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By F. V. Tideswell

THE suggestion, which appears to find increasing favor, that the elementary composition of coals should be used as the basis of their classification, makes it important that our methods of expressing this elementary composition should be refined. It is doubtful whether many published ultimate analyses of coals are accurate within 1 per cent. carbon. Many are probably as much as 3 or 2 per cent. in error in carbon. It is, perhaps, not always realized that the extreme variation in carbon content over the range of bituminous coals is but 16 per cent. An error of 1 per cent. in carbon on analysis corresponds therefore with one-sixteenth of the whole range, an amount which is unjustifiable even for the application to commercial needs of a system of classification based on ultimate analysis. For the purposes of scientific research such limited accuracy is of little value. The object of this paper is to examine one important source of error in ultimate analysis, that due to the occurrence in coal of inorganic material, and to emphasize the need for the quantitative measurements (of carbon more particularly) on coals to be rendered independent of their contents of such material.

Jan 1, 1928

By W. F. Wheeler

IN the study of the coals of Illinois now being carried on by the State Geological Survey, an attempt is being made to determine the most satisfactory basis of comparison between different coals. The following discussion is based upon work done for the survey in the laboratories of the State University and under the general direction of Prof. S. W. Parr. " Pure coal " has been defined by Mr. A. Bement1 as ash- and moisture-free coal, and the use of this " pure coal " as a basis for comparing different bituminous coals has lately been much discussed among engineers in the middle West. By some the B.t.u. of the pure coal is being used to check calorimetric results, and to calculate the calorific value of different coal-samples from the same seam, for which purposes it is necessary to assume-first, that the composition and calorific value of pure coal from different parts of the same coal-seam are uniform, and, second, that these values remain constant after the coal is mined, both of which assumptions there are reasons to believe are inconsistent with the facts. Certain variables are included in pure coal, as ordinarily defined, and disregard of them may lead to serious error. In any event, where delicate shades of difference are involved, no sure interpretation of results can be made, unless these variables be eliminated. As a basis of comparison between coals, ash- and moisture-free coal is much to be preferred to " dry coal," and still more is it to be preferred to " moist coal," as ordinarily reported in analyses. There are, however, two constituents other than ash and moisture which are similar in effect to them, and which

Jan 1, 1908

By W. F. Wheeler

A discussion of the paper of W. F. Wheeler, presented at the Toronto Meeting, July, 1907 (Trans., xxxviii., 621 to 632). A. BEMENT, Chicago, Ill. (communication to the Secretary*):¬Formerly it was the general practice of engineers to designate coal that is free from moisture and ash as " combustible,", not-withstanding that it contains oxygen and nitrogen. The origin of this practice was more particularly due to the requirements in connection with boiler-testing, which demanded a consideration of that portion of the fuel which took part in the combustion-process because results based on a unit of either moist or dry coal were not comparable, since both moisture and ash were recognized as variable quantities. Thus, a pound of " combustible " became a standard of value, and was treated as a constant before employing measurements of heating-power and calculating therefrom the percentage of efficiency. The recognition of this term ." combustible" was an advance to be credited to the engineer .rather than to the chemist, because the latter, not having to do with the interpretation of analysis in practice outside the laboratory, usually saw no reason for reporting results in terms other than those of the moist-coal composition. Some years ago I needed a table of fuel-composition in terms of moist, dry, moisture-free and ash-free coal, and of the combustible components. This table required the use of the word combustible in its proper sense, for the purpose of designating carbon, hydrogen, and sulphur, instead of including these three elements with oxygen and nitrogen, to which aggregate the term combustible was formerly applied. To make such a tabulation involved either the use of the inconvenient and cumbersome term, "ash and moisture-free coal," or of some other representative term, and for this purpose I adopted the expression " pure coal," which is short, simple, convenient, and technically correct. It is also harmonious, because it agrees

