New Jersey Institute of Technology

Orion Engineered Carbons Gmbh

Evonik Carbon Black Gmbh

Jose A Quevedo

Robert Pfeffer

Juergen Flesch

Rajesh N Dave

Qun Yu

Stanislav S Dukhin

Chao Zhu

Guangliang Gary Liu

Caroline H Nam

Robert Pferrer

Jürgen Flesch

A method for removing a contaminant from a fluid system comprises contacting the fluid system with an inversely fluidized material, for example a particulate aerogel, thereby removing at least a portion of the contaminant from the fluid system. The method can be used to remove oil or other organic materials from wastewater streams. It can be conducted in a fluidized bed, which includes nanoporous particles and a fluidizing medium, wherein the nanoporous particles have a density lower than that of the fluidizing medium.

Inverse fluidization for purifying fluid streams

A purification method comprises directing a system having a gas phase component and a contaminant through a filter including an aerogel material, e.g., hydrophobic silica-based aerogel particles. A filter for purifying a gas phase system comprises an aerogel material in an amount sufficient to remove at least a portion of a contaminant present in the gas phase system. In preferred examples, the filter is a fluidized bed. In further examples, the filter is a packed bed.

Aerogel-based filtration of gas phase systems

Methods and systems for enhancing fluidization of nanoparticle and/or nanoagglomerates and for mixing and blending nanoparticle/nanoagglomerate systems at the nanoscale are provided. A fluidization chamber is provided with a fluidizing medium (e.g., a fluidizing gas) directed in a first fluidizing direction, e.g., upward into and through a bed containing a volume of nanoparticles and/or nanopowders. A second source of air/gas flow is provided with respect to the fluidization chamber, the secondary air/gas flow generally being oppositely (or substantially oppositely) directed relative to the fluidizing medium. Turbulence created by the secondary gas flow, e.g., a jet from a micro jet nozzle, is advantageously effective to aerate the agglomerates and the shear generated by the jet is advantageously effective to break apart nanoagglomerates and/or reduce the tendency for nanoagglomerates to form or reform. A downwardly directed source of secondary gas flow located near the main gas distributor leads to full fluidization of the entire amount of powder in the column. In addition, the oppositely directed fluid flow facilitates powder circulation within the fluidization chamber, thereby enhancing fluidization and mixing/blending results.

Fluidized mixing and blending of nanopowders with secondary gas flow

Methods and systems for enhancing fluidization of nanoparticle and/or nanoagglomerates are provided. A fluidization chamber is provided with a fluidizing medium directed in a first fluidizing direction, e.g., upward into and through a bed containing a volume of nanoparticles and/or nanopowders. A second source of air/gas flow is provided with respect to the fluidization chamber, the secondary air/gas flow generally being oppositely directed relative to the fluidizing medium. Turbulence created by the secondary gas flow is advantageously effective to aerate the agglomerates and the shear generated by the jet is advantageously effective to break apart nanoagglomerates and/or reduce the tendency for nanoagglomerates to form or reform. A downwardly directed source of secondary gas flow located near the main gas distributor leads to full fluidization of the entire amount of powder in the column. The oppositely directed fluid flow facilitates powder circulation within the fluidization chamber, thereby enhancing fluidization results.

Fluidized bed systems and methods including micro-jet flow

Systems and methods for fluidization of particle and/or powder systems with reduced generation of static electricity are disclosed. The systems/methods are particularly advantageous for fluidization of nanoparticle and/or nanopowder systems, where the generation and/or presence of static electricity is a significant fluidization issue. The systems and methods generally involve the addition of an alcohol or other solvent to a fluidization gas to be introduced to the fluidization chamber, e.g., by bubbling the fluidization gas through a volume of solvent/alcohol, to advantageously reduce the build up of electrostatic charge. Systems and methods for capturing in-situ images within a fluidized bed are also provided that involve reducing the electrostatic charges generated within the fluidized bed and introducing a particle vision and measurement (PVM) probe to the fluidized bed for image capture.

Systems and methods for reducing electrostatic charge in a fluidized bed

With the coupling of an external field and aeration (or a flow of another gas), nanoparticles can be smoothly and vigorously fluidized. A magnetic force and/or pre-treatment may be employed with the fluidizing gas and, when coupled with a fluidizing medium, provide excellent means for achieving homogenous nanofluidization. The magnetic force interacts with non-fluidizing magnetic particles and helps to break channels as well as provide enough energy to disrupt the strong interparticle forces, thereby establishing an advantageous agglomerate size distribution. Enhanced fluidization is reflected by improved performance-related attributes. The fluidized nanoparticles may be coated, surface-treated and/or surface-modified in the fluidized state. In addition, the fluidized nanoparticles may participate in a reaction, either as a reactant or a catalyst, while in the fluidized state.

System and method for nanoparticle and nanoagglomerate fluidization

Systems and methods for achieving filtration are provided that utilize agglomerates or granules of nanoparticles. The agglomerates or granules of nanoparticles may be used as and/or incorporated into a HEPA filtration system to remove solid or liquid submicron-sized particles, e.g., MPPS, in an efficient and efficacious manner. The filtration systems and methods are provided that utilize agglomerates or granules in a size range of about 100-500 microns. The agglomerates or granules of nanoparticles exhibit a hierarchical fractal structure. In the case of agglomerates of nanoparticles, porosities of 0.9 or greater are generally employed, and for granules of nanoparticles, porosities that are smaller than 0.9 may be employed. Filter media formed from the agglomerates or granules may be formed from materials such as carbon black and fumed silica, and may be employed in baffled or non-baffled filtration apparatus.

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Brick, NJ, United States of America

Jose A Quevedo