Evaporite mineral solution mining process and apparatus comprising the steps of undercutting a bed or massive deposit by in-air jetting with an aqueous solution followed by solution mining of the mineral above the undercut with monitoring and control to cease the solution mining when the roof rock is adequately exposed to maintain a stable roof and stable pillar support. The resulting cavity exhibits steeply angled, nearly vertical sidewalls, flared upwardly and outwardly only 10° to 15° from the vertical plane normal to the edges of the undercut as compared to 45° typical for morning glory cavities. A first plan vertical production well is drilled with a sump provided substantially adjacent to the floor rock. A second horizontal well is developed up dip to intersect and communicate with the production well. The air jet tool mechanism provides horizontal, slightly upwardly inclined jets (0°-15°) which cut the mineral laterally on both sides of the tool which is gradually withdrawn up dip as the undercut progresses. The tool also includes and EMR ranging system, preferably a radar system, and a MWD unit to transmit data to the surface. This permits undercut width control to develop a substantially rectangular undercut profile. The subsequent controlled solution mining provides a substantially rectangular room throughout the entire horizontal length which provides improved mineral recovery, steeply angled pillar wall profiles controlled roof span and increased dissolution rate. The method and apparatus is applicable to beds having dips from 0°-90° and multiple beds with or without partings.

Method and apparatus for solution mining

A method of treating solid waste in soil or solid disposed waste containing unacceptable levels of leachable metals, such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, zinc, copper and chromium, includes mixing the solid waste or soil in place with a phosphate source or a carbonate source or ferrous sulfate. After the solid waste and the additive are mixed, if needed an additional pH controlling agent is mixed into the soil or waste and additive. After the solid waste and additive and pH controlling agent are mixed under conditions which support reaction between the additive, pH controlling agent and metals, the metals will be converted to non-leachable forms which are relatively stable under normal environmental conditions. The treatment additives can be introduced and contacted with the soil or waste in any of the following techniques: spreading the additives on top of the soil or waste and mixing with a mechanical device, such as a rotary tiller, adding the treatment chemical through an infiltration gallery as a solution or slurry, injecting a soluble additive through injection nozzles or injection wells, and adding a treatment additive through a hollow-shaft auger and in-place mechanical mixing.

In situ method for decreasing heavy metal leaching from soil or waste

An exhaust gas treatment system is provided that can sufficiently remove pollutants such as SO3 contained in combustion exhaust gas at low cost. In the exhaust gas treatment system for removing pollutants such as SO3 contained in combustion exhaust gas, there is provided dissolved salt aqueous solution sprays 35A, 35B, and 35C, that spray an Na2SO4 aqueous solution obtained from desulfurization effluent of a wet desulfurization system, into a flue though which the combustion exhaust gas flows.

Exhaust gas treatment system and exhaust gas treatment method

The invention relates to a substance which lowers LDL cholesterol levels in serum and which is fat soluble β-sitostanol fatty acid ester, and to a method for preparing and using the same. The substance can be taken orally as a food additive, food substitute or supplement. A daily consumption of the β-sitostanol ester in an amount between about 0.2 and about 20 g/day has been shown to reduce the absorption of biliary and endogenic cholesterol.

Substance for lowering high cholesterol level in serum and methods for preparing and using the same

Material, such as, for example, sealed double bags of asbestos (24) containing waste or ash from infectious waste or toxic material or radioactive waste, is transferred into a glass melt of a furnace (10). Gas bubbles released into the melt form a gas curtain (12) which causes enhanced mixing of the material to accelerate the dissolution of the components of the added material (7). The presence of the gas bubbles (12) reduces the cross section of the molten glass (32) through which current passes, which in turn increases the electrical resistance of the glass melt (32) or power density at constant current. A highly oxidizing hot region is produced under the location where the material is introduced into the furnace (10). Drawn off glass is shaped and quenched into at least two sizes of approximate spheres (23). The spheres (23) are cooled sufficiently fast to be thermally tempered and have a surface compressive strength level above 5000 psi.

Process for vitrifying asbestos containing waste, infectious waste, toxic materials and radioactive waste

A process for manufacture of glass using a wet or dry sodium alkali source, preferably of the carbonate type such as crude Nahcolite Ore, either raw or calcined, sodium carbonate or the like for SOx and furnace particulates emissions control and for Na2O values The SOx and particulates are collected in a baghouse in which dry powdered Nahcolite Ore is used in the dual function of a particulates filter aid and as an absorbent which reacts with the SOx to form NawHySzOx, principally Na2SO3/SO4 or the corresponding hydrosulfite, sulfide, hyro-, tetra- and pentasulfides, bisulfite, bisulfate, peroxydisulfate, pyrosulfate, or pyrosulfite In a second embodiment an aqueous sodium alkali, such as an NaHCO3 or Na2CO3 solution, preferably raw or calcined crude Nahcolite Ore dissolved in water, is sprayed at a controlled rate into the hot (200*-1500*F) flue gases coming off the glass furnaces The SOx reacts with the sodium alkali solution and the heat of the flue gas dries out the resultant sodium sulfur oxide salts which, along with particulates are collected in the baghouse The baghouse filter cake is recycled to the glass furnace so that the process is in material balance without producing potentially water pollutable wastes