Sep 1, 1908

By T. D. Yensen

IF the question should be asked at this time: "Does pure iron have allotropic transformations?" the reply would necessarily be, "We do not know." And it is doubtful whether anybody, anywhere, is in a FIG. 1.-EFFECT OF CARBON ON HYSTERESIS LOSS OF IRON-SILICON ALLOYS. (ALL OTHER IMPURITIES AND EFFECT. OF GRAIN SIZE ELIMINATED.) position to make any other reply at this time, for the simple reason that pure iron has not yet been made and tested. The nearest approach to it contains either an appreciable amount of carbon or else an appreciable amount of oxygen (a few hundredths of a per cent.). But why be con-

Jan 1, 1929

By J. G. Thompson

IRON, iron everywhere, but hardly a particle of pure unadulterated iron for the metallurgist to use as a base for the protean characteristics that he develops in the alloys of iron-the modern steels. Iron, next to aluminum the most abundant metal in the crust of the earth; one of the oldest metals known to man and serving him as the most indispensable metal in both war and peace; yet man's knowledge of its properties is based on specimens that are not pure and hence probably differ considerably in their properties from the truly pure metal. Purification of iron has brought about startling changes in its electrical and magnetic properties and has modified its behavior in changing its crystal form with temperature, the basis of the heat-treatment of iron. So both the research metallurgist and the metallurgist of the steel plant are intrigued by the possibilities that might unfold were 100 per cent pure iron available in sufficient quantities to determine its properties.

Jan 1, 1940

By Adam Powell, Salvador Barriga, Matthew Earlam

"The inert anode is a key enabling technology for dramatic energy and emissions reduction in extractive metallurgy. In molten salts, the materials challenge is nearly insurmountable: the anode must conduct electrons at high temperature in a pure oxygen and molten salt environment. A solid electrolyte, e.g. zirconia, between the salt and anode removes the molten salt stability constraint, and can act as a container for a liquid metal anode. This can be liquid silver for oxygen-generating inert anodes, or several metals for natural gas-fueled anodes; it is possible to switch between these modes. The solid electrolyte brings several other benefits: it eliminates molten salt contamination of the anode gas, creates a reducing environment enabling low-cost steel vessels, increases current efficiency, and eliminates carbon contamination of the product. New developments presented here, including current collector and low-cost anode designs, amplify these benefits for producing aluminum, magnesium, rare-earths, and other metals.IntroductionReactive metals such as magnesium, aluminum and rare-earths play increasing roles in efficient transportation and clean energy. In response to new fuel economy standards, automotive OEMs are planning large increases in use of aluminum and magnesium to reduce vehicle weight. Rareearth permanent magnet motors and generators exhibit better power-to-weight and efficiency than induction motors and other designs, making this today's primary motor technology for hybrid and electric vehicles, and for wind turbines. Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries with lanthanum are dominant in hybrids. In 2011, transportation comprised 28.6 out of 103.1 EJ of US energy consumption [1] and 1,845 out of 5,471 million metric tonnes (MMT = 109 kg) CO2e of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1], creating big targets for economy-wide reductions.Unfortunately processes for making reactive metals for these applications are very inefficient and heavily-polluting. In primary aluminum production, Hall-Heroult cell electricity use [2] is more than double the reaction enthalpy due to heat losses through frozen cryolite side-walls and anode gases, graphite anode plants add significant energy use and GHG emissions [2] (see Table 1). Magnesium is even worse: silicothermic reduction by the Pidgeon process in China produces about 85% of the world's magnesium using coal or coke gas [3]. Chloride electrolysis begins with high-purity MgO and requires carbochlorination or hydrochlorination and costly chloride dehydration [4]—rendered unnecessary for aluminum by the Hall-Heroult cell. Production of neodymium and lanthanum with graphite anodes leads to inconsistent carbon content: small cells make 1 kg batches for analysis, sorting and sale by carbon content, with very high labor and analysis costs. And vertical electrodes give no incentive to reduce anode effect: some reports indicate that China's rare-earth metal industry emits more CF4 and C2F6—with global warming potential (GWP) 6500 and 9200 times CO2 respectively—than China's aluminum industry [5]."

