Amcol International Corporation

Basf Aktiengesellschaft

Jerald W Darlington, Jr

Ashoke K SenGupta

Robert J Trauger

Michael R Johnson

Jeffrey J Smith

John Occhipinti

Thomas W Beihoffer

James T Olsta

Charles J Hornaday

Michael A Berger

Michael A Mitchell

Elmo Robichaux, Jr

Natalie A Dotlich

Vincent J Losacco

Zhen Wang

Ralph Spindler

Richard W Carriker

Mark William Clarey

Leticia L Trzupek

Bala V Nathan

Michael Ray Velder

Bart Becherer

Craig M Mattern

Panayiotis P Constantinides

Anthony S Tomlin

Mark Anderson

Leticia L Lobo

Iiona Lin

David A Eckert

Jennifer Gould

Liam Matthew Miller

Ashoke K Sengupta

Steven E Yuchs

Natali A Dotlich

David McGregor

Gerard A Just

Elliot Francis Halphen

Kathleen Mandell

A process of recovering clean sand and active clay from sand or dust from a foundry is disclosed.

Processes for recovering sand and active clay from foundry waste

Described herein, in the preferred embodiment, is a leonardite-based polyurethane resin binder that may be used, among other applications, as a binder in combination with foundry aggregate, e.g., sand, for molding or casting metal parts. The binders described herein comprise a humic substance, preferably leonardite, combined with a polymerizable polyol, an isocyanate, and a polymerization catalyst to make a polyurethane resin binder in situ in a foundry aggregate, such as sand. The lignite is mixed with the polymerizable polyol, thickening and dispersing agents as additives to improve the suspension quality and binder performance of the lignite-containing part of the binder components.

Lignite-based urethane resins with enhanced suspension properties and foundry sand binder performance

Layered phyllosilicates are useful for adsorbing and/or binding to cholesterol and, thereby, reducing blood cholesterol in a patient. Accordingly, provided herein is a method of reducing hypercholesteremia in a mammal comprising administering to the mammal a protonated and at least partially exfoliated layered phyllosilicate material alone and in combination with other cholesterol-reducing agents in an amount effective to reduce hypercholesteremia in the mammal. Also provided are methods of treating a cardiovascular disorder associated with atherosclerosis in a mammalian subject comprising administering to the subject a layered phyllosilicate material in an amount effective to reduce atherosclerotic lesion formation in the subject.

Methods of treating cardiovascular disorders associated with atherosclerosis

Layered phyllosilicates are useful for adsorbing and/or binding to cholesterol and, thereby, reducing blood cholesterol in a patient. Accordingly, provided herein is a method of reducing hypercholesteremia in a mammal comprising administering to said mammal a protonated and at least partially exfoliated layered phyllosilicate material alone and in combination with other cholesterol-reducing agents in an amount effective to reduce hypercholesteremia in said mammal.

Cholesterol-interacting layered phyllosilicates and methods of reducing hypercholesteremia in a mammal

Reactive geocomposite mats, and their method of manufacture, for treating contaminants in soil or water that allow the passage of essentially non-contaminated water therethrough. The geocomposite mat includes a pre-formed woven or non-woven geotextile, having a thickness of about 6 mm to about 200 mm, and having, a porosity sufficient to receive a powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material, contaminant-sorptive material, or a contaminant-neutralizing material (hereinafter collectively referred to as 'contaminant-reactant material' or 'contaminant-reactive material') throughout its thickness, or in any portion of the thickness across its entire major surface(s). The powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material is disposed within the pores of the previously formed, high loft geotextile mat to surround the fibers, e.g., by vacuum or vibrating the high loft mat while in contact with the contaminant-reactive material to allow the powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material to flow by gravity into the pores of the previously formed geotextile and vibrational forces. Liquid-permeable cover sheets are adhered to the upper and lower major surfaces of the filled geotextile to prevent the powdered or granular material from escaping from the geotextile during transportation and installation.

Contaminant-reactive geocomposite mat and method of manufacture and use

The surface of hydrophobically-modified smectite clays (i.e., organophilic clays) are modified using a hydrophilic polymer, wherein the hydrophilic surface-modification of a hydrophobically-modified smectite clay with a hydrophilic polymer, renders the organoclays adequately dispersible in water.

Water-dispersible organoclays

Reactive geocomposite mats, and their method of manufacture, for treating contaminants in sediment, soil or water that allow the passage of essentially non-contaminated water therethrough. The geocomposite mat includes a pre-formed woven or non-woven geotextile, that is needlepunched to an outer geotextile sheet layer to provide a high loft, structurally secured, pre-formed geotextile having a thickness of about 6 mm to about 200 mm, and having, a porosity sufficient to receive a powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material, contaminant-sorptive material, or a contaminant-neutralizing material (hereinafter collectively referred to as 'contaminant-reactant material' or 'contaminant-reactive material') throughout its thickness, or in any portion of the thickness across its entire major surface(s). The powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material is disposed within the pores of the previously formed, high loft geotextile mat to surround the fibers, e.g., by vacuum or vibrating the high loft mat while in contact with the contaminant-reactive material to allow the powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material to flow by gravity into the pores of the previously formed, needlepunched geotextile. A liquid-permeable outer geotextile sheet then is secured to the filled geotextile, preferably by heating upwardly extending fibers of the pre-formed geotextile mat to prevent the powdered or granular material from escaping from the geotextile during transportation and installation.

