Advanced Minerals Corporation

Imerys Filtration Minerals, Inc.

John S Roulston

Scott Kevin Palm

Timothy R Smith

Jerome C Shiuh

Bo Wang

Christopher Hayward

George Asante Nyamekye

Thomas E Sulpizio

Joseph Levay

John Menear

Dean Klein

Staci M Richard

Shashi B Dave

Disclosed herein are diatomite filter aid products with enhanced permeabilities and flow characteristics, and methods for enhancing the permeabilities and flow characteristics of very fine grain, low permeability diatomite ore by, in one embodiment, pre-agglomerating the ore in the presence of less than 10% water and then subjecting the pre-agglomerated ore to at least one calcination process. At least one flux may be used in the at least one calcination process. Also disclosed herein is a method of processing diatomite ore suitable for samples with high wet densities or large amounts of fine particulate matter. Also disclosed herein are methods of producing commercially applicable filter aid products from Hungarian diatomite.

Filter aids made from low permeability diatomites

An unexpanded perlite ore polishing composition is shown. The composition comprises base material having grains of unexpanded perlite ore of a selected distribution of particle sizes which undergo fracturing of the grains as a function of an abrasive force applied to the base material. The selected distribution of particle sizes includes a significant volume of grains of unexpanded perlite ore having a (d) particle size in a range of about 101 to about 229 &#x3bc;m. The base material is responsive to an abrasive force being applied thereto during polishing resulting in continued fracturing of the grains of unexpanded perlite ore to yield a final polishing composition having a sufficiently low level of abrasiveness under said abrasive force making it suitable for use in polishing. Compositions for polishing acrylic dentures and CRT tube surfaces using the unexpanded perlite ore polishing composition and methods for polishing the same are also shown.

Unexpanded perlite ore polishing composition and methods

This invention relates to filterable composite adsorbents comprising one or more adsorbent components and one or more filtration components, and methods for preparing and using same. More particularly, this invention pertains to filterable composite adsorbents and filterable composite adsorbent products which are suitable for use in filtration applications, and which comprise one or more microparticulate or colloidal adsorbent components selected from the group consisting of silica gel, fumed silica, neutral clay, alkaline clay, zeolite, solid catalyst, alumina, adsorbent polymer, alkaline earth silicate hydrate, and combinations thereof, which bear the property of adsorption, which are intimately bound to one or more functional filtration components selected from the group consisting of biogenic silica (e.g., diatomite, rice hull ash, sponge spicules), natural glass (e.g., expanded perlite, pumice, expanded pumice, pumicite, expanded obsidian, expanded volcanic ash), buoyant glass, buoyant polymer, cellulose, and combinations thereof, which bear a distinguishing porous and intricate structure and buoyancy suitable for filtration.

Filterable composite adsorbents

Expanded perlite products having controlled particle size distribution, methods of producing the expanded perlite products, and methods of use thereof are provided. The expanded perlite product has, for example, a low ratio of standard deviation of particle size distribution to median particle size (for example, less than 0.63) and low median particle size (for example, less than 50 microns). The expanded perlite product may be used in a variety of applications including filter applications.

Perlite products with controlled particle size distribution

This invention relates to advanced composite filtration media comprising a functional filtration component and a matrix component, and methods for preparing and using same. More particularly, this invention pertains to advanced composite filtration media and advanced composite filtration media products comprised of a functional filtration component, such as a biogenic silica product (e.g., diatomite), a natural glass product (e.g., expanded perlite), or a natural or synthetic crystalline mineral (e.g., titanium dioxide), which is thermally sintered to a matrix component, such as an engineering polymer (e.g., glasses, natural or synthetic crystalline minerals, thermoplastics, and metals) or a suitable natural material (e.g., rice hull ash, sponge spicules) that has a softening temperature below that of the functional filtration component. This invention also relates to advanced composite media and advanced composite media products, generally, which are also useful in non-filtration applications.

Advanced composite media

Method of mechanically separating microparticles suspended in fluids

This invention relates to advanced composite filtration media comprising (i) a functional filtration component and (ii) a matrix component, wherein said matrix component has a softening point temperature less than the softening point temperature of said functional filtration component, and wherein said functional filtration component is intimately bound to said matrix component; and methods for preparing and using same. More particularly, this invention pertains to advanced composite filter media and advanced composite filter media products comprised of a functional filtration component, such as a biogenic silica product (e.g., diatomite) or a natural glass product (e.g., expanded perlite) which bears a distinguishing porous and intricate structure suitable for filtration, which is thermally sintered to a matrix component, such as an engineering polymer (e.g., glasses, crystalline minerals, thermoplastics, and metals) that has a softening temperature below that of the functional filtration component. The advanced composite filtration media of the present invention offer unique properties such as increased permeability, low centrifuged wet density, low cristobalite content, and uniquely shaped particles (e.g., fibers).

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Lompoc, CA, United States of America

John S Roulston