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GB2566251A - Absorbent Material - Google Patents

Absorbent Material Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2566251A
GB2566251A GB1710670.9A GB201710670A GB2566251A GB 2566251 A GB2566251 A GB 2566251A GB 201710670 A GB201710670 A GB 201710670A GB 2566251 A GB2566251 A GB 2566251A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
absorbent material
substrate
mineral
treatment chamber
gypsum
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB1710670.9A
Other versions
GB2566251B (en
GB201710670D0 (en
Inventor
Frederick Jauncey Paul
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GOBBLER BOATS Ltd
GOBBLER BOATS Ltd
Original Assignee
GOBBLER BOATS Ltd
GOBBLER BOATS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by GOBBLER BOATS Ltd, GOBBLER BOATS Ltd filed Critical GOBBLER BOATS Ltd
Priority to GB1710670.9A priority Critical patent/GB2566251B/en
Publication of GB201710670D0 publication Critical patent/GB201710670D0/en
Publication of GB2566251A publication Critical patent/GB2566251A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2566251B publication Critical patent/GB2566251B/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C09DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • C09KMATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • C09K3/00Materials not provided for elsewhere
    • C09K3/32Materials not provided for elsewhere for absorbing liquids to remove pollution, e.g. oil, gasoline, fat
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21HPULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H17/00Non-fibrous material added to the pulp, characterised by its constitution; Paper-impregnating material characterised by its constitution
    • D21H17/03Non-macromolecular organic compounds
    • D21H17/05Non-macromolecular organic compounds containing elements other than carbon and hydrogen only
    • D21H17/14Carboxylic acids; Derivatives thereof
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21HPULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H17/00Non-fibrous material added to the pulp, characterised by its constitution; Paper-impregnating material characterised by its constitution
    • D21H17/63Inorganic compounds
    • D21H17/66Salts, e.g. alums
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21HPULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H17/00Non-fibrous material added to the pulp, characterised by its constitution; Paper-impregnating material characterised by its constitution
    • D21H17/63Inorganic compounds
    • D21H17/67Water-insoluble compounds, e.g. fillers, pigments
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D21PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
    • D21HPULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D21H21/00Non-fibrous material added to the pulp, characterised by its function, form or properties; Paper-impregnating or coating material, characterised by its function, form or properties
    • D21H21/14Non-fibrous material added to the pulp, characterised by its function, form or properties; Paper-impregnating or coating material, characterised by its function, form or properties characterised by function or properties in or on the paper
    • D21H21/22Agents rendering paper porous, absorbent or bulky
    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E02HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
    • E02BHYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
    • E02B15/00Cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water; Apparatus therefor
    • E02B15/04Devices for cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like floating materials by separating or removing these materials

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Solid-Sorbent Or Filter-Aiding Compositions (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)

Abstract

An absorbent material especially for use in the recovery of spilled oil is disclosed, comprising a polymeric carbohydrate substrate e.g. cellulose, paper having at least one fatty acid, at least one water soluble ion to form an ammonium ion complex and an ammonium ion donor, the absorbent material further comprising a non-toxic mineral e.g. gypsum dispersed within the substrate. A process for manufacturing such a material is also disclosed.

