,304 to Rosenthal, it has been found that injecting alkaline polysulfides into the flue gas of coal-fired power plants can behighly effective for enhanced removal of mercury. Another important area of emerging technologies involves regenerative fuel cells such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,294 to Morrissey. This area of technology, which is receiving ever increasing attention, requires large amounts ofpolysulfide reagents that are used as electrolytes in storage batteries. Calcium polysulfide and sodium polysulfide are generally designated as CaS.sub.x and Na.sub.2S.sub.x, respectively, where x indicates the number of sulfur atoms. Although many different methods for making calcium polysulfide or sodiumpolysulfide reagents have been previously developed over a period of many years, such methods are typically directed to making one type of polysufide or the other, but not both or multiple types simultaneously. U.S. Pat. No. 1,434,266 to Taki is directed to a

Method For Reducing Contamination - Patent 7928277

Patents-363 — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:30:58 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Hazardous Particle Binder, Coagulant And Re-aerosolization Inhibitor - Patent 7922644

Patents-363 — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:57:24 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, May 11, 2011

II. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to hazardous particle containment, and more particularly to a copolymer and solvent solution capable of binding and coagulating hazardous aerosol and aerosolizable particles, such as B. anthracis spores, and othersmall particles less than 10 .mu.m in size to immobilize and inhibit re-aerosolization and transport thereof.III. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The rapid containment, de-contamination, and restoration of a building, facility, or other area involved in a hazardous material or terrorist incident, such as involving a biological weapon agent or a "dirty bomb," is considered vital for theprotection of the public health and welfare. In bringing such affected buildings and areas back into service during decontamination and restoration, however, a real concern is the re-suspension and further dispersion of the toxic, infectious, orotherwise hazardous particles due to particle dynamics and airflow patterns, especially the airflow patterns in buildings and in the building ventilation systems. This re-aerosolization can result in more extensive and higher concentrations ofcontamination in the air, which can require multiple decontamination efforts and increase the time and cost of the source reduction and cleanup process. Moreover, such particle transport and the lack of mass balance due to such airflow patterns combineto make reentry into a contaminated area dangerous for emergency and remediation personnel. Re-aerosolization is especially problematic where the hazardous contaminant is a very small particle less than 5 .mu.m in size, such as B. anthracis spores, since such particles are readily aerosolizable, have an ability to remain airborne(aerosols with a particle size of 0.1 to 1 .mu.m tend to remain suspended), and can achieve significant diffusive motion in much the same fashion as for gas molecules. Weaponized B. anthracis spores in particular, are very small refined particles whichare uniform in si

Method For Reducing The Emission Of Green House Gases Into The Atmosphere - Patent 7922643

Patents-363 — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:56:42 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, May 11, 2011

BACKGROUND In recent years, it has become evident that general climatic warming is occurring due to the "greenhouse effect" caused by the increasing presence of certain greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated from human activities. Among the gaseous componentsin the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. By contrast, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur dioxide do not appear to contribute to the greenhouse effect. In order to mitigate the effects of increasing greenhouse gases generated from human activities, a variety of proposals have been made to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. There is still a need for a new method for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.SUMMARY According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by the in-situ separation of a greenhouse gas from a non-greenhouse gas within a deep subsurfaceformation and sequestering the greenhouse gas within the formation. According to one aspect, the method comprises, a) selecting a gas stream from a stationary source of production, the gas stream comprising a mixture of at least one greenhouse gas andat least one non-greenhouse gas, said greenhouse gas being sequesterable within a deep subsurface aquifer and said non-greenhouse gas being substantially non-sequesterable within the formation when introduced under the same conditions as the greenhousegas; b) selecting a subsurface injection formation comprising a deep water-laden layer overlain by one or more layers, said water-laden layer being capable of sequestering at least a portion of the greenhouse gas while being incapable of sequestering thenon-greenhouse gas when introduced under the same conditions as the greenhouse gas, thereby being capable of effectively separating the non-greenhouse gas from the greenhouse gas; c) pressurizing the gas stream; d)

Mercury Contamination Extraction - PDF

Patents-363 — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:14:24 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 28, 2011

The present invention relates generally to hazardous waste, and, more specifically, to mercury removal from contaminated sites.One form of hazardous waste is mercury. Large amounts of such waste have been generated in both military and civilian applications. Elevated levels of elemental mercury at various geographic locations are considered hazardous to the environmentand within the regulatory provisions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the U.S. Government.Regulatory provisions require that mercury contaminated waste containing less than 260 parts-per-million be suitably treated to stabilize the mercury and prevent its leaching into the environment. The regulations include a ToxicityCharacteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) which determines whether or not the mercury contaminated waste has been sufficiently stabilized for long term disposal without unacceptable leaching.The stabilization and disposition of the mercury contaminated waste has been the subject of considerable investigation over many years for achieving an economically viable solution thereof. The problem of mercury contamination includes largegeographic areas and enormous volumes of waste in the form of soil, sediment, dredge spoils, sludge, and other industrial wastes.One effective manner for stabilizing mercury waste is the direct reaction of elemental mercury (Hg) with elemental sulfur (S) or sulfur compounds to form mercury sulfide (HgS). Mercury sulfide is a stable and insoluble compound, andsubstantially reduces its hazardous affects and leaching capabilities.However, variously known processes for treating mercury contamination have different advantages and disadvantages, with high cost being a substantial disadvantage. In view of the large volume of mercury contaminated waste, the cost for mercurytreatment must be sufficiently low to render economically feasible the treatment of the large volumes thereof.In U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,849 an improved method for treating mercury co

Recirculating Combustion System - Patent 7674947

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:48:00 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

BACKGROUNDCombustion systems in industrial facilities consume huge amounts of energy and in the process create waste byproducts. Industrial combustion systems include boilers, heaters, kilns, furnaces, gas or steam turbines, and reciprocating engines. These systems use thermal energy from burning fuel to transfer heat for materials processing or to produce mechanical energy. Much of the world's convertible energy comes from fossil fuels that are burned to produce heat that is then used as a transfermedium into mechanical energy or other means to generate electricity or accomplish other tasks.Fossil fuels are any naturally occurring organic fuel, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Fuels used in industrial combustion equipment include natural gas, heavy oil, light oil, fossil fuel by-products, waste fuels and wood waste. Coalis the most abundant fossil fuel in the U.S. Coal found in the eastern U.S. typically has high-sulfur and is found in deep deposits. Conversely, western coal is of low-sulfur content found closer to the surface.Commercial petroleum fuels are divided into grades which are based on the fuel viscosity. Fuel oil is widely used in power plants. Crude oil can also be used directly, but this is not as desirable. Some of the advantages of oil over coal arethat it is cleaner, easier to handle, store and transport, and produces less ash. Also, oil can be atomized and mixed with combustion air to ease burning. One disadvantage of oil is that the ash is very adhesive and difficult to remove. Some oils arehigh in sulfur which is also difficult to remove. Oil can contain vanadium, which once oxidized, causes corrosion of ferrous materials found in most boilers and furnaces.Natural gas consists mostly of methane and ethane. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is primarily composed of propane and butane. Natural gas is the easiest of the fossil fuels to burn as it mixes well with air and burns cleanly with little ash. Natural gas has the highest

Method Of Remediating Soil Contaminated With Polyhalogenated Hydrocarbons - Patent 7674946

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:47:43 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

This patent application claims thebenefit of priority from Italian Patent Application No. MI2004A002242 filed Nov. 19, 2004 though PCT Application Serial No. PCT/EP2005/012272 filed Nov. 16, 2005, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF APPLICATIONThe present invention relates generally to the technical field of environmental remediation.In particular, the invention relates to a method of remediating soil contaminated by halogenated hydrocarbons and in particular by polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polychlorodibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and/or polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs).BACKGROUND ARTPolyhalogenated hydrocarbons and in particular the polychlorobiphenyls are substances widely employed in industry for their useful properties, including their considerable stability upon heating and pressure application.Such substances are nevertheless very toxic for the flora and fauna, and their leakage into the soil may lead to serious environmental risks. It has already occurred that, following the accidental outflow of PCBs and their degradation products,such as polychlorodibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs) from plants for the production of polyhalogenated hydrocarbons (for example insecticides), access has been prohibited to even quite vast land areas, also in urban environments.Different methods of remediating soils contaminated by PCBs and/or PCDDs and PCDFs have been proposed, some based on chemical reactions (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,823 and US 2002143226) conducted on the soil, others based on theabsorption by a polymeric support after grinding the soil and admixing it with water and with the aforementioned support (see FR 2 797 598), still others based on treatments with solvents (U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,394).These methods are quite complicated and costly from the standpoint of both plant design and energy consumption. Moreover, such methods do not lend themselves to being carried out in place but require th

Composition And Method For The Solidification Of Toxic Or Hazardous Drilling And Agricultural Waste - Patent 7670277

Patents-363 — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:28:28 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 26, 2011

FIELD OF THEINVENTIONThe present invention is directed to compositions containing a layered phyllosilicate or a combination of a layered phyllosilicate and a superabsorbant polymer, such as a polyacrylate; methods of manufacturing the compositions; and methods ofusing the compositions for solidifying hazardous and/or toxic liquids, particularly drilling fluid wastes, invert drilling fluid wastes, and agricultural wastes to pass regulatory mandated analytical tests in a minimal amount of time.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDrilling waste management is one of the most important challenges in the petroleum industry. The used drilling mud and cuttings result in a substantial ecological contamination problem after drilling is completed. The main pollution of cuttingsis caused by biocides; oil; completion or stimulation fluid components; corrosion inhibitors; reservoir fluids (crude oil, brine); inorganic cations and anions, and drilling mud chemical components. The compositions and methods described herein areeffective for solidification and remediation of drilling muds and cuttings containing any or all of these pollutants; and agricultural wastes containing animal excrement and/or agricultural fertilizer run off.The current way of drilling waste management remains somewhat crude from the ecological point of view. The drilling wastes are mainly collected in tanks or pits near the drilling rig and sometimes, after some initial treatment, are either dumpedor buried when drilling is halted or mixed with the nearby ground soil and buried.One of the most popular methods of drilling waste treatment is solidification and stabilization. If a pollutant is below the allowed limit, drilling waste can be solidified in place. Cement and silica are the most popular agents. Von KrosigkU.S. Pat. Nos. 6,835,697; 6,809,067; and published application US 2002/169082 A1 and 2002/169084 A1 disclose adding a number of materials to the drilling waste in a high shear mixer, particularly a

Soil And Water Remediation Method And Apparatus - Patent 7667087

Patents-363 — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:08:05 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 26, 2011

BACKGROUND1. Field of InventionThe invention relates to methods and apparatuses for the remediation of contaminated water and/or soil and, in particular, to the reduction of the concentration of organic compounds in water and/or soil.2. Discussion of Related ArtBoth State and Federal governments have issued regulations governing hazardous organic and inorganic contaminants in the environment. Subsurface soil and groundwater contamination with organic and inorganic contaminants has been a concern sincethe 1970's. Action levels and clean-up standards have been promulgated by both State and Federal government for numerous organic and inorganic contaminants.Regulated organic contaminants in the subsurface environment include, but are not limited to: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) such as tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), trichloroethane(TCA), dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride; fuel constituents such as benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, methyl tert butyl ether (MTBE), tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ethylene dibromide (EDB); pesticidessuch as (but not limited to) DDT; and herbicides such as (but not limited to) silvex. Regulated inorganic contaminants in the subsurface environment include, but are not limited to: heavy metals, such as lead, arsenic, chromium, mercury, silver. Stateand Federal regulations that govern these subsurface contaminants outline a protocol for subsurface investigation to identify the extent of contamination, identification of the human health and ecological risk posed by the contaminants, development ofremedial action alternatives for reducing or eliminating any significant risk posed by the contaminants, and selection and implementation of remedial measures to achieve the remediation goals.In situ (ISCO) or ex situ (ESCO) chemical oxidation technology has emerged as a prominent remedial measure due to its cost-effectiveness and

