MXPA97008060A - Improved catalyst particle, adsorbent and ambient atemperature and manufacturing method and use for the mi - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising the steps of: (a) removing an effective amount of air from a closed chamber containing adsorbent and / or catalytic particle , where the pressure of the resulting chamber is less than one atmosphere, (b) raise the pressure of the chamber with inert gas to at least one atmosphere, (c) contact the particle with a beam of energy energy during a time to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or catalytic properties of the particle and / or produce catalytic properties in the particle. A continuous process directed to step (c) is also provided only. The adsorbent and / or the catalytic particles are also disclosed, methods for the reproduction or elimination of the contaminant including catalysis at room temperature, particle binders, apparatuses of the present invention and methods for increasing the surface area of the adsorbent and / or the particles catalytic

Description

"PARTICLE OF IMPROVED CATALYST, ADSORBENT AND AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE AND USE FOR THE SAME " BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to adsorbent particles having improved adsorbent properties and / or improved and recently existing catalytic properties, including catalytic capacity at room temperature.

ANTECEDENTS OF THE TECHNIQUE The oxides of metals and certain non-metals are known to be useful for removing constituents of a gas or liquid stream by adsorbent mechanisms. For example, the use of activated alumina is considered to be an economical method to treat water for the removal of a variety of contaminants, gases and some liquids. Its highly porous structure allows the preferential adsorptive capacity for moisture and contaminants contained in gases and some liquids. It is useful as a desiccant for gases and vapors in the petroleum industry, and has also been used as a catalyst or catalyst carrier in air and water purification. The removal of contamination such as phosphates by activated alumina is known in the art. See, for example, W. Yee, "Selective Removal of Mixed Phosphates by Activated Alumina", J. Amer. Wa terworks Assoc. Volume 58, pages 239-247 (1966). U.S. Patent No. 5,242,879, issued to Abe et al., Discloses activated carbon materials, which have been subjected to carbonization and activation treatments, and then further subjected to acid treatment and heat treatment in an atmosphere comprising an inert gas or a reducing gas having a high catalytic activity which are suitable as catalysts for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, hydrazines or other water contaminants such as organic acids, quaternary ammonium salts and sulfur-containing compounds. The acid is used to remove the impurities and not to improve the adsorbent particularities. Ion implantation has been used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. U.S. Patent Number 4,843,034, issued to Herndon et al. Discloses methods and systems for manufacturing interlayer conductive paths in integrated circuits, implanting ions in the selected regions of normally insulating layers to change the composition and / or structure of the insulation in the selected regions. It is stated that a wide scale of insulating materials can be made selectively conductive, including polymeric insulators and inorganic insulators, such as nitride oxides or metal carbides or semiconductors. The insulators that have been processed in accordance with this patent include dioxide and silicone, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum oxides and others. It is disclosed that the implanted ions may include ions of silicon, germanium, carbon, boron, arsenic, phosphorus, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum and gold. Typically, the implantation energy varies from about 10 to about 500 KeV. It is disclosed that the step of ion implantation changes the composition and structure of the insulating layer and is believed to also have the effect of displacing oxygen, nitrogen or carbon in order to promote the migration and alloying of the metal from the conductive layer (s) towards the implanted region during the sintering step. The implantation is also believed to have the physical effect of breaking the crystal lattice, which can also facilitate metal fusion. This results in a composite material in the implantation region consisting essentially of a disruptive isolator implanted ions. In the working examples, silicon ions were implanted in the specific region of the silicon dioxide layer using a direct implantation machine. U.S. Patent Number 5,218,179 issued to Matossian et al. Discloses a plasma source arrangement for providing ions for implantation in an object. A large-scale object to be implanted with ions is enclosed in a container. The plasma is generated in a chamber that is separated from and empties into the container for a workload of plasma source ion implantation. The plasma diffuses from the chamber to the container to surround the object with considerably improved density compared to conventional practice. High voltage negative pulses are applied to the object, causing the ions to accelerate from the plasma to and implant in the object. Thus, there has been a need in the art for absorbers that have improved ability to adsorb specific materials, especially contaminants from a gas or liquid stream and thereby purify the stream. Also, there has been a need in the art for catalysts having the capacity or having an improved ability to catalyze the reaction of contaminants in non-polluting byproducts. In addition there has been a need in the art to suitably agglomerate the absorbent particles together to form a composite particle in order to carry out simultaneous multiple purifications and applications.