Description

Absorbent material
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to absorbent material, especially but not limited to the field of recovering spilled crude oil and other materials. Other materials to which the present invention may be suitable for recovering may be milk and fermented products, which may be spilled during transport for example. The material of the present invention may be used to absorb the potentially-hazardous fat- or oil-based portions of such spilled materials to leave only water-based portions behind.
BACKGROUND ART
The problem of recovering spilled crude oil is well known. There have been several high-profile incidents in which crude oil has spilled into the environment accidentally, causing damage to the environment such as ecosystems, vegetation, sea-life, coastlines, beaches, riverbanks and so on. Spilled oil can cause long-term environmental damage, health issues for local human and animal populations, damage to farmland and river systems, and the like. It is a major problem. The problem is especially difficult when oil and related material is washed ashore.
Pollution and fumes therefrom can significantly affect the health of resident local human populations, reducing life-expectancy significantly. Furthermore, spillage and its accompanying negative effects can arise during la nd-transportation of oil products, such as by leakage or other spillage from pipelines.
-2US4780518 of Ceaser disclosed a water-repellent polymeric carbohydrate composition, in which a substantial number of the carbohydrate moieties are reacted with a metal/ammonium complex. The result is useful as an oil absorbent material. The fibrous substrate of the invention of Ceaser can be derived from cellulose, wool or other fibrous material having an active hydroxyl group.
In certain forms, the Ceaser material is effective in absorbing oil from - for example aquatic environments because a paper-based substrate can float on water while absorbing oil from the surface of said water and can subsequently be collected for later processing or disposal.
However, we have found that the material described by Ceaser is sometimes not suited to the situations in which an absorbent material is required in practice. In particular, distribution of material according to Ceaser does not have the required density for controlled distribution in aquatic and/or land-based environments or at the boundary between the two such as coastlines and riverbanks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an absorbent material comprising a polymeric carbohydrate substrate having at least one fatty acid, at least one water soluble ion to form an ammonium ion complex and an ammonium ion donor, the absorbent material further comprising a non-toxic mineral dispersed within the substrate.
The polymeric carbohydrate substrate may be substantially cellulose. Such cellulose fibre may be derived from paper. Recycled newspaper is a preferred substrate because it can be ground to a fine powder which is especially suitable as a substrate. Alternatively, corrugated paper or paper-board can provide a less preferred substrate.
The mineral may be gypsum. Gypsum is non-toxic and widely used as a fertiliser. Thus, any gypsum which may remain in the environment after the absorbent material has been removed is unlikely to taint the environment in which it remains. Indeed, where the affected environment is farmland, the presence of gypsum may actually improve the usefulness of the land, once the spilled oil and related materials have been removed.
-3Alternatively, but less preferred, the mineral may be ground lime (such as agricultural lime) or ammonium sulphate nitrate.
The mineral may preferably comprise approximately 5% to 25% of the overall weight of the absorbent material. Preferably the mineral comprises approximately 10% of the overall weight of the absorbent material. It will be appreciated that these percentages are central figures within a range, as the precise overall density of the material will be selected according to the situation in which the material is to be used.
The addition of such a proportion of mineral does not reduce the absorbency of the material to a detrimental extent. A selection of around 10% by weight of gypsum as the mineral has been found to provide a good balance between additional density and maintenance of effective absorption. Furthermore, such a proportion has been found not to be detrimental to subsequent processing or recycling of the material.
The material may be provided in pellet form. Alternatively the material may be provided in powdered form.
The material of the present invention is thus denser than the previously-known material, and this additional density aids the controlled distribution of the material of the present invention. For example, material of the present invention may be distributed at controlled layer thicknesses of material across a surface of a body of water by a water-going vessel or across a piece of land by a land-going vehicle or vessel. One possible vessel or vehicle for water and land and indeed coastal situations may be an air-ride vehicle such as a hovercraft.
An air-ride vehicle inevitably gives rise to air currents which may otherwise disrupt distribution of an absorbent material, and so the additional density of the material of the present invention enables a more efficient distribution when such a vehicle is providing the means for distribution.
Once oil and/or other pollutants have been absorbed by the material of the present invention the resulting material can be removed for disposal or conversion to useful material or recycled for use as biomass fuel.
-4The present invention also relates to a process for manufacturing absorbent material in which:
- a polymeric carbohydrate substrate is provided to a treatment chamber;
- the substrate is ground to a powder;
- reactants are added to the treatment chamber;
- an alkali is added to the treatment chamber;
- a mineral is dispersed into the treatment chamber; and
- the resulting material is dried.
The polymeric carbohydrate substrate may be substantially cellulose, and may be derived from paper. A preferred source of cellulose may be recycled newspaper.
Suitable reactants may be selected from metal oxides and carbonates, as well as saturated fatty acids. A preferred combination of reactants is zinc oxide, ammonium carbonate and stearic acid. A preferred alkali is sodium hydroxide.
A preferred mineral is gypsum.
The reactants may be mixed before being added to the treatment chamber. In a preferred arrangement, the reactants are mixed with a high screw speed mixer. The mixer may be rotating at approximately 250 revolutions per minute (rpm).
The alkali may be added to the treatment chamber in the form of an aqueous spray or mist via a port formed within the chamber. The mineral may be added to the treatment chamber via a port formed within the chamber.
The treatment chamber may be rotated during at least part of the manufacturing process. The treatment chamber may further be agitated during at least part of the manufacturing process.
The process may further comprise the step of forming the treated powder into pellet form.
-5EXAMPLE
In one example, an absorbent material comprising a substrate of cellulose fibre derived from recycled newspaper and having 10% of its weight of gypsum was spread in a layer on sand which had been contaminated by crude oil. After approximately ten minutes, substantially all of the oil had been removed from the surface of the sand.
Material embodying the present invention may be sufficiently hydrophobic that it may take in excess of 150 hours for such material to become saturated with water when dispersed on a surface of either fresh or salt water.
The material of this example was made by performing the following steps:
1. Clean waste paper is added to the machine and ground to a fine filament finish.
2. Blend chemicals dry with high screw speed mixer at 250rpm:
zinc oxide,
Ammonium Carbonate, stearic acid.
3. Inject blended mixture into the machine via the dedicated port while the drum is revolving.
4. Dissolve Sodium hydroxide in water and add as a spray/mist via the dedicated port to the revolving drum for approximately 20 minutes.
5. Add Gypsum powder to the mix and further revolve/agitate for 10 minutes, or until product is sufficiently heat dried for packaging.
It will of course be understood that many variations may be made to the abovedescribed embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (13)