Secondary Process For Radioactive Chloride Deweaponization And Storage - Patent 7663014

Patents-363 — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 06:32:02 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 26, 2011

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram for creating a radionuclide containment composition.FIG. 2 shows an example of a flow diagram for containing radioactive chloride substances.FIG. 3 shows the structure of a 2:1 clay mineral.FIG. 4 shows another example of a flow diagram for containing radioactive chloride substances.FIG. 5 shows an example of a TEM image depicting a foliated lamellar aggregate and an SAED diffraction pattern.FIG. 6 shows another example of a TEM image depicting a foliated lamellar aggregate and an SAED diffraction pattern.FIG. 7 shows an example of a TEM image depicting subhedral platelets surrounded by subhedral lamellar aggregates and an SAED diffraction pattern.FIG. 8 shows an example of a TEM image showing subhedral platelets surrounded by a lesser amount of subhedral lamellar aggregates and an SAED diffraction pattern of.FIG. 9 shows an EDS compositions plot for Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 in wt %.FIG. 10 shows an EDS compositions plot for Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in wt %.FIG. 11 shows an EDS compositions plot for MgO and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in wt %.FIG. 12 shows an EDS compositions plot for Cs.sub.2O and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 in wt %.FIG. 13 shows an example of TEM imaging of AgCl crystals.FIG. 14 shows TEM images and SAED of Cs-montmorillonite.FIG. 15 shows plotted chemical compositions of individual montmorillonite particles from the 10 month stability experiment, where a very weak relationship between Fe.sub.2O.sub.3/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and Cs.sub.2O exists.FIG. 16 shows plotted chemical compositions of individual montmorillonite particles from the 10 month stability experiment, where a very weak relationship between MgO/Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and Cs.sub.2O exists.FIG. 17 shows an EDS compositions plot for SiO.sub.2--Al.sub.2O.sub.3, which shows a moderate linear trend for all reacted compositions.FIG. 18 shows an EDS compositions plot for MgO--Fe.sub.2O.sub.3.FIG. 19 shows an EDS compositions plot for Fe.s

Apparatus, Composition, And Methods To Remediate An Acid And/or Liquid Spill - Patent 7662081

Patents-363 — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 04:05:47 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The invention relates to an apparatus and method to remediate a liquid spill. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to an apparatus and method to remediate an acid spill. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to an apparatus andmethod to remediate a caustic spill.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe release of large amounts of a liquid acid creates an emergent situation. The released acid may be highly corrosive. In addition, that release acid may off-gas one or more toxic gases. An initial response to a release of a large quantity ofa liquid acid includes steps to neutralize the acid to form a less corrosive material. Subsequent remediation steps include containerizing the neutralized reaction mixture.Neutralizing a large amount of acid, such as for example sulfuric acid, with a large amount of a caustic, such as for example potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and the like, produces a highly exothermic reaction which liberates a tremendousquantity of heat. Such an instantaneous release of thermal energy may result in vaporization of portions of the spilled acid, part or all of the added caustic, and/or liberate one or more toxic gases such as for example various oxides of sulfur. Such aresponse to a release of sulfuric acid may in fact create a more hazardous situation than the original release. Similarly, neutralizing a large amount of sulfuric acid with an organic amine can similarly liberate thermal energy resulting in thevaporization of toxic organic compounds as well as various sulfur oxides.What is needed is a method to respond to a release of one or more liquid acids, wherein that response neutralizes the spilled acid, and wherein that response also containerizes the neutralized reaction products to facilitate removal of thosereaction products from the environment.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONApplicant's invention comprises an apparatus and a method to remediate a release of one or more acidic materials. The method supplies a powder composi

Method Of Preventing Exposure Of Asbestos-containing Material, Method Of Treating Asbestos-containing Waste Material, Method Of Melt Treating Asbestos-containing Waste Material, As - Patent 7658703

Patents-363 — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:08:03 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, April 25, 2011

SThe priority application numbers JP2006-266974 and 2007-183135 upon which this patent application is based are hereby incorporated by the reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to techniques for preventing exposure of asbestos fibers, and melting and solidifying asbestos fibers. More specifically, according to the techniques, the exposure of the fibrous dust of the asbestos from anasbestos-containing material can be prevented at the time of dismantling already-constructed asbestos-containing materials (building materials, products, etc.), at the time of collecting and transporting the dismantled asbestos-containing materials, andat the time of melt treating the collected asbestos-containing material, and also the asbestos-containing materials can be melt treated at temperatures as low as 1,500.degree. C. or less.2. Description of the Related ArtConventionally, products using asbestos are excellent in heat resistant properties, chemical resistant properties, and electrical insulation properties. Accordingly, the products using asbestos are used for various applications such as fireresistive covering materials including building materials, brake pads, etc. However, it is pointed out that when a human inhales exposed fibrous dust of the asbestos, they may suffer from serious diseases such as asbestosis pulmonum, lung cancer, ormalignant mesothelioma, though the asbestos has the excellent physical and chemical properties.At present, asbestos-containing industrial wastes are buried in final disposal sites. However, there is a limitation on the amount of the asbestos-containing industrial wastes capable of being disposed by burying, because the burying sites etc.are restricted. There have been proposed methods of preventing the exposure of the asbestos fibers from the asbestos-containing industrial wastes or methods of treating asbestos-containing industrial wastes into harmless materials.For example, Japanese P

Pill Catcher - Patent 7918777

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 20:17:55 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

S Not Applicable.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Not applicable.REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX Not Applicable.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention is in the field of waste treatment and solidification of solid and liquid waste for safe disposal into ordinary trash and landfills. Specifically, this invention is unique using granular or powdered forms of bentonite clay mixedwith water, and is designed solely for the safe treatment of all pharmaceutical drugs that are disposed of due to expiration dates or lack of further need, whether they be in a pill, gel capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid form, by encapsulating them intoa solid matrix and preventing them from eventually entering fresh water supplies. This need exists due to the fact that many drugs today are disposed of into sanitary sewers, as the disposers wish to avoid any problems such as injury or death and the corresponding legal liability of the disposer, with use by unknownindividuals, animals, or small children when pharmaceuticals are disposed of in normal trash receptacles. As such, these drugs once dissolved in the water supply from toilets or normal sewerage drains, can be untreatable at local municipal wastetreatment plants or septic fields, and end up being discharged into fresh water surface lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, oceans, and underground aquifers where they can be recycled into drinking water systems and endanger the public over an extended periodof time. The prior state of the art has ignored this area of treatment, and has focused on general industrial and municipal waste from: general manufacturing and merchandising, defense manufacturing, ordinance, oil exploration, nuclear weapons and energymanufacturing, and general residential and commercial solid wastes. As such the direct application to the specific segment of pharmaceutical disposal has never been singled out for specific separate tre

Composition For Disposing Of Unused Medicines - Patent 7918776

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 20:17:49 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates generally to the field of medical waste, and specifically to a composition for disposing of unused medicines.BACKGROUND There is currently no effective widely used way to dispose of unused, expired, or confiscated medicines, i.e., pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), whether by individuals disposing of personal medicines or medical facilitiesdisposing of larger amounts of unused medicines. Medicines are oftentimes simply thrown into the trash. Children or animals may find and ingest medicines that are simply tossed into the trash and once they reach the landfill they can seep into theground water. One method commonly used is to add bleach to the PPCPs to dissolve them, add kitty litter to the mixture, and then place the mixture in to the garbage. Drawbacks of this method include the inability to effectively dissolve the PPCPs, emissionof noxious fumes, and if the entity destroying the PPCPs is a medical facility, the need to have large quantities of these items on hand. Another technique is to dissolve the PPCPs in water and then add some type of flour or spice to make a pungent and unsightly mixture to discourage anyone from eating it or using it for an illegal purpose of sale or consumption. Unfortunately,many PPCPs are not readily dissolved in water, and for those wanting the mixture for illegal sale or consumption, this technique does not deter the criminal. It is also common to attempt to dispose of the PPCPs by wrapping the unused portion in duct tape to conceal its contents and make it difficult to extract the PPCPs from the tape. However, this does not deter those wanting the PPCPs for illegalpurposes. Medication take-back programs are sometimes used, but such programs require extensive planning by communities and as such are held only once or twice a year. In addition, due to the extent of planning, broadcasting dates of the event, and theneed for a law enforcement officer present to take custod

Counter Weapon Containment - Patent 7915473

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:09:22 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows an example of creating a radionuclide containment composition. FIG. 2 shows the structure of an expanding 2:1 clay mineral. FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of an embodiment for creating a radionuclide containment composition. FIG. 4 shows another example of creating a radionuclide containment composition. FIG. 5 shows another flow diagram of an embodiment for creating a radionuclide containment composition. FIG. 6 shows examples of exchange reactions. FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram as an embodiment for containing radionuclides from radioactive materials. FIG. 8 shows another flow diagram as an embodiment for containing radionulcides from radioactive materials. FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of montmorillonite with a compacted subhedral lamellar aggregate surrounded by subhedral platelets. FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of montmorillonite with a compacted subhedral lamellar aggregate surrounded by subhedral platelets. FIG. 11 shows foliated lamellar aggregates, compacted subhedral lamellar aggregate, and compacted subhedral lamellar aggregate with lath formations between the middle and bottom particles of montmorillonite. FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of montmorillonite with a foliated lamellar aggregate surrounded by subangular quartz fragments. FIG. 13 shows a foliated lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite with folded, curled, and straight edges. FIG. 14 shows a compacted subhedral lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite with straight and curled edges. FIG. 15 shows a foliated lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite with straight and folded edges. FIG. 16 shows a foliated lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite with a folded aggregate. FIG. 17 shows an angular foliated lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite. FIG. 18 shows a compacted subhedral lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite. FIG. 19 shows an embodiment of a foliated lamellar aggregate of montmorillonite. FIG. 20 shows another embodiment of a foliated lamellar aggregate of montmor

Aqueous Phase Oxidation Process - Patent 7915474

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:06:08 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

Surface Decontamination Compositions And Methods - Patent 7915472

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:05:23 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to compositions for decontaminating surfaces and methods of using such compositions to decontaminate surfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to clay-based compositions and methods ofusing such clay-based compositions to decontaminate a surface and/or a material having a surface. 2. State of the Art Radioactive, biological, and other unwanted contaminants may adhere to surfaces or penetrate into porous materials upon exposure of the material to such contaminants. Often times, contamination resulting from such exposure is hazardous and mustbe removed in order to make the material safe for its intended use. For example, materials and surfaces coming in contact with radioactive materials for the production of energy, production and use of radioactive medical devices, and the disposal of radioactive waste often become contaminated with radioactivematerials that contact such surfaces. Human exposure to the resulting radioactive contamination on the surface of such materials is undesirable; therefore, contaminated surfaces and materials must be decontaminated before further use or they must bedisposed of. In addition, the increased availability of radioactive and bioactive materials has increased the probability that a "dirty-bomb" utilizing such materials may be used as a weapon for terrorist acts or in low-conflict warfare. If employed,weapons utilizing radioactive materials or bioactive materials would cause the spread of radioactive or bioactive contamination within a zone of activation. Materials, such as building materials, exposed to the radioactive or bioactive contaminationwould become contaminated. In order to safely decontaminate the exposed materials and surfaces, suitable and effective decontamination methods and compositions would need to be employed. Although numerous methods and compositions may exist for removing radioactive contamination or bioactive contaminatio