Jan 1, 2014

By L. A. Wasselle

The Israel Mining Industries Institute for Research and Development has developed, during recent years, a number of new processes for fertilizer materials. Their phosphoric acid processes, however, are capable of producing an acid of far higher quality than that normally associated with fertilizer grade acid. This paper will discuss two of these processes showing the quality attainable and the capital and operating costs for, U. S. conditions. The Standard IMI Process is based on the acidulation of phosphate rock with hydrochloric acid and involves solvent extraction for the separation of high quality, phosphoric acid from the resulting solution. The IMI Purification Process applies the same solvent extraction technique to the purification of a wet process phosphoric acid from sulfuric acidulated rock. IMI has built and operated a semi-works scale demonstration plant for the standard process. The first commercial plant was started up in; Japan in 1962. This small seven metric ton per day plant is currently producing a furnace quality acid. A larger 50 metric ton per day plant is nearing completion in Brazil. Another 50 metric ton per day plant is under design while a large plant with a capacity in excess of 150 metric ton per day is in the planning stage. Both of the latter facilities are for Israel.

Jan 1, 1966

By A. B. Kinzel

SILICON, unfortunately, is not in the same category as some other metals with respect to the absolute value of the highest purity material prepared. Tucker, in England, and Becket, in this country have devel-oped procedures for the purification of silicon, and Becket's process has made industrially available silicon of a purity of 99.8 per cent or better. However, even the term "silicon metal" may be a paradox to some people, although not more so than the term "amorphous" as applied to silicon. These terms come from commerce, and "metal" is used to distinguish industrially high-purity silicon from ferrosilicon, silicon-aluminum, and other high-silicon alloys. Alloys of iron and silicon with 95 per cent Si or less are known as ferrosilicon, with a designation of silicon content where necessary, and the terns "silicon metal" is invariably applied to the grades containing 96 per cent Si and higher. The Becket method of purification was referred to in a monograph on the Alloys of Iron and Silicon, and the Tucker procedure was described in some detail in that publication.1 In order to get silicon of still higher purity, a sample, prepared by the Becket method, analyzing 99.84 per cent Si, 0.020 Fe, 0.016 Al, 0.005 Ca, 0.025 C, 0.033 per cent 02, 0.006 H2, 0.006 N2, and 0.001 per cent Mn, was crushed to pass a 100-mesh sieve said further purified by a modification of Tucker's procedure. This modification differs from Tucker's method in that after treatment the 100-mesh alloy was centrifuged to remove the last traces of acid. Our directly determined analysis of this purified sample shows: Si, 99.952 per cent; Fe, 0.009; Al, 0.012; Ca, 0.003; C, 0.006; or 99.982 per cent. Silicon by difference equals 99.97 per cent. The variation between silicon by difference and silicon as directly determined is important. Although Tucker mentions the amount of insoluble matter in commercial silicon both before and after his treat-ment, he does not mention the existence of carbon in the alloy; neverthe-less, lie reports silicon by difference. Any final figure as to purity obviously results from agreement between direct determination and

Jan 1, 1939

By E. C. Truesdale

A FEW years ago H. M. Cyr, working in the Research Laboratories of The New Jersey Zinc Co., produced a few pounds of zinc1 of such purity that no other elements were detected in it by spectrographic analysis, using the facilities then available. This zinc contained less than one ten-thousandth of one per cent of metallic impurities.2 During the decade that followed upon the laboratory production of this "spectro-graphically pure" zinc, commercial developments brought about the production of large tonnages of zinc of purity exceeding 99.99 per cent, and today zinc of 99.999 per cent purity is produced and marketed as "chemically pure" zinc. Typical analyses of present supplies of high-purity zinc are given in Table 1. TABLE 1.-Typical Analyses Percentage by Weight Sum of Zinc Pb, Fe, Pb Fe Cd Al Cd Special High Grades 0.007b 0.005b 0.0056 none 0.0106 C.P. (chemically pure) <0.0002 0.0005° 0.000052 S.P. (spectrographically pure).. <0.0002d <0.00005d a A.S.T.M. Standard Specification for Special High Grade Slab Zinc (A.S.T.M. Designation: B 6-37). b Maximum. c Fe chemically determined. Pb and Cd are spectrographically determined. d Differences between composition of C.P. and S.P. zinc are discussed later in this paper. The availability of commercial tonnages of special high-grade zinc has been the basis for the development of the zinc-base die-casting alloy industry which, in the year 1936, consumed one-eighth of the zinc used in the United States for all purposes. This and the C.P. and S.P. grades have given impetus to scientific investigations into the properties of pure