In the prior art, the particles have been milled and extruded together to retain them in a combined agglomerate state. This has the inconvenience of requiring an expensive extrusion step where a specific equipment and processing time is needed to extrude the particles together. None of the aforementioned documents discloses compounds, compositions or processes, such as those described and claimed herein.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the purpose (s) of this invention, as comprehensively and extensively described herein, this invention, in one aspect relates to a method for producing an improved absorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or to produce a catalytic particle comprising the steps of: (a) removing an effective amount of air from a closed chamber containing an absorbent and / or a catalytic particle wherein the resulting chamber pressure is less than one atmosphere; (b) raising the pressure of the chamber with an inert gas to at least one atmosphere; (c) contacting the particle with a sufficient energy beam and for a period of time sufficient to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle and / or to produce catalytic properties in the particle. The particle produced from this process can have catalytic capacities at room temperature towards specific pollutants. The invention further provides a method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising oxygen in an adsorbent and / or catalytic particle. In still another aspect, the invention relates to the particle manufactured by the process of the invention. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to an improved absorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or a catalytic particle comprising an adsorbent particle that has been treated to provide an excess of oxygen implanted at least on the surface of the particle, to thereby form an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or a catalytic particle. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a binder for binding the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particles in order to produce an agglomerated particle comprising colloidal aluminum oxide and an acid. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for binding the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particles, comprising the steps of: (a) mixing the colloidal aluminum oxide with the particles and an acid; (b) stirring the mixture until homogeneous; and (c) heating the mixture for a period of time sufficient to cause crosslinking of the aluminum oxide in the mixture. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for reducing or eliminating the amount of a contaminant from a gas liquid stream comprising contacting the particle of the invention with the contaminant in the stream, over a period of time. enough to reduce or eliminate the amount of contaminant from the stream. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for adsorbing a contaminant from a gas liquid stream to the adsorbent particle comprising contacting the particle of the invention with the contaminant in the stream for a period of time sufficient to adsorb the contaminant. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for catalyzing the degradation of a hydrocarbon comprising contacting the hydrocarbon with a particle of the invention, for a period of time sufficient to catalyze the degradation of the hydrocarbon. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for reducing or eliminating the amount of a contaminant from a gas stream by catalysis, which comprises contacting the particle of the invention with a gas stream containing a contaminant consisting of of a nitrogen oxide, a sulfur oxide, carbon monoxide or mixtures thereof, for a time sufficient to reduce or eliminate the amount of the contaminant.

In yet another aspect, the invention relates to an apparatus for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising: (a) a chamber medium for containing the particle in a closed system having an inlet gas orifice, an outlet gas orifice and a white plate, the chamber means being able to maintain a vacuum and positive pressures; (b) a means for providing an inlet gas to the chamber means through the inlet gas orifice; (c) a means for removing from the chamber means an effective amount of ambient air therein in order to create a vacuum within the chamber means; and (d) a means for providing a beam of energy to the camera means, the output of the energy beam means being focused on the target plate. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for increasing the surface area of an adsorbent and / or catalytic particle, comprising the steps of: (a) raising the gauge pressure of the chamber of a closed chamber containing the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particle, at least 7.03 kilograms per square centimeter within an inert gas, and (b) rapidly decompress the chamber pressure to thereby increase the surface area of the particle. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or to produce a catalytic particle comprising the steps of: (a) contacting an adsorbent and / or an catalytic particle with an energy beam of sufficient energy for a sufficient period of time to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle, and / or produce catalytic properties in the particle. The additional advantages of the invention will be disclosed in part in the description that follows and in part will be apparent from the description or may be set by the practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be obtained and achieved by means of the elements and combinations indicated with particularity in the appended claims. It should be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and should not restrict the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows an apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle. Figure 2 is a graph showing the reduction of NO using a particle of the invention. Figure 3 is a graph showing the CO reduction, using a particle of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES The present invention can be more easily understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the examples included herein, and to the Figures and their previous and following description. Before making known and describing the present compositions of matter and methods it will be understood that this invention is not limited to specific synthetic methods or to specific formulations since these may vary of course. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific modalities only and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms of "a", "one" and "the" include multiple references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification and the claims that will be given below reference will be made to a number of terms that will be defined as having the following meanings: "Optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes cases where the event or circumstance occurs and cases where it does not occur.