Metal Remediation Using A Mesoporous Nanocomposite - Patent 7915475

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:04:42 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains to the immobilization and remediation of metals in the soil and aqueous media using mesoporous nanocomposites. 2. Description of the Related Art Heavy metal contamination in the soil represents a serious environmental problem that requires innovative solutions. One of the sources of heavy metal contamination arises from metal-containing ordinance used in firing ranges. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated 4% or 72,575 metric tons per year of all lead made in the United States is made into bullets. Much of this lead finds it way into one of 2,600 military small arms firing ranges (SAFRs) or9,000 non-military outdoor shooting ranges in the United States. The Department of Defense ranges typically train with the M-16, M-60 and M-9 soldier held weapons. Each 5.56 mm M193 bullet used by the M-16 rifle, contains 2.49 g of lead. The 7.62 mmM80 bullet used by the M-60 machine gun contains 6.28 g of lead and the 9.00 mm M882 ball military handgun contains 6.54 g of lead. Ranges typically use earth backstops, where lead accumulates and bullet metals, lead, copper, zinc, antimony, andpotentially arsenic interacts with the soil complex and water. Immobilization of lead (Pb) contaminates in soil and stormwater at small arms firing ranges (SAFR) is necessary to comply with environmental regulations and to protect the environment. Although metallic Pb from unweathered bullets in soil haslow chemical reactivity, it is possible to mobilize Pb in the soil and aqueous media with low pH (acidity), significant changes in ionic strength or changes in the reduction oxidation potential. Metallic Pb from unweathered bullets in soil has low chemical reactivity, but Pb can be mobilized by low pH, significant changes in ionic strength, or changes in the reduction-oxidation potential (redox), by binding metal ions to soil organicmatter or held on inorganic soil through adsorption or ion exchange. Tilling or disturbin

System For Treating Infectious Waste Matter - Patent 7910788

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 07:03:52 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 23, 2011

This invention relates to the field of waste disposal and, more particularly, to a system and method for the digestion and sanitary disposal of infectious waste material and other biohazardous or radioactive waste.BACKGROUND OF THE ART Many facilities, such as hospitals, various health-care facilities, research and teaching institutions, food preparation facilities, and the like, produce considerable amounts of infectious, biohazardous, or radioactive waste. Such waste mayinclude surgical and pathological tissues, animal tissues, cadavers, blood and other bodily fluids, disposable matter exposed to blood, and other potentially infectious or dangerous body fluids of patients or animals. Such waste is classified in theUnited States as "regulated medical waste" (RMW) under state regulations, and must be disposed of in strict compliance with the applicable governmental regulations. Health-related organizations and governmental regulatory agencies have become increasingly concerned with the adequacy of existing cleaning and disposal methods. It has been discovered that some potentially biohazardous agents, such asprokaryotes, or infective proteins (prions) do in fact survive standard autoclaving procedures. Thus, more effective sterilization techniques have been sought for treating solid infectious biomedical waste and aqueous solutions containing such waste. In addition, universities and other research facilities likewise produce significant amounts of such waste. For example, in conducting experiments in cell lines, tissues, or animals, it is common to introduce dyes, toxic chemicals, orinfectious agents into the test subject. Moreover, radioactive materials are also commonly used as a tool to enhance chemical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and biological research. It is common to label drugs or chemical compounds withradioisotopes in order to study efficiently and accurately where these compounds are metabolized and incorporated within the body. Af

Method For Solidifying High Moisture Sludge, Solidified Sludge Therefrom - Patent 7897831

Patents-363 — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:25 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, April 18, 2011

1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a method for solidifying high moisture content sludge or other solid materials have undesirably high moisture content and to solidified sludge compositions.More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for solidifying high moisture content sludge or other solid materials have undesirably high moisture content, where the method includes the step mixing an effective amount of an ashcomposition into the sludge, where the effective amount of the ash composition is sufficient to convert a portion of the sludge and a portion of the ash composition into a treated sludge composition including a solidifying amount of a matrix capable ofabsorbing or coordinating a large number of moles of water per mole of the matrix. The present invention also relates to solidified sludge compositions.2. Description of the Related ArtU.S. Pat. No. 6,808,562 to Bland relates to ash consolidation, where compounds such as ettringite present problems with such ash consolidations.U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,479 to Weber relates to fly ash reclaiming where part of the fly ash composition may form ettringite or other similar minerals, which are then combined with water, soil nutrients, and the like to form a soil-like mixture.Although many methods and compositions have been used to reclaim sludge or other solid materials that have undesirably high moisture contents, there is still an need in the art for methods and compositions for solidifying sludge or other solidmaterials having undesirably high moisture contents to form treated compositions including a solidifying matrix capable of absorbing or coordinating a large number of moles of water per mole of a formed solidifying matrix and where the treatedcompositions are capable of supporting the weight of commercial construction equipment.DEFINITIONS USED IN THE INVENTIONThe term "sludge" mean any material that includes particulate solids and a high water content and is capable

Methods For Reducing Ammonia Evolution From Cementitious And Pozzolanic Mixtures - Patent 7897830

Patents-363 — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:59:09 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, April 18, 2011

1. Field of the InventionThe invention relates generally to concrete additives, and more particularly, to methods for reducing the evolution of ammonia from fly ash contaminated with ammonia in cementitious and pozzolanic mixtures.2. Background InformationFly ash is produced from burning pulverized coal in a coal-fired boiler. It is a finegrained, powdery particulate material that is carried off in the flue gas and may be collected from the gas by electrostatic precipitators or mechanicalcollection devices, including cyclones. Fly ash is typically disposed in landfill areas.Fly ash may be used in concrete as a partial replacement for Portland cement, and also as a filler. The presence of fly ash in cement mixtures or concrete has several advantages, including, but not limited to, the reduction of fly ash disposedin landfills, a lower cost than other additives, and a decrease in permeability and shrinkage in the hardened concrete. Other advantages include improved workabililty, durability and long-term strength gain, due to reduced dry shrinkage, reduced heat ofhydration, water reduction, reduced alkali silica reactivity, and increased resistance to sulfate attack. Where workability is improved, there is reduced bleeding and segregation, improved flowability, and improved finishing characteristics. Inaddition, there is the reduction of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, released into the atmosphere by the replacement of a portion of the cement with fly ash.The use of fly ash in concrete, however, is not without drawbacks. The chemical and physical properties of fly ash are influenced by the coal burned and the handling techniques. The properties are also influenced by the individual combustiontechniques and associated efficiency of the individual boilers. Nitrogen compounds, including NO and NO.sub.2, referred to generically as NOx, are generated through the combustion of coal. Several technologies have been developed to meet the mandatedNOx reduction li

Reuse Method Of Radioactive Waste Salt And The Apparatus Thereof - Patent 7875760

Patents-363 — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:44:59 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, April 17, 2011

TECHNICALFIELD The present invention relates to a reuse apparatus of eutectic salt waste produced in an electro refining process.BACKGROUND ART LiCl13 KCl eutectic salt waste including rare earth and TRU nuclides is produced in an electro refining process of spent oxide fuel. The reuse of the salt waste suddenly reduces an amount of waste to be finally processed, thereby verysignificantly affecting the excellence and economical efficiency of the electro refining process. To reuse the salt waste, the nuclides (rare earth and TRU) included in the salt waste should first be separated. To this end, the related art has used a method of precipitating the nuclides into oxide by using oxidants Li.sub.2O,V.sub.2O.sub.5, etc., or precipitating them into carbonate or phosphate by adding precipitants Na.sub.2CO.sub.3, Li.sub.3PO.sub.4. However, in the case of using the oxidants or the precipitants as in the related art, since it is difficult to separate the oxidants or the precipitants added above an equivalent and the eutectic compositions of LiCl--KCl are changed due tobyproducts produced in oxidation reaction and precipitation reaction, it is very difficult to separate and reuse a pure LiCl--KCl eutectic salt. Today, any other countries have not developed a reuse technology of the eutectic salt waste produced in the electro refining process; however, to reduce an amount of high-level radioactive waste to be finally processed, are developing a processof separating only the precipitates by precipitating the nuclides within the eutectic salt waste using the oxidants V.sub.2O.sub.5 and then distilling/condensing the entire eutectic salt waste. In this case, the entire eutectic salt waste should bedistilled so that the operational costs of the distillation process are very high and the collected eutectic salt cannot be reused. As a method of precipitating rare earth elements existing in the eutectic salt waste. A research result of using phosphoric acid Li.sub.3PO.sub.4 or ox

Degradation Of Phosphate Esters By Molybdocene And Tungstocene Derivatives - Patent 7868220

Patents-363 — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:01:59 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, April 16, 2011

1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates in general to a method for the degradation of phosphate esters, particularly neurotoxins and pesticides, by metallocene derivatives, more particularly molybdocene and tungstocene derivatives. The degradation oforganophosphorus compounds such as phosphate esters are necessary to dispose of the unwanted phosphate esters, for purposes including but not limited to destroying existing supplies of phosphate esters and remediating contaminated soil and water.2. Problems in the ArtPhosphate esters include numerous chemical warfare agents such as VX, pesticides and insecticides, further including paraoxon and parathion. Each of these compounds includes a phosphate ester bond, and irreversibly blocks a serine hydroxyl groupwithin the enzyme acetylcholinesterase by phosphorylation, resulting in a disruption of a cell's neurologic function. VX (O-ethyl-S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl]methylphosphonothioate) is a lethal phosphonothioate neurotoxin (LC50=0.135 mg/kg) with theformula ##STR00001##Symptoms of exposure to VX include coughing, difficulty breathing, sweating, vomiting, urination/defecation, headache, tremors, unsteadiness and confusion, ultimately progressing to death. The United States has a stockpile of thousands of tonsof VX that must be destroyed to comply with the Chemical Weapons Treaty of 1997. In addition, Russia is also known to possess quantities of VX.Numerous phosphate esters are also used as pesticides which are toxic to unintended targets such as mammals. Examples include Paraoxon (O,O-diethyl-O-p-nitrophenylphosphoric acid) and Parathion (O,O-diethyl O-4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) withthe respective formulas ##STR00002##Phosphate esters used as pesticides pollute soil and water with which they come in contact. The creation of phosphate esters for chemical warfare and use as pesticides results in the need for a safe and effective process of degradation in orderto completely eliminate the comp

Drug Deactivation System And Method Of Deactivating A Drug Using The Same - Patent 7838715

Patents-363 — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:08:56 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, April 14, 2011

Embodiments exemplarily described herein are generally related to systems configured to deactivate drugs, more particularly, to a drug deactivation system configured to render a drug within a drug-retaining region of a drug delivery deviceineffective.BACKGROUNDGenerally, drug delivery devices (such as inhalers, syringes, intravenous bags, implantable drug delivery systems, transdermal patches, pill bottles, liquid medicine bottles, eyedroppers, etc.) store drugs until the drugs are required by a user. There are numerous occasions when it would be desirable to render the drugs contained within such drug delivery devices ineffective either automatically or manually in order to prevent the drug from being improperly released into the public (e.g., thoughthe public water supply, through the garbage, etc.) or improperly obtained (e.g., through tampering of the drug delivery device).It was the understanding and recognition of these and other problems associated with the conventional art that formed the impetus for the embodiments exemplarily described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIGS. 1A and 1B are plan views schematically illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a drug deactivation system according to an embodiment;FIGS. 2A and 2B are plan views schematically illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a drug deactivation system according to another embodiment;FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views schematically illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a drug deactivation system according to another embodiment;FIGS. 4A and 4B are plan views schematically illustrating another exemplary embodiment of a drug deactivation system according to another embodiment;FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically illustrating a drug deactivation system according to another embodiment; andFIG. 6 is a plan view schematically illustrating a drug deactivation system according to another embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTSFIGS. 1A and 1B are plan views schematically illustr

System And Method For Treating Infectious Waste Matter - Patent 7829755

Patents-363 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:25:35 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