Air pollution control process for glass manufacture

Method for disposal of water soluble sodium sulfur oxide-containing wastes resulting from industrial processes producing fly and/or bottom ash from fossil fuel utilization and waste or excess sodium sulfur oxide compounds, particularly disposal of sodium sulfite and/or sodium sulfate resulting from wet or dry sodium alkali scrubbing of tail or flue gases to reduce SO x emissions therefrom as from smelters, power plants, paper plants, glass plants and industrial boiler operations Process involves mixing sodium sulfur oxide wastes with an alumina and silica-containing fly ash and/or bottom ash, forming an agglomerate, such as a pellet or briquette, and sintering in the range of about (1000°-2300°F) The resultant sintered particle shows lower solubility than the current standard of calcium sulfate, being 10sup -2 to 10sup -4 as soluble as the starting sodium sulfur oxides, has increased density (as high as 23 g/l), and reduced volume as compared to the dry fly ash or sodium sulfur oxide wastes, and fixes heavy metals Fly ash leaching and dusting problems are substantially overcome Sodium sulfur oxides include sodium sulfite, sulfate, bisulfite, bisulfate, thiosulfite, persulfite (pyrosulfite), thiosulfate, persulfate (pyrosulfate), and mixtures thereof Sintered particle may be disposed of by known landfill techniques, or used as an aggregate for mulch, road beds, concrete, asphalt or the like

Sodium sulfur oxides wastes disposal process

Process for control of SOx emissions from copper smelter operations involving pyrometallurgical reduction of copper ores to elemental copper in which the gases from reverberatory furnaces, roasters, and/or converters are scrubbed with a sodium alkali sorbent to produce sodium sulfate and sulfite wastes. The cleaned flue gases are exhausted to the atmosphere. The waste sodium sulfate/sulfite material is then reacted with excess acid from the smelter acid plant and ferrous ion-rich barren solution from the associated cement copper operations to produce co-precipitated double salts of sodium ferric hydroxy-disulfates and/or sulfites (SFH), having low water solubility and being suitable for landfill type disposal without posing serious water pollution problems. This disposes of the sodium sulfite/sulfate waste materials from the air pollution control process and also strips the barren solution of iron prior to its recycle to heap or dump leaching operations. The reduction of ferrous iron concentrations in the recycle barren solution tends to reduce the opportunity for iron hydroxides to be formed in the dump thereby increasing production of copper from aqueous sulfuric acid type leaching operations.

Process for control of SOx emissions from copper smelter operations

Process for insolubilizing water soluble sodium sulfur oxide wastes resulting from backwash of process feedwater demineralizers and cooling tower blowdown wastes. The sodium sulfur oxide wastes, typically sodium sulfate and sulfite, are reacted in solution with ferric ions and sulfuric acid to produce an insoluble, basic hydrous or anhydrous sodium hydroxy ferric sulfate or sulfite compounds of the type Q.sub.v Fe.sub.w (SO.sub.x).sub.y (OH).sub.z.sup.. nH.sub.2 O, wherein Q is NH.sub.4 or Na, v is 1,2,4 or 5, w is selected from 1,2,3,4, or 6, x is 3 and/or 4, y is 2,4,5 or 7 z is 1,2,3,6 or 12, and n is 0 or 3. The principal insoluble compounds include Natrojarosite, Metasideronatrite, Sideronatrite, Depegite which is a mixture of Sideronatrite, Rosarite and Iriite, and mixtures thereof. The reaction takes place at an acid pH in a temperature ranging from about 50.degree.-300.degree. F and may occur in single or multistage reactors. Air and/or bacterial activation at a pH of less than about 5.5 may be employed. The end-product basic, sodium hydroxy ferric sulfate and sulfite compounds are substantially water insoluble, having a solubility of less than the standard calcium sulfate, and may be disposed of by simple landfill without the water pollution hazards inherent with landfilling of wet or dry sodium sulfite or sulfate wastes.

Jacques M Dulin

Papers

Air pollution control process for glass manufacture

Sodium sulfur oxides wastes disposal process

Process for control of SOx emissions from copper smelter operations

Method of insolubilizing demineralizer and cooling tower blowdown wastes

Verfahren zur ueberfuehrung wasserloeslicher, gebundene alkali-metalle und schwefeloxide enthaltender stoffe in einen wasserunloeslichen zustand