Ep Minerals, LLC

University of Nevada

Eagle-picher Industries, Inc.

Peter Edward Lenz

Scott Kevin Palm

George A Nyamekye

Qun Wang

Bradley S Humphreys

Michael Joseph Nannini

Manoranjan Misra

Kara Linn Evanoff

Chongjun Jiang

Wilson Kamau Wanene

James S Shui

Andrew R Welford

Thomas A Buchanan

This disclosure concerns flux-calcined products manufactured from filtration waste streams, and methods for manufacturing the same. In particular, it concerns functional additives produced from spent cake comprising diatomite filtration media which are suitable for use in paints, plastic films and elastomers for control of optical and surface properties, and processes which are suitable for manufacture of such products. It further concerns the recovery of energy from spent cakes during the regeneration process.

White functional additives derived from filtration spent cake containing diatomite

This invention concerns ultra-high purity, ultra-high performance biogenic silica filtration products comprising diatomaceous earth. In particular, it relates to products comprising diatomaceous earth which is derived from ores that have been specifically selected for their naturally low centrifuged wet density and which have been intensively beneficiated to reduce extractable impurities to near or below detection limits. The low centrifuged wet density of the selected natural ore is either maintained or further reduced through the beneficiation process, which provides for filtration product/media with high particulate holding capacities able to provide for extended filtration cycle times.

Ultra-high purity, ultra-high performance diatomite filtration media

A diatomite product and method of using such is disclosed. The diatomite product may comprise sodium flux-calcined diatomite, wherein the diatomite product has a crystalline silica content of less than about 1 wt %, and the diatomite product has a permeability between 0.8 darcy and about 30 darcy. In some embodiments, the diatomite product may be in particulate or powdered form. This disclosure also concerns flux-calcined silica products containing low or non-detectable levels of crystalline silica. Some of these products can be further characterized by high permeabilities and a measurable content of opal-C, a hydrated form of silicon dioxide.

Opaline flux-calcined diatomite products

A method of determining opal-C and cristobalite contents of a product that comprises diatomite is disclosed. The method may comprise performing thermal processing to determine a loss on ignition for a representative first portion of a sample of the product; identifying and quantifying primary and secondary peaks present in a first diffraction pattern that results from bulk powder X-ray Diffraction on a representative second portion of the sample; and using a known standard sample of cristobalite to determine whether the primary and secondary peaks present in the first diffraction pattern indicate the presence of opal-C or cristobalite in the product.

Methods of determining the mineralogy of calcined and flux-calcined diatomite

A powdered composite filtration medium includes composite particles that include at least one diatomite particle and at least one expanded perlite particle sintered together. The composite powdered filtration medium may include from about 7 wt % to about 90 wt % diatomite, from about 93 wt % to about 10 wt % expanded perlite. Less than about 1% total crystalline silica may be present in the medium. The medium may have a permeability of at least 0.25 darcy. The diatomite and expanded perlite may be sintered or calcined with or without a fluxing agent.

Opaline biogenic silica/expanded perlite composite products

A diatomaceous earth product with low crystalline silica content after at least one calcination step of between about 927&#xb0; C. (1700&#xb0; F.) and about 1149&#xb0; C. (2100&#xb0; F.) is disclosed. The product comprises natural diatomaceous earth and at least one binding agent comprising potassium silicate. Further the product comprises no more than about 4.0 wt % of crystalline silica and has a permeability in the range of about 0.3 darcy to greater than about 20 darcy. A process for making such diatomaceous earth product with a low crystalline silica content is disclosed. Moreover, a diatomaceous earth filter aid comprising such a diatomaceous earth product is disclosed.

Diatomaceous earth filter aid containing a low crystalline silica content

A method of producing a range of diatomaceous earth filter aids having selectable permeabilities and less than about 1 percent by weight total crystalline silica. The method includes milling diatomaceous earth ore to a size range of between about 100 micrometers and about 1400 micrometers; calcining the milled diatomaceous earth in a calciner; and milling the calcined diatomaceous earth in an adjustable milling and classification system to produce diatomaceous earth filter aids. Systems to implement such methods and compositions produced by such methods are also described.

Crystalline silica-free diatomaceous earth filter aids and methods of manufacturing the same

A method of removing arsenic and heavy metals from water using metal salt hydroxidegels is provided. The arsenic present in water is adsorbed onto the hydroxide-gels which can effectively be filtered through a diatomaceous earth (DE) filtration bed. The combination of DE mixed hydroxide-gels is also effective in removing arsenic from water and heavy metals from water.

Removal of arsenic from drinking and process water

A device (10) for automatically determining filtration parameters for a sample of a filter aid material includes a measurement tube assembly (14) comprising a generally vertical measurement tube (34) and a septum (40) disposed within the tube for forming a filter cake of a filter aid material, a plurality of actuatable valves (V1-V12) coupled to the inlet (32) and discharge (44) of the measurement tube assembly for controlling water flow into and out of the assembly, a control and processor system (17) including a computer (200) operable to control the valves in accordance with a predetermined cycle to flush a slurry of filter aid into the measurement tube assembly and then cause water to flow under pressure through the measurement tube assembly and through a filter cake formed on the septum, and instrumentation (110, 120, 122, 130, 140) for measuring parameters needed for determining filtration parameters. The computer receives output signals from the instrumentation and calculates filtration parameters such as permeability and wet bulk density.

Growing community of inventors

Reno, NV, United States of America

Peter Edward Lenz