This invention relates to the field of waste disposal and, more particularly, to a system and method for the digestion and sanitary disposal of infectious waste material and other biohazardous or radioactive waste.BACKGROUND OF THE ARTMany facilities, such as hospitals, various health-care facilities, research and teaching institutions, food preparation facilities, and the like, produce considerable amounts of infectious, biohazardous, or radioactive waste. Such waste mayinclude surgical and pathological tissues, animal tissues, cadavers, blood and other bodily fluids, disposable matter exposed to blood, and other potentially infectious or dangerous body fluids of patients or animals. Such waste is classified in theUnited States as "regulated medical waste" (RMW) under state regulations, and must be disposed of in strict compliance with the applicable governmental regulations.Health-related organizations and governmental regulatory agencies have become increasingly concerned with the adequacy of existing cleaning and disposal methods. It has been discovered that some potentially biohazardous agents, such asprokaryotes, or infective proteins (prions) do in fact survive standard autoclaving procedures. Thus, more effective sterilization techniques have been sought for treating solid infectious biomedical waste and aqueous solutions containing such waste.In addition, universities and other research facilities likewise produce significant amounts of such waste. For example, in conducting experiments in cell lines, tissues, or animals, it is common to introduce dyes, toxic chemicals, or infectiousagents into the test subject. Moreover, radioactive materials are also commonly used as a tool to enhance chemical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and biological research. It is common to label drugs or chemical compounds with radioisotopesin order to study efficiently and accurately where these compounds are metabolized and incorporated within the body. After

Method Of Cleaning Heavy Metals-containing Soil - Patent 7829754

Patents-363 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:25:25 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The present invention relates to a method of cleaning a soil contaminated with heavy metals by environment restoring technique utilizing plants (phytoremediation).BACKGROUND TECHNIQUECurrently, environmental contamination in a soil, water and the atmosphere becomes a problem at the global scale.Among the environmental contaminant, particularly, contaminant of a soil with heavy metals is serious. When checking the actual state of soil contaminant by heavy metal contained, contamination with lead is the highest as 29%, and contaminationwith arsenic is 24%, and contamination with hexavalent chromium is 15% in that order (The Ministry of the Environment "Summary of Examination Results Regarding Soil Contamination Examination-Subject Cases and Circumstances of Response Thereto" in 1999,March, 2001.The soil lead contamination is reported in an old factory site, a firing range, a military exercise place or the like, and there is also a report of soil lead contamination around a road with lead released in the atmosphere by combustion of atetraethyllead-containing gasoline (high-octane gasoline) which has been used until recent year.On the other hand, a concern about the soil contamination has been increased, and a variety of techniques for cleaning up a soil contaminated with heavy metals or the like have been developed. For example, one is a soil washing method ofmechanically washing a contaminated soil to remove harmful substances, and another, a heat-treating method of desorbing, degrading or dissolving contaminating substances by heating a contaminated soil to enclose the contaminating substances. Thesephysical treating methods have an advantage that a term required for cleaning is short, but has a problem due to high cost, and heavy load to a soil.To the contrary, as the low cost and the light environmental load technique, bioremediation (environmental cleaning utilizing organisms) and phytoremediation (environmental cleaning utilizing plants) technique, utilizing a

Process And Composition For The Immobilization Of Radioactive And Hazardous Wastes In Borosilicate Glass - Patent 7825288

Patents-363 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:49:59 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

BACKGROUND1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates generally to treatment of radioactive and hazardous wastes, and more particularly to processes for immobilizing a waste containing one or more of radionuclides, hazardous elements, hazardous compounds, and othercompounds present in the waste.2. Background of the InventionThe use of radioactive and hazardous materials in the world has led to the accumulation of a significant amount of radioactive and hazardous wastes. There is an international consensus regarding the planned disposal of these wastes by buryingthem in the ground in deep geological repositories. At the present time, high-level radioactive wastes are being placed in long-term storage awaiting permanent disposal. Once buried, with the passage of time, groundwater and hydrothermal solutions canmake contact with the radionuclides, hazardous elements, or hazardous compounds contained in the wastes. As a result, groundwater and hydrothermal solutions can facilitate the leaching of radionuclides, hazardous elements, and hazardous compounds out ofthe wastes into the biosphere in which plants and animals live. In addition, even without the interference from groundwater and hydrothermal solutions, radionuclides, hazardous elements, or hazardous compounds could possibly diffuse out of the wastes,resulting in contamination of the biosphere. Therefore, improper containment of the wastes can create a significant problem.There are a number of existing processes that can potentially reduce the leaching and/or diffusion of radioactive and hazardous wastes. The existing processes, however, have various disadvantages. For example, cementation is commonly used toimmobilize low-level and intermediate-level radioactive waste. This process is undesirable because a large volume of cement is required to immobilize a small quantity of wastes. Furthermore, cement is highly susceptible to both leaching and diffusion.The most common method of handling hig

Titanium Production Waste Byproduct As Partial Cement Replacement Titanium production waste

Patents-363 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:46:19 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

FIELDThe present teachings relate to cement and concrete compositions.BACKGROUNDThe present state of the art in concrete research has demonstrated the benefits of utilizing byproduct industrial waste materials as partial cement replacements. The byproduct industrial waste material, also known as mineral admixtures, such asfly ash, slag, and silica fume, can be used as partial cement replacements to change the characteristics and increase the performance of concrete. The use of byproduct material conserves energy, and has additional environmental benefits because of thereduced production and use of cement which can be associated with high carbon dioxide emissions. Byproduct materials, such as fly ash, slag, and silica fume, however, are not always readily available in all areas of the world. These materials are oftenimported, which increases the cost of concrete production.In the production of titanium metal, waste byproducts are produced that are generally expensive to store and dispose of, and that are typically not useful. A need exists for an economical and environmentally friendly technique for putting suchbyproducts to good use.Producing pigment grade titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2) involves chemical processes. Two processes for the manufacture of TiO.sub.2 pigment are the sulphate process and the chloride process. In the sulphate process, titanium slag or ilmenite(FeTiO.sub.3) is digested with strong sulphuric acid to solubilize titanium, which is later hydrolyzed and precipitated to form TiO.sub.2. In the chloride process, rutile (crystalline polymorphic TiO.sub.2) or high purity ilmenite is chlorinated to formgaseous titanium tetrachloride (TiCl.sub.4), which is purified and oxidized to form TiO.sub.2. Both processes generate large amounts of industrial waste byproducts that must be stored and disposed of properly, involving significant costs and energy use. A need exists for an economical and environmentally friendly technique for putting such byprodu

Apparatus, System And Method For Facilitating Transfer Of High Level Radioactive Waste To And/or From A Pool - Patent 7820870

Patents-363 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:01:12 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The invention relates to the field of transporting and storing high level waste. In particular, the invention relates to a system, method and apparatus for transferring high level waste to and from a spent fuel pool.In the operation of nuclear reactors, it is necessary to remove fuel assemblies after their energy has been depleted down to a predetermined level for continued reactor operations. Fuel assemblies are typically an assemblage of long, hollow,zircaloy tubes filled with enriched uranium. Upon depletion and subsequent removal from the reactor, spent nuclear fuel is still highly radioactive and produces considerable heat, requiring that great care be taken in its packaging, transporting, andstoring. Specifically, spent nuclear fuel emits extremely dangerous neutrons and gamma photons. It is imperative that these neutrons and gamma photons be contained at all times.In defueling a nuclear reactor, the spent nuclear fuel is removed from the reactor and placed in a canister that is submerged in a spent nuclear fuel pool. The pool facilitates cooling of the spent nuclear fuel and provides radiation shieldingin addition to that which is supplied by the canister. Because it is preferable to store spent nuclear fuel in a "dry state," the canister must eventually be removed from the spent nuclear fuel pool. However, the canister alone does not provideadequate containment of the radiation. As such, apparatus that provide additional radiation shielding during the transport and long-term storage of the spent nuclear fuel are necessary. In state of the art facilities, this additional radiationshielding is achieved by placing the loaded canisters in large cylindrical containers called casks. There are two types of casks used in the industry today, storage casks and transfer casks.A storage cask is used to store spent nuclear fuel in the "dry state" for long periods of time. Typically, storage casks weigh approximately 150 tons and have a height greater than 15

Refuse Treatment Plant - Patent 7812210

Patents-363 — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:26:46 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The present invention relates to the biological aerobicdegradation of organic material, for example in refuse comprising biodegradable fractions. The invention relates, in particular, to a refuse treatment plant of closed type of construction, with a watertight and particle-tight covering tarpaulin which,however, is permeable to air and to water vapor.In the field of refuse treatment, various devices and methods for the drying and aerobic degradation of biological constituents of solid housing refuse are known. A problem which has existed for a long time in aerobic refuse treatment is thewaste air which in this case occurs and has a high fraction of harmful emissions, such as aerosols, dust, germs, VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and odorous substances, which may be detrimental to health and are subject to regional limit valueemissions. In many simple plants for refuse treatment, there are problems with the control of germ emissions and odors, since all the gases which arise can escape, unimpeded, into the surrounding atmosphere.To eliminate these problems, for some years, aerobic refuse treatment has been carried out in closed systems and involves composting in structurally closed buildings, and also in containers, rotting tunnels or boxes. Closed systems of this typeare deemed to be airtight, since the waste air remains in the building and is suction-extracted from there in a controlled way. Disadvantages of this closed system are the high investment costs in the procurement of such a device and also the high costsincurred in discharging and purifying the waste air arising within the system. In particular, the costs for waste air treatment with biofilters or bioscrubbers are very high.Alternatively to the closed plants, for some years, large-area permeable covering tarpaulins have been used, which completely cover piled-up refuse heaps. The permeability of these coverings is selected such that the refuse heap can be activelyaerated and, at the same time,

Process For The Destruction Of Halogenated Hydrocarbons And Their Homologous/analogous In Deep Eutectic Solvents At Ambient Conditions - Patent 7812211

Patents-363 — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:23:02 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 12, 2011

1. Field of the InventionThis invention relates to a potentially economically viable process for the destruction of small to large quantities of halogenated hydrocarbons, their homologous/analogues, and similar hazardous chemicals at ambient conditions using thesuperoxide ion in deep eutectic solvents.2. Background of the Related ArtThe handling, storage, and destruction of hazardous wastes (which includes polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorohexane (HCB), and most chlorinated organics) is regulated by the Toxic Substances and Control Act (TSCA). Such wastes occur inthe public and private sectors. The 1996 Integrated Data Base (IDB) report (DOE/RW Integrated database report 1995: U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste Inventories, Projections, and Characteristics. DOE/RW-0006, Rev. 12. December 1996)shows over 6.9 million kg of TSCA wastes in the Department of Energy (DOE) complex alone, and more is being generated. In 1995, an additional 543,000 kg of PCB waste was generated throughout the DOE complex, some of which is due to waste remediation andto interim storage of waste awaiting treatment. Although industry is making strides in reducing the usage of chlorinated solvents, a recent survey shows approximately 341,000 kg of trichlorethylene, perchloroethylene, trichloroacetylene, and otherchlorinated solvents being used in part by dry cleaning, critical cleaning, paint stripping, and similar operations, Callahan and Green (Hazardous Solvent Source Reduction. 1995, McGraw-Hill: New York). Additional significant volumes of chlorinatedhazardous wastes exist in landfills, brownfields, and other contaminated sites. Polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, which include materials such as PCBs and HCB, represent a major environmental problem. These materials contain components that areanimal carcinogens and can cause birth defects, and their continual release into the ecosystem has a deleterious effect on animal life, Kalu and White (J. Electroch

Method For Solidifying And Stabilizing A Concentrated Aqueous Sodium Hydroxide Solution - Patent 7812209