Jan 1, 1939

By Carlos Benavente

La actividad sísmica del Perú se origina en el proceso de convergencia de la Placa de Nazca bajo la Sudamericana, donde la geometría de la placa oceánica presenta dos tipos de segmentos, una que subduce con un ángulo de 30º hacia el este y la otra, de bajo ángulo o subducción plana. En esta perspectiva, el presente texto describe la estructura y cinemática de la Falla Purgatorio Mirave (FPM) ubicada en la vertiente pacífica de la Cordillera Occidental del sur del Perú, entre la ciudad de Tacna y Moquegua. Dicha falla tiene una longitud aproximada de 40 km al nivel, donde la placa oceánica subduce con un ángulo de 30º al este y el vector de convergencia es oblicuo en relación a la zona de contacto de las placas. Asimismo, la geometría de la costa afecta también la distribución de la deformación y la morfología resultante. La geometría, morfoestructura y cinemática de la estructura se puede dividir en tres segmentos: el segmento Este presenta una traza de falla rectilínea, morfoestructura bien conservada y el último movimiento de tipo inverso, el segmento central de traza rectilínea y escarpe de falla bien conservado, donde se observa el mayor desnivel de la FPM (3.5 m) y que afecta los depósitos cuaternarios, según las medidas de estrías en el plano de falla nos indica que el ultimo movimiento fue de tipo dextral. Finalmente, el segmento oeste presenta su parte más oriental una traza rectilínea para luego hacerse curvilínea y formar una geometría de tipo cola de caballo o echelón hacia su parte occidental, este segmento muestra evidencias deque su último movimiento es de tipo inverso, formando pliegues de propagación de falla que afectan depósitos cuaternarios.

Sep 14, 2009

By Arshad Ali, Mudassar Khan, Waqas Ahmad, Nisar Muhammad, Muhammad Salman

Talc is an important industrial commodity due to its wide-ranging intrinsic properties; however, the presence of iron oxide hinders its industrial utilization. Herein, we report the purification of Pakistani talc through acid leaching assisted by chlorination techniques. Among various acids (i.e., HF, HCl, H2SO4, HNO3, H3PO4, Aqua Regia, H3BO3, and CH3COOH), HF was the most effectual, removing up to 67% of iron oxide at optimized conditions of temperature, 90–95 °C; time, 120 min; HF concentration of 5%; and at a pH of 1. In the second step, chlorination of the talc sample was performed separately by both wet chlorination and dry chlorination. Wet chlorination was carried out using KMnO4 and HCl in slurry phase which shown about 52% removal of iron oxide, whereas dry chlorination with CaCl2 at high temperature attained about 48% removal of iron oxide from talc sample. Further, the wet chlorination of HF leached samples was also performed under optimized conditions which showed up to 87% iron oxide removal. The original and treated talc samples were characterized by EDX and XRD analysis to monitor the changes in the elemental and mineralogical composition of the talc. It can be concluded that HF leaching followed by wet chlorination is an effective method for the upgradation of low-grade Pakistani talc ores.

Aug 9, 2021

By H. J. Ni, M. Y. Huang, S. W. Chen

The effects of several fluxes on purification, microstructures and properties of A00 aluminium have been studied. The experimental results and analyses indicate that many cracks and large porosities exist in the surface film above the melt purified by C2Cl6 and that the film is floe and mostly composed of AhO3 and pure aluminum, which carries many carbon particles and AlCh not fully volatilized. And then over 50% of the all-melting residue is pure aluminum, which is one of the major reasons for high melting loss. Moreover, because of a mass of gas bubbles and a state of seethe, there exist many inclusions which size is under l0µm in the microstructure of A00 aluminum purified with C2Cl6 or fluxes containing C2Cl6- With this purifying method, the aluminum crystal grains are extended along the radius that was observed firstly and the average crystal size of A00 aluminum are about 100µm~150µm. In addition, small size inclusions have little affected on tensile strength and micro inclusions under l0µm have little affected on elongation.

