Kennecott Copper Corporation

Occidental Research Corporation

Theodore C Frankiewicz

Robert E Lueders

Oxygenated hydrocarbons are contacted with a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite for conversion into hydrocarbons.

Process for converting oxygenated hydrocarbons into hydrocarbons

Organic waste is converted to hydrocarbons by a process which comprises the steps of:

The instant invention relates to a method of converting the solid organic fraction of solid waste into a powdered fuel which comprises heating said solid organic fraction in the presence of formaldehyde for a time and at a temperature sufficient to embrittle said solid organic fraction, comminuting said embrittled solid organic fraction to a powder which is less than a predetermined particle size, and recovering said powder. The solid organic fraction may be separated from the solid waste prior to treatment by the process of this invention or alternatively the solid waste can be treated by the method of this invention and the embrittled organic fraction separated therefrom. Formaldehyde may be added to the solid organic fraction as an aqueous solution, a gas, or solid, e.g. as paraformaldehyde. The embrittling process takes place at a temperature of at least 125.degree. C., preferably from 150.degree. C. to 250.degree. C. and said embrittled solid organic fraction is preferably comminuted to a predetermined particle size of less than 10 mesh.

Use of formaldehyde as a chemical embrittling agent for waste

Sulfidic minerals containing metal values such as copper, silver, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, zinc, iron, or mixtures thereof are leached in two stages. In the second stage, preleached minerals are oxidized with nitrogen dioxide to enable the metal values to be solubilized in the aqueous acidic leach liquor in that stage. During the reaction, the nitrogen dioxide is reduced to nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is oxidized to nitrogen dioxide by oxygen. The acidic metal bearing liquor from the second stage flows to a first stage where it preleaches fresh minerals. The metal bearing liquor is delivered from the first stage to metal recovery while preleached minerals are delivered to the second stage.

Metal leaching from concentrates using nitrogen dioxide in acids

An energy efficient process is disclosed for the hydrometallurgical oxidation of sulfidic minerals containing copper, silver, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, or zinc values. A high density slurry, e.g., 67% by weight solids, is prepared from a particulate sulfide mineral and water. Nitrogen dioxide and preferably also oxygen are added to the slurry to oxidize the sulfidic minerals and to produce solubilized cations and nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is oxidized to nitrogen dioxide, thereby regenerating the principal oxidant. If oxygen is added to the slurry along with NO.sub.2, then the regeneration occurs in-situ.

High slurry density sulfidic mineral leaching using nitrogen dioxide

Sulfidic minerals containing metal values such as copper, silver, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, zinc, iron, or mixtures thereof are oxidized with nitrogen dioxide to enable the metal values to be solubilized in an aqueous acidic leach liquor. In practicing the invention, the minerals are added to an aqueous acidic leach liquor and a nitrogen dioxide containing gas is sparged through the slurry to oxidize the metal values. During the reaction, the nitrogen dioxide is reduced to nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is oxidized to nitrogen dioxide by oxygen, either in-situ, or in a separate off-gas oxidizer.

Copper leaching employing nitrogen dioxide as oxidant

Process for quantitatively converting non-ferrous metals chosen from the group consisting of copper, nickel, cobalt, vanadium, and manganese in an ore concentrate to soluble sulfates and simultaneously convert the ferrous values in the ore to insoluble oxides. The process comprises roasting finely divided ore particles at a temperature in excess of 650.degree. C. in the presence of a roaster gas comprising at least a stoichiometric amount of oxygen and at least 1% SO.sub.2. The roasting is performed in the presence of a sufficient amount of a mixture of salts to allow the formation of a liquid coating on the ore particles. In a preferred embodiment, the mixed salt which forms the liquid coating comprises Na.sub.2 SO.sub.4 and K.sub.2 SO.sub.4 with the ratio of sodium to potassium being between 1.0 and 2.0.

Growing community of inventors

Westminster, CA, United States of America

Theodore C Frankiewicz