Patents-363 — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:22:37 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The present invention relates to the field of the treatment ofindustrial waste.More particularly, the invention relates to a process for the solidification and stabilization of concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. Concentrated sodium hydroxide solution can be radioactive when it originates from nuclear reactors. Concentrated sodium hydroxide solution can also be contaminated by other pollutants.TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUNDThe nuclear industry has designed power stations that are capable of producing large amounts of energy from a small amount of nuclear fuel. It has thus developed steam generators requiring advanced heat transfer systems, which can becharacterized as pressurized water systems or, for breeder reactors or fast neutron reactors, systems based on molten sodium metal.The liquid sodium used as heat transfer fluid in the primary and secondary circuits of fast neutron reactors has to be treated when the circuits are dismantled. To reduce the chemical risk of storing the sodium in its liquid metallic form, it isconverted to concentrated sodium hydroxide solution.The approach adopted hitherto consists of a two-step conversion of the liquid sodium metal potentially contaminated by radioactive isotopes: a hydrolysis step to convert said sodium to sodium hydroxide, and a solidification/stabilization step toconvert the sodium hydroxide to a solid whose stability is compatible with storage at an appropriate central point.The process according to the present invention can be applied to this second step.It is also desirable to be able to solidify and stabilize concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide solution contaminated by other pollutants. Possible examples of such pollutants which may be mentioned are organic products and heavy metals (zinc,lead, arsenic, etc.).The problem therefore consists in incorporating aqueous sodium hydroxide solution into a solid matrix with a high loading rate of the aqueous solution.Patent FR 2804103 has already disclosed a pro

Apparatus For Disposal Of Low-level Surface Radioactive Pollutants - Patent 7798951

Patents-363 — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:15:41 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, October 30, 2010

1. Field of the InventionThe invention is related to an apparatus for disposal of low-level radioactive pollutants. Especially, it refers to a contaminant-eliminating apparatus that has a simple structure, easy operation and improved efficiency.2. Description of the Prior ArtWhen a nuclear facility is no longer in operation, the storage container that contains radioactive waste and is moved out of the high-level radioactive site could have loose radioactive pollutants on its surface. Before the container is movedinto a storage place, it is necessary to remove the low-level surface radioactive pollutants.The relatively simple traditional method to clean the surface of a radioactive waste container is to have workers to manually clean the surface with wiping cloth. Although the storage container only has a very low level of radioactive pollution,a huge amount of radioactive accumulation could exist in a worker who is exposed to such a work environment for a long time.A relatively sound method for cleaning is to have workers wearing protective equipment to do manual cleaning. This method prevents the workers from radioactive pollution, but the procedures of wearing protective equipment are complicated and theworkers tend to work slow and lose efficiency. This method has practically inconvenience and shortcomings. Therefore, how to simplify operation process and improve work efficiency with a simple method at a low cost is an important subject.In view of the shortcomings for the traditional cleaning method for the surface of radioactive waste containers, the inventor has found the solutions for improvement and come up with the invention.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe main objective for the invention is to provide an apparatus to remove the radioactive pollutants on the surface of radioactive waste containers to simplify the overall operation process and improve work efficiency.Another objective for the invention is to provide an apparatus to remove the radioactive

Method For Separation Of Constituents From Matrices - Patent 7790944

Patents-363 — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:27:38 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Friday, October 29, 2010

Since the early 1950's, the various branches of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have been aggressively developing and manufacturing nuclear weapons and energy components involvingvarious radioactive materials. The process of refining nuclear materials and decontaminating various apparatus used in these processes and others with various types of organic and inorganic materials has generated hundreds of thousands of tons of soils,sludges, debris or other residuals contaminated with radionuclides and various hazardous and non-hazardous organic and inorganic chemical constituents. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined a waste that containsradionuclides and hazardous or non-hazardous waste constituents as a mixed waste.Historically, mixed waste was typically stored on site in containers in designed containment areas, or storage vessels or disposed of in landfill cells or trenches. The disposal of mixed waste in DOD or DOE landfills or trenches is no longerpermitted. Due to the promulgation of EPA regulations, mixed waste is not permitted to be disposed of at an EPA approved hazardous waste facility or a radioactive waste facility until the constituents can be separated and segregated from each other.This need to remediate the mixed waste at these sites is being accelerated due to the fact that the DOE and DOD are currently undergoing a major restructuring effort, whereas numerous DOE and DOD facilities throughout the country are beingdecommissioned and decontaminated for light industrial, commercial or residential redevelopment. A large percentage of these facilities contain soil, sludges or other residuals, which is defined by the EPA as a mixed waste. To compound the problem, themixed waste that has been buried in trenches and landfills has had a significant impact on groundwater reserves in some locations. These areas must be remediated in accordance with EPA regulation

Method Of Removing Organic Contaminants From Surfaces Of Solid Wastes - Patent 7786339

Patents-363 — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:11:38 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, October 28, 2010

1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a method of removing organic contaminants from surfaces of solid wastes.2. Description of the Related ArtVarious methods regarding to decomposition of organic contaminants (e.g. dioxins) have been proposed.In U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,863, a method of treating a contaminated aqueous liquid or gaseous fluid containing organics using a combination of visible or solar light energy in the presence of a photocatalyst to decompose the organic impurities inthe liquid or gaseous fluid is disclosed.In U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,315, a method of decontaminating a contaminated fluid by using photocatalystic particles is disclosed.In U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,484, a catalytic process for degradation of organic materials in aqueous and organic fluids to produce environmentally compatible products is disclosed.However, methods for treatment of dioxins-contaminated solid wastes using photocatalyst have not been proposed. In addition, the conventional methods are mostly operated at very high temperature, thus not only increasing the treatment cost butleading to complexity of treatments because dioxins might occur again during the subsequent processes.Accordingly, a method of removing organic contaminants from surfaces of solid wastes is desirable.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the described problems, an embodiment of a method of removing organic contaminants from surfaces of solid wastes is disclosed. The method includes the steps of forming a TiO.sub.2 sol; mixing the solid wastes and the TiO.sub.2 sol bystirring. Furthermore, the mixture undergoes photo-catalytic remediation under illumination of a UV source prior to a solid-liquid separation process of the illuminated TiO.sub.2 sol and solid wastes.According to the embodiment above, an ultraviolet (UV) source is used to degrade the organic contaminants (e.g. trace dioxins) on surfaces of solid wastes (e.g. soil or fly ash) via the photocatalyst serving as a medium. Spe

Photocatalyst - Download as PDF

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:37:40 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Porous, solid materials such as concrete, wood, gypsum, brick and like materials can become contaminated with semivolatile organic chemicals which pose a sizeable risk to human health. Semivolatile organic chemicals, such as fuel oil, diesel,and other transportation fuels, come in contact and can be absorbed into porous, solid materials, typically as a result of spills, leakage, and/or catastrophic floods. Other sources of contaminating semivolatile organic chemicals include householdchemicals, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and other industrial chemicals that can be absorbed into porous materials due to commercial, industrial or home use. Semivolatile organic chemicals can also be absorbed into porous materials dueto intentional acts of sabotage where these organic chemicals are used as chemical warfare agents or delivered in conjunction with other chemical warfare agents.Past work has shown that non-aqueous phase liquids, both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, can get entrapped with water inside the pore spaces of materials and result in the formation of so-called "ganglia". The concrete, brick, tile, and wood usedin buildings are all porous materials that can become contaminated by these non-aqueous or organic chemicals. The problem of non-aqueous phase liquid removal from ganglia in contaminated porous materials has been addressed in a number of publicationsknown in the art. Both light and dense hydrocarbons, as well as chlorinated solvents, have been efficiently removed by heating, steam extraction, permanganate or Fenton reagent oxidation, surfactant flushing, and/or various pump-and-treat technologies. These publications, however, are limited to particular kinds of soil, mostly clay and sand.These technologies are not suitable to clean bulky, contaminated building materials that are porous, solid materials with pore sizes less than 1 micrometer. Furthermore, heating and steam treatments, instead of removing contaminants, will onlyforce the

Segmented Waste Rods For Handling Nuclear Waste And Methods Of Using And Fabricating The Same - Patent 7781637

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:37:40 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

BACKGROUND1. FieldExample embodiments generally relate to fuel structures used in nuclear power plants, handling of waste generated in nuclear power plants, and methods for using and fabricating structures for waste handling.2. Description of Related ArtGenerally, nuclear power plants include a reactor core having fuel arranged therein to produce power by nuclear fission. A common design in U.S. nuclear power plants is to arrange fuel in a plurality of cladded fuel rods bound together as afuel assembly, or fuel bundle, placed within the reactor core. During power operations, the fuel is irradiated with neutrons sustaining the fission chain reaction, and multiple radioactive elements are formed throughout the fuel as a result.Power operations are generally sustained for several months or years, until the fuel is exhausted or cannot support the fission chain reaction, at which time the nuclear power plant undergoes an "outage" to replace the fuel and perform othermaintenance. Typically, nuclear fuel is accessible only during such outages and is very radioactive, requiring strict handling, storage, and/or disposal guidelines to prevent contamination and radiation exposure. Spent fuel and related waste handledduring an outage may remain radioactive for several years, requiring constant containment and special handling throughout its lifetime.Spent nuclear fuel and other related waste are conventionally disposed of by either placing the spent fuel in a spent fuel pool to allow the fuel to further decay while being safely stored or transporting and placing the fuel and/or other wastein special hazardous materials landfills that may contain the radioactivity present in the waste.SUMMARYExample embodiments are directed to structures capable of containing and disposing of waste generated from spent nuclear fuel, including elements left over from fuel that has been harvested for desired isotopes produced in the fuel. Examplemethods may provide methods for forming and

System And Method For Chemical Decontamination Of Radioactive Material - Patent 7772451

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:58:31 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

This invention is related generally to a system and a method for chemical decontamination of radioactive material, and more particularly to a system and a method for chemically dissolving oxide film on a surface of a contaminated component or thebase material of the component.In a facility handling nuclear radiation, oxide film containing radioactive nuclides is adhered or generated on the internal surface of the constructional parts in contact with fluid containing radioactive material as the operation is continued. When the operational experience time becomes longer, the radiation level around the constructional parts such as piping and components becomes higher, the dosage the personnel would receive during periodic inspection or during demolishing indecommissioning of the facility would be increased. Practical chemical decontamination technique, by which the oxide film is chemically dissolved and removed has been developed to reduce dosage of personnel.Various chemical decontamination methods have been proposed. For example, a method is known which has a step of oxidizing and dissolving the chromium oxide in the oxide film with oxidizer agent and a step of reducing and dissolving the ironoxide which is a main component of the oxide film by reduction agent.Japanese Patent Publication (Tokkou) Hei-3-10919 discloses a chemical decontamination method where dicalboxylic acid (oxalic acid) aqueous solution is used as a reducer. According to this method, permanganic acid and oxalic acid are used. Permanganic acid has a strong oxidation effect with low concentration, and oxalic acid can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water. Therefore, the amount of secondary waste material generation is reduced compared to the conventional chemicaldecontamination method. This method has been actually used in a decontamination work of a nuclear power facility.Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai) 2000-81498 discloses a chemical decontamination method where ozone aq

Method For The Recycling Of Municipal Solid Wastes - Patent 7772453

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:58:14 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Thisapplication is a national phase application under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2005/009052, filed Jun. 17, 2005, which claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. RM2004A000297, filed Jun. 17, 2004.TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to a method and a system for the complete recycling of municipal solid wastes with minimal environmental impact and with the use of the wasted solid recovery fuel (WSRF) for the production of electric energy and/orhydrogen.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe term waste is intended to mean all products that are no longer of use and which are to be disposed and any substance derived from human activities or natural cycles that is abandoned or destined to be abandoned. Municipal solid wastetreatment and recycling systems have been studied for a long time, due to the always growing necessity of an effective, environment-friendly disposal and of a functional use of the waste as an energy source.According to those necessities, a first object of the present invention is to find a method which allows the maximum recovery of the waste products; a further object of the present invention is to provide a process for the use of the Wasted solidrecovery fuel (WSRF) with consequent energy recovery with a minimal environmental impact; still a further object of the present invention is to provide a suitable system for the achievement of a cost-effective and energy-exploiting recycling process.DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the present invention the total recovery procedure of the materials classified as urban solid waste, is obtained using a method according to claim 1 and a system according to claim 1.Further advantages are disclosed in the dependent claims.In particular, the method provided by the present invention is characterised by the following steps: receiving of the M.S.W., mechanical sorting of the dry and wet fractions, treatment of the dry fraction and preparation of the WSRF, recov