Jan 1, 2006

By Mustapha A. Raji, Alafara A. Baba, Kuranga I. Ayinla, Misitura Lawal, Abdul G. F. Alabi, Aishat Y. Abdulkareem, Rafiu B. Bale, Folahan A. Adekola, Muhammed O. Muhammed

Increasing demands for pure wolframite ore in the form of ammonium paratungstate (APT), tungsten oxide cannot be over emphasized. Thus, treatment of a Nigerian wolframite ore containing admixtures of scheelite (CaWO4: 96-900-9631) and stolzite (PbWO4: 96-900-9813) by hydrometallurgical route was investigated in hydrochloric acid chelated with phosphoric acid to extract tungsten via solvent extraction. During leaching, parameters such as leachant concentration, chelate dosage and reaction temperature on ore dissolution were examined. At optimal conditions (1.5 mol/L HCl + 2.0 mol/L H3PO4 solution; 75 °C), 95.0% of the initial 10 g/L ore reacted within 120 min. The derived activation energy of 56.80 kJ/mol supported the proposed dissolution mechanism. The unreacted product analyzed by XRD was found to contain siliceous impurities. Tungsten recovery from leachate was carried out by solvent extraction with Aliquat 336 in kerosene. Pure tungsten was recovered as APT and beneficiated to produce high grade industrial tungsten oxide of industrial values.

Mar 1, 2018

By Eduard Stefanescu, James M. Mwase, Egon Sehner, Stoyan Gaydardzhiev

"The study is focused on investigating the production of synthetic rutile of 95% purity or higher from a Norwegian ilmenite ore concentrate. This was to be achieved using a sequential process involving oxidative-reductive roasting at 975°C, followed by magnetic separation to further concentrate the sample and finally leaching with 20% HCl to remove mostly Fe-based impurities leaving behind synthetic rutile. The key process parameters considered were roasting time (1 and 2 hrs), leaching temperature (100, 125 and 145°C), pulp density (15 and 25wt%) and leaching time (3 and 6 hrs). The option of directly leaching the concentrate without pre-treatment was also evaluated. Test work was conducted using samples screened to a size fraction of 105-212 µm. Samples were leached in a 1 L glass autoclave. The reactor was hermetically sealed and thus the resulting pressure was not controlled but was dependent on the process temperature. The product from leaching was calcined and analysed via XRD and SEM to determine the purity of the product. The magnetic separation step was found to be ineffective and discontinued early in the study. Thus far a product with 97% synthetic rutile purity as analysed by SEM has been produced by directly leaching the concentrate at a temperature of 145°C, pulp density of 25wt% and leaching time of 6 hrs.INTRODUCTION The study investigates the use of a process route comprising oxidative-reductive roasting, followed by magnetic separation and then hydrochloric acid leaching and calcination to produce synthetic rutile from ilmenite concentrate. The grade of synthetic rutile produced should be suitable for chlorination to produce pigment grade TiO2. Hence the proposed process should produce a product consisting of no less than 95% synthetic rutile. Additionally, the product should have no more than 1.5wt% combined content of CaO and MgO (Zhang et al., 2011) as they tend to form high-boiling-point chloride leading to the malfunctioning of fluidized bed chlorinator (Cardarelli, 2008). Finally the product should have no more than 2.1wt% of Fe2O3."