Bioremediation geocomposite articles, and their method of manufacture, for treating (digesting) contaminats in soil or water. The bioremediating geocomposite mat includes a woven or non-woven geotexile, having a thickness of about 6 mm to about 200 mm. In the preferred embodiment, outer layers of the geocomposite article have a porosity sufficient to receive a powdered or granular contaminant-reactive material, contaminat-sorptive material, or a contaminant-neutralizing material in at least outer portions of the thickness across its entire major surface(s) for better contact of the bacteria with contaminants held by the powdered or granular material. In the most preferred embodiment, liquid-permeable cover sheets are adhered to the upper and lower major surfaces of the bacterial-containing geotextile article to prevent a powdered or granular material from escaping from the geotextile during transportation and installation.

Bioremediation mat and method of manufacture and use

Concentrated suspensions of smectite clays are obtained as either relatively 'thin' or highly shear-thinning slurries that are easy to pump, by adding one or more of certain cationic polymers whose weight average molecular weight, Mw, is 50,000 or higher. It was found during the course of the invention that a cationic polymer with an Mw of 10,000 did not work, while the same polymer with a bimodal Mw of 50,000 and 30,000 worked satisfactorily. To achieve the full advantage of the present invention, the cationic polymer preferably has 1 to 10 milliequivalents of cationic charge per gram of the polymer, and more preferably 5 to 10 milliequivalents of cationic charge per gram of the polymer, and most preferably 6 to 8 milliequivalents of cationic charge per gram of the polymer.

Nonviscous aqueous dispersion compositions of water-swellable layered silicates and the method of producing the same

A particulate non-clumping animal litter composition is disclosed. The composition comprises non-clumping absorbent particles bound to magnetically-attractable metal particles such that substantially all particles of the animal litter composition are attracted to a magnetic surface. The animal litter composition exhibits favorable properties such as absorbency, resiliency, homogeneity, and particle size. Methods of production for non-clumping animal litter compositions are also disclosed that employ sufficient shear to bind the non-clumping absorbent particulate material to the magnetically-attractable metal particles such that the animal litter compositions exhibit favorable properties. A method and apparatus for the collection of magnetically-attractable animal litter particles are also disclosed.

Magnetically-attractable non-clumping animal litter

Apparatus in fluid communication with a water leg portion of a hydrocarbon-contaminated water, e.g., a water leg portion of a produced water stream or an offshore drilling or production platform sump tank for conveying water, separated from oil, into contact with non-woven fiber/particulate polymer coalescing media-containing canisters such that the hydrocarbon droplets and other organic material droplets commingled with the sump tank or produced water will be coalesced by passage through the coalescing media. The canisters preferably are provided in a plurality of stacks in each vessel. Solids that do not pass through the canisters are accumulated at the bottom of the vessel and easily drained through a drain port. The water and hydrocarbons will pass through the coalescing media within the canisters and will be separated easily from each vessel, e.g., by gravity separation, sot that the water can be conveyed back to the ocean water without contamination.

Method for removing oil from water coalescing in a polymer particle/fiber media

A water-swelling composition adapted to be secured to an area of potential water flow in the form of a flexible cohesive mass comprising about 10% to about 90% by weight of a water-swellable layered material; about 1% to about 30% by weight of an elastomer; about 8% to about 65% by weight of a material selected from the group consisting of polypropene, polybutene, and a mixture thereof; and about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of a clay binder selected from group consisting of (1) an onium ion-liberating compound that is ion-exchanged with platelet cations of the layered material, (2) a coupling agent that is reacted with the layered material, and (3) a combination thereof.

Moisture-impervious water-swellable clay-containing 'water-stop' composition

A waterproofing article in the form of rod-, or rope-shaped clay-containing compositions, and a method of waterproofing using the article, whereby a water-penetrable, degradable, or water-soluble film or coating forms an outer surface of the article for avoiding premature hydration of an underlying clay-containing composition. In the preferred embodiment, an inner core of a water-swellable clay-containing composition includes a coating of a water-removable or degradable material, completely encasing the major outer surfaces of the composition, having controlled, predetermined water-penetration; high pH degradability; or water-solubility so that the core of water-swellable clay-containing composition is quickly hydrated after water-penetration of the coating material, and to prevent clay hydration during installation, prior to water-penetration of the coating material.

Moisture-impervious water-swellable clay-containing 'water-stop' composition containing a water-penetrable coating

Growing community of inventors

Marengo, IL, United States of America

Jerald W Darlington, Jr