Process For Recovery Of The Silica Present In The Separators Between The Elements Of Lead-acid Batteries - Patent 7772452

Patents-363 — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:57:50 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

This application is a National Stage of PCT/IB2005/000291 filed Feb. 3, 2005 which in turn claims priority from Swiss Application 00196/04, filed Feb. 11,2004.This invention relates to the field of industrial chemistry, and more specifically the sector thereof concerned with the recovery of silica present in the diaphragms acting as separators between the elements of batteries of the lead-acid typeusing processes of different kinds. In particular, as will be illustrated below, the invention relates to an innovative process for obtaining the abovementioned recovery of silica.At present more than 60% of lead produced comes from the recycling of spent lead-acid batteries. Batteries at the end of their lives are broken up and the following fractions are separated using physical methods: electrode pastes, (paste)mixture of PbO, PbO.sub.2, PbSO.sub.4; metal part (terminals, connections, grids); light plastics (ethylene-propylene copolymers), heavy plastics (polyethylene with silica filler, ABS, SAN, PVC, polycarbonate, polyethylene-propylene with quartz filler,polyester and glass fabrics), and sulphuric acid. The various separated fractions are subjected to chemical and physical operations to recover and recycle the materials present in them. Lead is recovered either from the paste or from the metal part. The fraction of light plastics, approximately 65% of the total, is separated out because it floats in water and is recycled as such to the secondary raw materials market. The remaining fraction of plastics, the remaining 35%, does not float in water andcomprises a very complex mixture of plastics materials comprising approximately 60% from the separators based on polyethylene with microporous silica filler located between the electrode plates. Thin sheets of PVC and fabrics based on polyester are alsopresent in this fraction as separators, while the other plastics materials (for example ABS, SAN, PS, PP-PE with fillers and colouring agents) derive from the brakin

Thimerosal Removal Device - Patent 7767872

Patents-363 — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 06:35:38 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for removing heavy metals and heavy metal complexes from biological materials. More specifically the present invention relates to removing thimerosal from bioactive materials intended tobe administered to patients at the time of administration using metallothionein proteins associated with dosing devices.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThimerosal, which is approximately 50% mercury by weight, has been one of the most widely used preservatives in vaccines. It is metabolized or degraded to ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Ethylmercury is an organomercurial that should bedistinguished from methylmercury, a related substance that has been the focus of considerable study.At concentrations found in vaccines, thimerosal meets the requirements for a preservative as set forth by the United States Pharmacopeia; that is, it kills the specified challenge organisms and is able to prevent the growth of the challenge fungi(U.S. Pharmacopeia 2004). Thimerosal in concentrations of 0.001% (1 part in 100,000) to 0.01% (1 part in 10,000) has been shown to be effective in clearing a broad spectrum of pathogens. A vaccine containing 0.01% thimerosal as a preservative contains50 micrograms of thimerosal per 0.5 mL dose or approximately 25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 mL dose.Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound (an organomercurial). Since the 1930s, it has been widely used as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products, including many vaccines, to help prevent potentially lifethreatening contamination with harmful microbes. Over the past several years, because of an increasing awareness of the theoretical potential for neurotoxicity of even low levels of organomercurials, concerns about the use of thimerosal in vaccines andother products have been raised. Indeed, because of these concerns, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has worked with, and continues to work with, vaccine man

Method For Dehalogenation Detoxication Of Halogenated Aromatic And/or Cyclic Compounds - Patent 7767873

Patents-363 — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 06:32:44 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, October 26, 2010

OF THE INVENTIONThe invention is concerned with dehalogenation detoxication of halogenated aromatic and/or cyclic compounds. This method is particularly useful for detoxication of polyhalogenated aromatic compounds, especially highly toxic polychlorinatedbiphenyls, dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, as well as compounds similar to dioxins, in soils, carbonaceous sorbents, oils and sandy sediments.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSome of the most persistent contaminating substances consist in polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and dioxin-like compounds. These are chemically stable substances that are very difficult to remove from the environment bychemical, thermal and biological procedures. These compounds are toxic and are classified amongst teratogenic and carcinogenic substances. They are formed in thermal processes, e.g. in the combustion of municipal, hospital and other hazardous wastes,in metallurgical processes and in the use of a number of other thermal technologies, or are manufactured for applications in the energy industry, agriculture and other branches.Of the techniques employed to date for the destruction of these toxic substances, especially the reaction of these compounds with sodium of alkali metal alkoxides, as described in EP 1 153 645, is employed. Chemical decomposition, described inEP-A-0 021 294, is based on the reaction of halogenated aromatic substances with an alkali metal or with a mixture of alcohol with an alkali metal hydroxide, or with an alkali metal carbonate at a temperature of 140 to 220.degree. C. Alkalinedecomposition of polychlorinated biphenyls by sodium carbonate occurs at a temperature of 370 to 400.degree. C. in the presence of an oxidizing agent and catalyst consisting in ruthenium or platinum or palladium, as described in JP 11 253 795, U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,677, U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,543 and JP 10 087 519. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,401, platinum on zinc aluminate can also be used. JP 11 114 538

Method For The Preparation Of Reactive Hydrogen Peroxide In Deep Eutectic Solvents - Patent 7763768

Patents-363 — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:52:32 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 25, 2010

1. Field of the InventionThis invention relates to a potentially economically viable method for the preparation of hydrogen peroxide in deep eutectic solvents and its use in the destruction of hazardous chemicals.2. Background of the Related ArtThe invention relates to the production of hydrogen peroxide, a material of commercial importance, which is used in large volumes for bleaching and chemical oxidations. Customary industrial processes for preparing hydrogen peroxide are theelectrolysis of acidic ammonium sulfate solutions, the oxidation of isopropyl alcohol and the anthraquinone process. The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from the elements over transition metal catalysts is known, but has not found commercial useto date. There are several reasons for this. For instance, hydrogen and oxygen form explosive gas mixtures if the level of hydrogen in the gas mixture is above 5% by volume. On the other hand, the rate of formation of hydrogen peroxide on usinghydrogen-oxygen mixtures outside the explosive range is generally too low to ensure reasonable space-time yields. In addition, an excessively high level of oxygen in the reaction gas can speed up the oxidative degradation of the catalysts. The mostcommon process for production of hydrogen peroxide is the anthraquinone autoxidation process involving alternate hydrogenation and oxidation of one or more anthraquinones or tetrahydro anthraquinones, usually alkyl anthraquinone or alkyl tetrahydroanthraquinone, in a working solution composed of a mixture of organic solvents. The hydrogen peroxide formed is usually recovered by extraction with water to form an aqueous solution. The process is described extensively in the literature, for examplein Kirk-Othmer, "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology", Vol. 13, "Hydrogen Peroxide", Online Posting Date Aug. 17, 2001.The anthraquinone autoxidation process is very efficient but it is difficult to avoid impurities from the working solution to be extracted toge

In-situ Salt Remediation And Ground Heating Technology - Patent 7759536

Patents-363 — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:17:04 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 25, 2010

RELATED APPLICATIONThe present application claims priority to Canadian Application No. 2,549,198 filed May 31, 2006, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention is in the field of soil remediation and more particularly in-situ electrokinetic remediation.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONContamination of subsurface soils is a matter of great concern and can cause many environmental problems if left in the subsurface soil. This contamination of subsurface soil can occur in a number of ways, such as accidental spills, leaks fromstorage facilities or tanks (in the past, it was not uncommon for gasoline storage tanks under service stations to leak and contaminate the soil beneath the storage tanks), landfill seepage, etc. Sometimes the contamination is a result of an industrialprocess or resource extraction.In most circumstances it is desirable or even necessary to deal with the subsurface soil contamination. Sometimes clean-up of the contamination is even required by regulation.The most basic method of treating contaminated subsurface soil is also the most labor intensive; simply excavating the contaminated soil and hauling it off-site for disposal, such as by incineration. The problem with this method is that althoughit is straightforward and rather uncomplicated, it is very labor and resource intensive. Because this method is so labor intensive and uneconomical in all but the rarest circumstances, there have been numerous attempts at developing in-situ soilremediation, where the contamination is addressed in the subsurface soil without having to make extensive excavations. Of these in-situ soil remediation methods, various methods have been tried or used such as injection techniques, where chemicals orbiological agents are injected in-situ in the soil to treat the contaminant within the subsurface soil.One of the more popular in-situ soil remediation methods that is commonly used is soil vapor extraction or SVE. SVE applie

Kit Systems For Granulated Decontamination Formulations - Patent 7750199

Patents-363 — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 13:32:44 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, October 23, 2010

The present invention relates to formulations for neutralization of chemical, biological and industrial toxants, and methods of making same.The present invention is directed to materials and methods for neutralization of toxic chemical, biological and industrial compounds or agents, especially chemical and biological weapons agents, and methods of making same. In particular, thepresent invention is directed to aqueous formulations containing solubilizing compounds, reactive compounds, and sorbent additives that allow the formulation to be pre-mixed and pre-packaged as a multi-part kit system, where one or more of the parts arepackaged in a powdered, granulated form for ease of handling and mixing in the field. The aqueous decontamination formulations can be delivered in a wide variety of embodiments, including, but not limited to: foams, sprays, liquids, gels, fogs andaerosols.Much of the background of decontamination formulations has been previously discussed in the related patent applications and patent listed above. Briefly, the formulations of the present invention fall generally into two families, designated"DF-100" and "DF-200." DF-100 formulations comprise, for example, a cationic surfactant (e.g., benzalkonium chloride) and a reactive compound (e.g., hydrogen peroxide mixed with potassium bicarbonate, which forms the highly reactive, negatively-chargednucleophillic species, hydroperoxycarbonate (HCO.sub.4.sup.-), which is a strong oxidant), that when mixed with water (e.g., tap water, well water, seawater, etc.) and exposed to a toxant, neutralizes that toxant. The solubilizing agent serves toeffectively render the toxant susceptible to attack, while the reactive compound serves to attack and neutralize the toxant.The second family of decontamination formulations, DF-200, is an enhanced version of DF-100. In DF-200, a bleaching activator (e.g., propylene glycol diacetate, glycerol diacetate) has been added to speed up reaction kinetics, improveperforman

Compositions, Methods, And Systems For Reducing Contamination - Patent 7745680

Patents-363 — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:30:07 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Friday, October 22, 2010

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSCertain exemplary embodiments of the invention will be more readily understood through the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 100 of the present invention; andFIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system 200 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present invention generally relates to compositions, methods, and systems, embodiments of some of which can be useful for remediating contamination. Moreover, certain embodiments of compositions, methods, and/or systems of the presentinvention can be useful for reducing a concentration of a contaminant associated with a medium by treating the medium with ferric methylglycinediacetate (Fe-MGDA) and an oxidizing agent in amounts effective to oxidize at least a portion of thecontaminant.It is not currently known with certainty exactly how certain embodiments cause the reduction in concentration of the contaminant, and particularly, the precise reaction mechanism is currently unproven. Nevertheless, several potential theories todescribe the mechanism of the reaction are recognized by the inventor of the present invention.According to certain theories, hydroxyl radical, free radicals, or both react with and degrade at least the target contaminant. As a foundation for these theories, it is recognized by the inventor that numerous contaminated media, including soiland water, can be treated by the application of oxidants. The following table lists several oxidants and their oxidation potential: TABLE-US-00001 Oxidant Oxidation Potential, V Fluorine 3.0 Hydroxyl radical 2.8 Ozone 2.1 Hydrogen peroxide 1.8 Potassium permanganate 1.7 Chlorine dioxide 1.5 Chlorine 1.4As shown in preceding table, hydrogen peroxide is a relatively powerful oxidant. Also shown in the preceding table is the much more powerful hydroxyl radical, a type of free radical, which is second in the list only to fluorine in