Jan 1, 2018

By Yves Dardel

THE literature concerning the remelting of aluminum and its alloys is very rich. Unfortunately the greater part of the papers about this subject have no scientific value, for the theories or explanations are too often in opposition to the laws of physical chemistry. Furthermore only a few of the methods of purification1,2 are considered in the literature. Hence it has seemed necessary to the author to sketch a general theory of the purification of secondary aluminum. The purpose of the purification is to eliminate the impurities that the charges and the atmosphere of the furnaces bring into the bath during the successive remeltings. Indeed scrap as well as metal can be used when soiled with oil, greases, water, .. , if it has been sufficiently dried and contains oxides. At the melting point of the metal, the oils and greases are decomposed into their constituent elements H2, 02, H2O, C02, CO, CH4, and others. These gases are added to the corresponding gases in the atmosphere of the furnace. The impurities introduced into the metal during the remelting will accordingly be the products resulting from the action of these gases on the liquid bath. The quantity of hydrogen that is soluble in aluminum and its alloys is given by the relation of Sieverts3 as a function of its partial pressure PH2 in the atmosphere [m = K _%/PH, [I]] where K is a constant, which depends only upon the temperature and increases with it. The experiments of Röntgen and Braun4, Röntgen and Möller5, Bircumshaw6 and Winterhager7 have rendered it possible to determine the value of K, when the temperature is inferior to 1.000°K. One obtains: [log K = - 4,702.5 + 0.238 [2]] Besides its usual signification, the term PH2 represents also the internal pressure of dissolved hydrogen, since in the equilibrium, that is, when no gas exchange occurs between the two phases, the pressures of hydrogen in the metal and in the atmosphere must be equal. Eq I shows that when the partial pressure of H2 increases the amount of dissolved hydrogen in equilibrium increases, and that, if the contrary occurs, the quantity of H2 should diminish. However, if for any reason the diffusion of hydrogen is hindered and the total amount of dissolved gas remains constant while the temperature lowers, the internal pressure of H2 increases until it reaches the value of the hydrostatic pressure. At this point, bubbles of hydrogen appear in the bath and escape out of it. The amount of hydrogen in the metal is then limited by a maximum depending on the hydrostatic pressure, which is practically equal to one atmosphere. Indeed hydrogen does not accumulate in the form of a hydride appearing as a separate solid phase. However, even the mechanism of the solubility is not yet elucidated. One does not know exactly as yet, whether the

Jan 1, 1947

By Raj P. Singh

Lewatit TP207, a chelating resin with iminodiacetate functional group, is used for the purification of cobalt hexammine chloride solution for divalent cationic impurities (US Patent No. 5,154,757). The method is employed at commercial scale in OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc. cobalt chemical production since 1992. It is observed that after long use in the purification of cobalt hexammine chloride solution, a large number of resin beads tum black from their original beige color. The purpose of this paper was to characterize these black-colored resin beads for their ion exchange behavior. The resin sample used in this work was an exhausted production TP207 resin containing large number of black-colored beads. The results indicated that blackened resin beads can be regenerated to almost full capacity and&apos; their ion exchange behavior for the purification of cobalt hexammine chloride solution was comparable to the new resin.

Jan 1, 2001

By James Norman

DIATOMACEOUS earth occurs in deposits widely distributed throughout the nation. The chief producing areas are in the Western States, where many high-grade deposits are known. Eastern deposits of diatomite are unsatisfactory for many purposes either because of impurity or because of the extremely fine particle size. Eastern users of diatomite, on the whole, must pay for transportation of the material from the west coast. The freight rate is necessarily high because of the great bulk of the diatomite. A satisfactory process of purifying the diatomaceous earths of Maryland and Virginia, which are unsuited for wide use only because of impurities, should be of value to eastern users. In the past, benefication of diatomite by wet processes has been limited to classification or sedimentation for the removal of sand from diatoms. Calcination with salt is used to produce a white diatomite when iron is present in the impurities, and small amounts of clay are rendered inactive in the process. No treatment has been developed whereby a large proportion of clay can be removed from a low-grade diatomaceous earth to give a diatomite of very high purity. In August 1937 the Federal Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with Dr. R. C. Williams, of Baltimore, undertook the problem of purifying low-grade Maryland diatomite by froth flotation. Work was done at the Eastern Experiment Station, College Park. Unless otherwise stated, the crude diatomite used was from the Patuxent River deposits near Dunkirk. This material, consisting of roughly one-third each of clay, quartz sand and diatoms, was representative of the usual low-grade marine diatomite found in the Coastal Plain Miocene beds of Maryland and Virginia and sporadically in other Atlantic coast states. As received, it contained 50 to 60 per cent moisture and probably had been wet since its formation.