1. An absorbent material comprising a polymeric carbohydrate substrate having at least one fatty acid, at least one water soluble ion to form an ammonium ion complex, and an ammonium ion donor, the absorbent material further comprising a non-toxic mineral dispersed within the substrate.
2. An absorbent material according to claim 1 in which the substrate comprises cellulose fibres.
3. An absorbent material according to claim 1 in which the substrate comprises substantially paper.
4. An absorbent material according to any preceding claim in which the mineral comprises approximately 5% to 25% of the overall weight of the material.
5. An absorbent material according to any preceding claim in which the mineral comprises approximately 10% of the overall weight of the material.
6. An absorbent material according to any preceding claim in which the mineral is gypsum.
7. An absorbent material according to claim 6 in which the gypsum comprises approximately 10% of the overall weight of the material.
8. An absorbent material according to any preceding claim in which the material is provided in pellet or powdered form.
9. A process for manufacturing an absorbent material comprising the steps of:
- providing a polymeric carbohydrate substrate into a treatment chamber;
- grinding the substrate to a powder;
- adding reactants to the treatment chamber;
- adding an alkali to the treatment chamber;
- dispersing a mineral into the treatment chamber; and
- drying the resulting material.
10. A process according to claim 9, in which the treatment chamber is rotated during at least part of the process.
11. A process according to claim 9 or claim 10 in which the reactants comprise zinc oxide,
5 ammonium carbonate and stearic acid and the alkali is sodium hydroxide.
12. A process according to any of claims 9 to 11, further comprising the step of forming the resulting material into pellet form.
13. A process according to any of claims 9 to 12 in which the absorbent material is according to any of claims 1 to 8.
GB1710670.9A 2017-07-03 2017-07-03 Absorbent Material Active GB2566251B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1710670.9A GB2566251B (en) 2017-07-03 2017-07-03 Absorbent Material

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1710670.9A GB2566251B (en) 2017-07-03 2017-07-03 Absorbent Material

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201710670D0 GB201710670D0 (en) 2017-08-16
GB2566251A true GB2566251A (en) 2019-03-13
GB2566251B GB2566251B (en) 2022-07-27

Family

ID=59592368

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1710670.9A Active GB2566251B (en) 2017-07-03 2017-07-03 Absorbent Material

Country Status (1)

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4780518A (en) * 1987-02-24 1988-10-25 Ceaser Anthony V Oil spill absorbent material
WO1990004455A1 (en) * 1988-10-17 1990-05-03 Anthony Ceaser Oil spill absorbent material
KR20130028825A (en) * 2011-09-10 2013-03-20 전원제 Mineral clay immobilized on meltblown non-woven fabrics with excellent hydroscopicity and methods for preparing the same for base oil and lubricants skimmer

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4780518A (en) * 1987-02-24 1988-10-25 Ceaser Anthony V Oil spill absorbent material
WO1990004455A1 (en) * 1988-10-17 1990-05-03 Anthony Ceaser Oil spill absorbent material
KR20130028825A (en) * 2011-09-10 2013-03-20 전원제 Mineral clay immobilized on meltblown non-woven fabrics with excellent hydroscopicity and methods for preparing the same for base oil and lubricants skimmer

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2566251B (en) 2022-07-27
GB201710670D0 (en) 2017-08-16

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