Composition Suitable For Decontaminating A Porous Surface Contaminated With Cesium - Patent 7737320

Patents-363 — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:19:42 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, October 21, 2010

This invention relates to a method of treating a porous surface to remove radioactive contamination. More specifically this invention relates to a method of decontaminating a porous surface contaminated with radioactive material.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA "dirty bomb" is a conventional explosive such as dynamite packaged with radioactive material that scatters when the bomb goes off. A dirty bomb kills or injures through the initial blast of the conventional explosive and by airborne radiationand contamination. At present there are no non-destructive methods of cleaning porous surfaces, for example concrete, of the radioactive contamination. Present decontamination methods would mechanically remove or ablate the top several mm of a porouscontaminated surface. Under the current threat of a dirty bomb attack, it becomes important to develop a method for the decontamination of large surface areas without resorting to mechanically altering the surface.Cesium-137 is a radioactive material which might likely be one of the radioactive materials of choice for utilization in a dirty bomb because of its generally wide availability due to its use in industrial instrumentation. Cesium is very solubleand is often found in chloride powder form that is highly dispersible. Once in contact with a porous surface, the cesium is expected to be both attached as particulate to the surface and also dissolved into the pore structure or bound to ion exchangesites within the surface. Surface decontamination, other than mechanical removal, might consist of washing the surface with copious amounts of water, but this would require that the contaminated water be recovered to prevent further environmentalcontamination. A chelating agent might be added to the wash water to remove some of the contamination from the surface, but it might also promote ingress of the contamination deeper into the pore structure. Other radioactive elements include theactinides, more particularly, the transu

Treating Radioactive Materials - Patent 7737319

Patents-363 — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:19:03 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, October 21, 2010

BACKGROUND1. FieldEmbodiments of the invention pertain to methods and compositions for treating hazardous materials. In particular, embodiments of the invention pertain to methods and compositions for treating radioactive materials.2. Background InformationRadioactive isotope laden waste has been generated from the use of nuclear fuel, from the medical industries, and from weapons manufacture. It is often desirable to treat the radioactive isotope laden waste and contain the radioactive isotopesprior to long-term storage.One approach that has been used to treat certain radioactive materials, such as, for example, cesium from spent fuel rods, includes adding the radioactive materials to borosilicate glass and melting the glass. However, this approach may offer anumber of potential disadvantages.One potential disadvantage is the generally high capital investment cost to build the glass plants. Another potential disadvantage is the high operational costs due to such factors as energy consumption and the high replacement cost of therefractory blocks of the glass plant.Thus there is a general need in the art for new and useful approaches for treating radioactive isotope laden wastes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings that are used to illustrate embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates a treated radioactive material within a containment structure, according to one or more embodiments of the invention.FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a method of treating radioactive materials, according to one or more embodiments of the invention.FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another method of treating radioactive materials, according to one or more embodiments of the invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONEmbodiments of the invention pertain to methods of treating radioactive materials. Other embodiments of the invention pertain to com

Method For Stabilization Of Heavy Metals And Odor Control With Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate Powder - Patent 7736291

Patents-363 — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:47:33 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Thursday, October 21, 2010

Over the past thirty years, the potential and observed dangers of heavy metal bearing materials and waste exposure to humans and the environment and the generation of nuisance odors and from solid waste management facilities has been the basis ofextensive regulatory control. The leaching and transport of heavy metals into surface water bodies and groundwater is a grave concern because of the danger that the drinking water supplies and the environment will become contaminated. Heavy metalbearing materials and wastes, such products or waste, paint residues, sludge, plating wastes, sediments, foundry dusts, casting sands, steel mill dusts, shredder residues, wire insulation, refuse incinerator flyash, incinerator bottom ash, incineratorcombined ash, scrubber residues from air pollution control devices such as cyclones, electrostatic precipitators and bag-house filter bags, may be deemed hazardous by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) pursuant to 40 C.F.R. Part 261 if containing certain soluble heavy metals above regulatory limits. Any solid waste can be defined as hazardous either because it is "listed" in 40 C.F.R., Part 261 Subpart D or because it exhibits one or more of the characteristics of ahazardous waste as defined at Part 261, Subpart C. These characteristics are: (1) ignitability, (2) corrosivity, (3) reactivity, and (4) toxicity as tested under the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). Heavy metal bearing materials andwastes can also be regulated under state and federal groundwater and surface water protection standards, which set total and leachable limits for heavy metals often lower than the TCLP criteria, as the wastes and materials are not in a lined landfill andexposed to direct groundwater, drinking water, storm waters and surface water bodies. The odor produced during management or stabilization of these wastes and materials, such as from refuse incinerator ash residues and operations that process ashresid

Non-corrosive, Non-caustic, Non-flammable, Catalyst-based Decontaminant Formulation - Patent 7723558

Patents-363 — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:18:05 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, October 19, 2010

1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to a near-universal non-corrosive, non-toxic, environmentally safe and user friendly decontaminant in a dry powder form capable of detoxifying organophosphorus-based G-type, V-type neurotoxic chemical warfare,sulfur-mustard, and related organophosphorus based hazardous industrial materials.2. Brief Description of Related ArtRisk of exposure from chemical biological warfare (CBW) agents to men and women in uniform engaged in conflicts around the world has long been realized. Since the tragic events of Sep. 11, 2001, use of CBW materials by terrorist or extremistgroups against the civilian population has become a real and credible threat. Even though the high toxicity of CBW agents of military significance (G-type, V-type and sulfur-mustard) are well documented, a number of other organophosphorus (OP) basedagricultural pesticides and related industrial toxic chemicals are relatively easy to synthesize, procure, and intentional use of these hazardous materials pose significant threat in Homeland Defense arena.Decontamination is defined as the process of removing or neutralizing a surface hazard resulting from a CBW threat agent attack. The key goal is to quickly restore battlefield operational tempo and logistics after a CB attack has occurred. TheCBW agents require cumbersome protective measures causing significant compromise of the combat performance. Thus, decontamination capabilities are required to sustain operations in a CB contaminated environment, to ensure power projection capabilities,to clean up personnel and large areas for retrograde and re-supply operations, and to reconstitute individual equipment, vehicles, and weapon platforms (Joint Science and Technology Panel for Chemical and Biological Decontamination, DOD).The objective of our decontamination technology advancement efforts was to develop systems that are rapid and effective in detoxifying CBW agents, environmentally safe, do not impact

Asbestos Containment Composition - Patent 7722520

Patents-363 — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:51:27 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, October 19, 2010

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 shows an exemplified flow diagram for making the asbestos containment composition.FIG. 2 shows another exemplified flow diagram for making the asbestos containment composition.FIG. 3 shows an exemplified X-Y plot of SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 concentrations in weight percentage for montmorillonite particles.FIG. 4 shows an exemplified X-Y plot of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 concentrations in weight percentage for montmorillonite particles.FIG. 5 shows an exemplified X-Y plot of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and MgO concentrations in weight percentage for montmorillonite particles.FIG. 6 shows an exemplified X-Y plot of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 concentrations in weight percentage for non-pure end member kaolinites with compositional space delineated.FIG. 7 shows an exemplified X-Y plot of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 and MgO concentrations in weight percentage for non-pure end member kaolinites with compositional space delineated.FIG. 8 shows TEM images of particles of the end member components of kaolinite and montmorillonite.FIG. 9 shows images of an experiment using chrysotile fibers.FIG. 10 shows an air dried example of chrysotile fibers.FIG. 11 shows an example of overall SEM images of milled chrysotile powder used in experiments.FIG. 12 shows an example of chrysotile powder covered in clay coating that has been air-dried.FIG. 13 shows an example of a TEM image of synthetic nanoparticles of titanium oxides having an average size of approximately 10 nm.FIG. 14 shows an example of TEM images of euhedral titanium oxide particles from a natural source. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present invention relates to an asbestos containment composition.In one embodiment, the asbestos containment composition is a clay aqueous suspension comprising a mixture of at least one 2:1 layer phyllosilicate mineral, at least one 1:1 layer phyllosilicate mineral, and water. The 2:1 phyllosilicate mineralmay be montmorillonite, whereas the 1:1 phyllosilicate min

Iron Powder For Organic Chlorinated Compound Decomposition And Detoxifying Treatment Method Using The Same - Patent 7718843

Patents-363 — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:42:15 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The present invention relates to a treating agent for detoxification to materials to be treated, such as organic chlorinated compound-polluted soils, industrial wastes, sewage, sludge, wastewater and groundwater, and a detoxifying treatmentmethod using the same.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn recent years, environmental pollution problem by organic chlorinated compounds such as TCE (trichloroethylene), PCE (tetrachloroethylene), dichloro-methane, PCS (polychlorinated biphenyl) and dioxins is a big problem, and a treating agent fordetoxification to soils, wastewater, groundwater and the like polluted by those organic chlorinated compounds, and its treatment method is investigated.For example, a technique of reduction dechlorinating polluted wastewater and service water with an Fe powder or an Fe powder chemically plated with Ni or Cu is reported (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). However, dissolved oxygen in pollutedwastewater and service water is required to remove in order to suppress performance deterioration with the lapse of time of such treating agents themselves. Further, the effect was not obtained unless the range of nickel plating amount showing activityis large.In the case of a treatment method of polluted soils, sludge, sewage and the like, a method of treatment by adding an iron series treating agent containing carbon to polluted soils of a limited range (for example, Patent Document 1), and atreatment method of using an metal series treating agent comprising a combination of Fe with Ni, Cu and carbon (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3) are reported particularly as a chemical treatment. However, it was not said that decomposition abilityis sufficient.Other than the above, decomposition of organic chlorinated compounds by a metal series treating agent comprising a combination of Fe with a different kind of elements is reported (for example, Patent Documents 4 and 5). However, in a high-activeiron powder having a large proportion of fine particles

Method For Treating Bottom Ash - Patent 7714182

Patents-363 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:59:47 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 18, 2010

STATEMENTREGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable.INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISCNot Applicable.COPYRIGHTED MATERIALNot Applicable.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)The present invention relates to a method for treating bottom ash from a waste incineration plant, in accordance with the preamble of claim 1.2. Description of Related ArtThe treatment of bottom ash from a waste incineration plant is known in the art. The object of this treatment is to separate the various components of which the bottom ash is comprised. A technique for treating bottom ash is, for example,described in the BAT publications (Best Available Technology, a publication of the European Union specified as Pj/EIPPCB/WI, of March 2004). It is reported that both ferrous and nonferrous metals can be separated from the bottom ash.It is claimed in said BAT publication that the fine fraction having a size of 0-2 mm cannot be treated but has to be removed. The reason for this being that most of the leachable components are contained in this fine fraction. As a result, theremaining product fraction, having a size larger than 2 mm, leaches out less readily with respect to the total bottom ash stream. The further treatment of this remaining product fraction results in making the treated material suitable for use in a widearea.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for the treatment of bottom ash.A particular object of the invention is an improved method for the treatment of bottom ash wherein a larger part of the bottom ash produced in a waste incineration plant is treated.An object of the invention is especially to provide an improved method of the kind mentioned above, wherein the fraction of up to 2 mm can also be treated suitably.A further object of the invention is to provide the possibility of reusing a larger part of the bottom ash.A fi