Jan 1, 1940

By James Norman

DIATOMACEOUS earth occurs in deposits widely distributed throughout the nation. The chief producing areas are in the Western States, where many high-grade deposits are known. Eastern deposits of diatomite are unsatisfactory for many purposes either because of impurity or because of the extremely fine particle size. Eastern users of diatomite, on the whole, must pay for transportation of the material from the west coast. The freight rate is necessarily high because of the great bulk of the diatomite. A satisfactory process of purifying the diatomaceous earths of Maryland and Virginia, which are unsuited for wide use only because of impurities, should be of value to eastern users. In the past, benefication of diatomite by wet processes has been limited to classification or sedimentation for the removal of sand from diatoms. Calcination with salt is used to produce a white diatomite when iron is present in the impurities, and small amounts of clay are rendered inactive in the process. No treatment has been developed whereby a large proportion of clay can be removed from a low-grade diatomaceous earth to give a diatomite of very high purity. In August 1937 the Federal Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with Dr. R. C. Williams, of Baltimore, undertook the problem of purifying low-grade Maryland diatomite by froth flotation. Work was done at the Eastern Experiment Station, College Park. Unless otherwise stated, the crude diatomite used was from the Patuxent River deposits near Dunkirk. This material, consisting of roughly one-third each of clay, quartz sand and diatoms, was representative of the usual low-grade marine diatomite found in the Coastal Plain Miocene beds of Maryland and Virginia and sporadically in other Atlantic coast states. As received, it contained 50 to 60 per cent moisture and probably had been wet since its formation.

Jan 1, 1940

By Oliver C. Ralston, James Norman

DIATOMACEOUS earth occurs in deposits widely distributed throughout the nation. The chief producing areas are in the Western States, where many high-grade deposits are known. Eastern deposits of diatomite are unsatisfactory for many purposes either because of impurity or because of the extremely fine particle size. Eastern users of diatomite, on the whole, must pay for transportation of the material from the west coast. The freight rate is necessarily high because of the great bulk of the diatomite. A satisfactory process of purifying the diatomaceous earths of Maryland and Virginia, which are unsuited for wide use only because of impurities, should be of value to eastern users. In the past, benefication of diatomite by wet processes has been limited to classification or sedimentation for the removal of sand from diatoms. Calcination with salt is used to produce a white diatomite when iron is present in the impurities, and small amounts of clay are rendered inactive in the process. No treatment has been developed whereby a large proportion of clay can be removed from a low-grade diatomaceous earth to give a diatomite of very high purity. In August 1937 the Federal Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with Dr. R. C. Williams, of Baltimore, undertook the problem of purifying low-grade Maryland diatomite by froth flotation. Work was done at the Eastern Experiment Station, College Park. Unless otherwise stated, the crude diatomite used was from the Patuxent River deposits near Dunkirk. This material, consisting of roughly one-third each of clay, quartz sand and diatoms, was representative of the usual low-grade marine diatomite found in the Coastal Plain Miocene beds of Maryland and Virginia and sporadically in other Atlantic coast states. As received, it contained 50 to 60 per cent moisture and probably had been wet since its formation.

Jan 1, 1940

By Forssberg KSE

Purification of GAsgruvan Limestone is carried out by anionic, cationic and cationic followed by anionic flotations in order to obtain a calcite concentrate that is acceptable to the paper industry. The results indicate that such a concentrate could be achieved by first carrying out the separation of siliceous gangue minerals by cationic flotation followed by the separation of carbonate during the anionic flotation. Stearylamine acetate (Flotigam SA) and a modified fatty acid (OMC 357) are found to be selective during cationic and anionic flotation, respectively. A final product containing 99.25 per cent calcite with a recovery of around 80 per cent is obtained. It is hoped that these results could be further improved by the follow-up process variable studies, in particular, the effect of reagent dosages and conditioning time at each stage of cationic and anionic flotation steps.

Jan 1, 1993