Methods For Recycling Waste - Patent 7642394

Patents-363 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:43:41 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 18, 2010

This invention relates to systems and methods for recycling waste material. Particularly, this invention relates to systems and methods for recycling solid waste material to produce beneficial and useful products.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDisposal of waste material, whether hazardous or non-hazardous, has been a concern for many. In the past, waste material was disposed of by merely dumping the waste material into landfills. However, this disposal of waste material has led tocontamination of groundwater by, among others, radionuclides, biological agents, and inorganic and organic chemicals, which in turn have caused chronic illnesses in people and animals, and have destroyed natural resources.In response to the need to prevent further contamination of the groundwater, the government enacted regulations that aim to protect the environment from such seepage of contaminants from waste material. Thus, the disposal of waste material hasbecome a costly venture, as companies disposing of hazardous or solid waste material must comply with government regulations.Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") proposed a hierarchy of preferred waste management options. In the hierarchy, waste prevention is the most desirable goal, but when waste cannot be prevented, the EPA recommendsthat the waste material be recycled. The EPA has stated that the disposal of waste material in landfills, the least desirable alternative, should be avoided if possible.In response, systems have been developed to recycle waste material. Recycling solid waste material and converting it into or reclaiming valuable products, such as solvents, is beneficial to the environment because it reduces pollution andgreenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; reduces the need to extract and process raw materials to manufacture new products; and conserves natural resources. Additionally, recycling is economical--avoiding the costly procedureof waste material di

Activated Oxidizing Vapor Treatment Method - Patent 7592500

Patents-363 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:14:01 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Monday, October 18, 2010

The present invention relates to the art of treating articles with highly reactive oxidant vapors. It finds particular application in conjunction with deactivating biological and chemical warfare agents, such as blistering agents (e.g., mustardgas), acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors (e.g., nerve gas), and biotoxins (e.g., botulinum toxin) and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated, that the present invention will find application in conjunctionwith the oxidation of other substances.Liquid oxidants have been developed which can deactivate biological warfare agents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,957 to Wagner, et al. In Wagner, a strong oxidant solution is sprayed as a liquid or foam onto equipment in the fieldwhich is or has potentially been contaminated with biological and chemical warfare agents. After treatment, the solution is rinsed from the equipment with water, which can be permitted to flow onto the ground, as it is nontoxic. Although effective, theliquid Wagner solution has drawbacks. First, it is difficult for liquids to penetrate crevices, fine cracks, ducts, and partially protected or lapping parts. Second, in enclosed spaces, such as in the interior of airplanes and buildings, cleanup anddisposal of the liquid solution can be problematic. Third, liquids can damage some equipment, such as electronic or electrical equipment.The present application delivers the strong oxidant to the surfaces to be decontaminated in a vapor phase to facilitate penetration and cleanup.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one aspect of the present invention, biological and chemical warfare agent residues are deactivated by oxidation with a vapor phase oxidant.In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a means is provided for oxidizing biological and chemical warfare agents with an oxidant vapor.One advantage of the present invention resides in its improved penetration.Another advantage of th

Method For Removing Heavy Metals From Incinerator Fly Ashes - Patent 7635796

Patents-363 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:17:36 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 17, 2010

1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates generally to a method of treating industrial waste and hazardous waste, and more particularly to a method of removing heavy metals from incinerator fly ashes.2. Description of the Related Art15-25% ashes are derived from the waste incinerator and the ashes are divided into bottom ash and fly ash. Bottom ash contains ceramics, glass, iron, aluminum, pure ash etc., and usually meets the criteria of Toxicity Characteristics LeachingProcedure (TCLP), thus normally classified as a nonhazardous solid waste. On the contrary, fly ash contains heavy metals, such as Cd and Pb, which usually fail in TCLP test and ordinarily classified as a hazardous waste. According to the relative laws,fly ash cannot be mixed with bottom ash and must be treated prior to disposal. The conventional treatments of hazardous fly ash include solidification, stabilization, encapsulation and thermal treatment. Besides, some new methods including syntheticzeolite treatment and fluidizing electrolysis treatment for incinerator fly ash are developing. Conventional treatments for fly ash are described in brief as follows:1. Solidification treatment: Hazardous waste is mixed with cement, pozzolanic material or other chemical fixing agent to solidify the waste, and to prevent the hazardous materials of the waste from leaching. A common fixing agent used in thesolidification of incinerator fly ash is cement. Cement solidification treatment is easily operated, but it generates larger size of solidified material which will not be able to recycle and need to be monitored in an independent landfill site.2. Stabilization treatment: Hazardous waste is added with chemical stabling agent for reaction and transformed to be a stable and nonpoisonous material. The conventional stabling agents include epoxy, urea formaldehyde, polyurethane, polyester,asphalt and other chemical compounds.3. Encapsulation treatment: Hazardous waste is encased into a sui

Mercury Contamination Extraction - Patent 7589248

Patents-363 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:30:53 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 17, 2010

Process For The Disposal Of Sulfur In The Form Of Compounds Liquid At Room Temperature - Patent 7588527

Patents-363 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:17:22 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 17, 2010

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONThis application is a 371 of PCT/EP04/007565, filed on Jul. 6, 2004, and claims priority of Italian Application No. MI 2003 A001469, filed on Jul. 18, 2003.The present invention relates to a new process for the disposal of sulfur in the form of derivatives in the liquid state at room temperature.More specifically, the present invention relates to a new process for the disposal of sulfur coming from the purification treatment of hydrocarbons of a fossil nature, for example crude oil or natural gas.It is well known that sulfur can be present in considerable quantities in both extracted crude oil and natural gas. In this gas, the sulfur can be present in the form of H.sub.2S in a molar percentage quantity which can reach 10% and in certainparticular cases it can even exceed 20%, referring to gas.When present in high concentrations in gas, the hydrogen sulfide is separated using various systems, of which the most widely used is absorption in solutions of ethanolamines. Once it is in the concentrated state, hydrogen sulfide is transformedinto elemental sulfur by means of the Claus process. At this point, it is necessary to allocate the sulfur which, for the last few years and potentially for tens of years to come, has a market characterized by an excessive offer with respect to thedemand. Sulfur is normally stored in elemental form as huge blocks which require continual monitoring and treatment of the run off water to avoid the acidification of the ground and surrounding underground water. In addition to this, there is anincreasingly strict legislation on the part of states containing oil fields or natural gas reservoirs, which in some cases impose heavy penalties for the storage of recovered sulfur.The Applicants have now found an innovative process for the elimination of said large quantities of sulfur which envisages its injection by pumping it into adequate geological structures in the form of compounds, more specifically

Treatment Of Hazardous Waste Material - Patent 7585270

Patents-363 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:48:45 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 17, 2010

The present invention relates to settable binder compositions that can be used to incorporate, capture or encapsulate hazardous waste materials. Particularly though not exclusively the invention relates to a method of capturing hazardous wastematerials including heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury, lead, nickel and chromium residues; a variety of forms of arsenic including sulfide, trioxide and pentoxide; and other hazardous and non-hazardous materials.BACKGROUND ARTArsenic and arsenic containing compositions have been widely used in Australia as sheep and cattle dips, and have also been used in pesticides. Mercury and mercury containing compositions have also been widely used in Australia and othercountries. With the phasing out of arsenic and mercury compounds (due to their toxicity), a large stockpile of waste arsenic and mercury components exists.Organo nickel and chromium, and nickel and chromium containing compositions are widely used in Australia and other countries. Metal plating and anodising processes use these compounds, and the processes generate waste nickel and chromiumresidues which are quite concentrated and are stored in drums. The residue is hazardous and toxic and a large stockpile of waste nickel and chromium components exists.A variety of organic waste materials, some of which are hazardous, are produced as by-products of various industrial processes. These organic wastes include contaminated oils and greases, organo-chlorine compounds including pesticides, andchlorinated aromatic compounds including chlorobenzene and polychlorinated biphenyl compounds.The above mentioned waste materials and toxic components are housed in drums that have a limited life. The components in the drum are typically in the form of a contaminated liquid or sludge that is almost impossible to safely encapsulate. Thesludge contains a variety of contaminants such as rust from the drum, waste particles, solids, and a variety of liquids.Radioactive materials and c

Activated Vapor Treatment For Neutralizing Warfare Agents - Patent 7629500

Patents-363 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 06:05:36 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Sunday, October 17, 2010

The present application relates to the art of deactivating biological and chemical warfare agents. It finds particular application in conjunction with G-type, V-type, and H-type nerve agents, as well as biological agents.Chemical warfare agents include G-type, V-type, and H-type agents. G-type agents are phosphor containing and are clear, colorless, and tasteless liquids that are miscible in water and most organic solvents. Examples include ethyl-N,N dimethylphosphoramino cyanidate (Tabun or agent GA), phosphonofluoridate esters, such as isopropyl methyl phosphonofluoridate (Sarin or Agent GB), and methylphosphonofluoridic acid 1,2,2-trimethylpropyl ester (Soman or Agent GD). GB is odorless and is the mostvolatile nerve agent, evaporating at about the same rate as water. GA has a slightly fruity odor, and GD has a slight camphor-like odor. H-type agents include di(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (mustard gas or Agent HD) and dichloro (2-chlorovinyl) arsine(Lewisite).V-type nerve agents contain a substituted amine group, and include methyl phosphonothiolates having an internal amino group. Examples include o-ethyl-S-(2-diisopropyl aminoethyl) methyl phosphono-thiolate (agent VX), O-isobutyl-S-(2-diethyl)ethyl methylphosphonothiolate, and O,S-diethyl methylphosphonothiolate. The phosphonothiolates form toxic hydrolysis products comprising phosphonothioic acids. VX is a clear, amber-colored, odorless, oily liquid. It is miscible with water and solublein all solvents. It is the least volatile nerve agent.Liquid oxidants have been developed which can deactivate biological warfare agents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,957 to Wagner, et al. In Wagner, a strong oxidant solution is sprayed as a liquid onto equipment in the field which is orhas potentially been contaminated with biological or chemical warfare agents. After treatment, the solution is rinsed from the equipment with water which can be permitted to flow onto the ground as non-toxic waste. Although

System And Method For Chemical Decontamination Of Radioactive Material - Patent 7622627

Patents-363 — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:30:23 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, October 16, 2010

Oxidation Of Organic Compounds At High PH - Patent 7576254

Patents-363 — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:27:17 GMT

shared by: Patents-363 on: Saturday, October 16, 2010

The present invention relates to the in situ and ex situ oxidation of organic compounds in soils, groundwater, process water and wastewater and especially relates to the in situ oxidation of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds,pesticides and other recalcitrant organic compounds in soil and groundwater.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in subsurface soils and groundwateris a well-documented and extensive problem in industrialized and industrializing countries. Notable among these are the volatile organic compounds or VOCs which include any at least slightly water soluble chemical compound of carbon, with a Henry's LawConstant greater than 10.sup.-7 atm m.sup.3/mole, which is toxic or carcinogenic, is capable of moving through the soil under the influence of gravity and serving as a source of water contamination by dissolution into water passing through thecontaminated soil due to its solubility, including, but not limited to, chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride, tetrachloroethylene (PCE), methylene chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA),1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, chloroform, chlorobenzenes, and other compounds such as ethylene dibromide, and methyl tertiary butyl ether.In many cases discharge of VOCs and other contaminants into the soil leads to contamination of aquifers resulting in potential public health impacts and degradation of groundwater resources for future use. Treatment and remediation of soilscontaminated with VOCs and other organic contaminants have been expensive, require considerable time, and in many cases are incomplete or unsuccessful. Treatment and remediation of compounds that are either partially or completely immiscible with water(i.e., No