The term "particle" as used herein is used interchangeably therethrough to mean a particle in the singular sense or a combination of smaller particles that are grouped together into a larger particle, such as agglomeration of particles. The term "ppm" refers to parts per million and the term "ppb" refers to parts per billion. GPM is liters per minute. In accordance with the object (s) of this invention, as encompassed and broadly described herein, this invention relates in one aspect to a method for producing an improved absorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or to produce an catalytic particle comprising the steps of: (a) removing an effective amount of air in a closed chamber containing an adsorbent and / or a catalytic particle, wherein the resulting chamber pressure is less than one atmosphere; (b) raising the pressure of the chamber with an inert gas to at least one atmosphere; (c) contacting the particle with a sufficient energy beam, for a period of time sufficient to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle and / or produce catalytic properties in the particle. The particle produced from this process can have catalytic capacities at room temperature towards specific pollutants. The invention further provides a method for producing an improved absorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising the implantation of oxygen in an absorbent and / or catalytic particle. In still another aspect, the invention relates to the particle manufactured by the process of the invention. In still another aspect, the invention relates to an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or a catalytic particle comprising an adsorbent particle that has been treated to provide an excess of oxygen implanted at least on the surface of the particle, to thereby form an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or a catalytic particle. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a binder for binding the absorbent and / or the catalytic particles in order to produce an agglomerated particle comprising colloidal aluminum oxide and an acid. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for binding the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particles, comprising the steps: (a) mixing the colloidal aluminum oxide with the particles and an acid; (b) stirring the mixture until homogeneous; and (c) heating the mixture for a period of time sufficient to cause crosslinking of the aluminum oxide in the mixture. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for reducing or eliminating the amount of a contaminant from a liquid or gas stream comprising contacting the particle of the invention with the contaminant in the stream, for a sufficient time. to reduce or eliminate the amount of contaminant from the stream. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for absorbing a contaminant from a liquid or gas stream to an adsorbent particle comprising contacting the particle of the invention with the contaminant in the stream, for a time sufficient to adsorb the pollutant.

In yet another aspect, the invention relates to a method for catalyzing the hydrocarbon degradation comprising contacting the hydrocarbon with the particle of the invention, for a time sufficient to catalyze the degradation of the hydrocarbon. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for reducing or eliminating the amount of a contaminant from a gas stream, by means of catalysis, which comprises contacting the particle of the invention with the gas stream containing a gas. pollutant that comprises a nitrogen oxide, a sulfur oxide, carbon monoxide or mixtures thereof, for a sufficient time to reduce or eliminate the polluting amount. In yet another aspect, the invention relates to an apparatus for producing an improved adsorbent and / or the improved catalytic particle and / or to produce a catalytic particle comprising: (a) a chamber means for containing the particle in a closed system which has an inlet gas orifice, an outlet gas orifice and a white plate, the chamber medium being able to maintain the vacuum and positive pressures; (b) means for providing an inert gas to the chamber means through the inlet gas orifice; (c) a means for removing from the chamber means an effective amount of ambient air therein, in order to create a vacuum within the chamber means; and (d) a means for providing a beam of energy to the camera means, the output of the energy beam means being focused on the target plate. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for increasing the surface area of an adsorbent and / or the catalytic particle, comprising the steps of: (a) raising the gauge pressure of the chamber of a closed chamber containing the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particle up to at least 7.03 kilograms per square centimeter with an inert gas, And (b) quickly decompress the chamber pressure to thereby increase the surface area of the particle. In still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or para-1! producing a catalytic particle comprising the steps of: (a) contacting an adsorbent and / or the catalytic particle with an energy beam of sufficient energy for a sufficient time to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle and / or produce catalytic properties in the particle. By the improved adsorbent and / or the improved catalytic particle it is intended that the particles of this invention have an improved adsorbent and / or improved catalytic properties in relation to the adsorbent and / or catalytic properties of the prior art. Also, by producing a catalytic particle, it is intended that some particles of the present invention have catalytic properties to catalyze the conversion of specific contaminants to other forms, while the same particles, not treated by the process of the present invention, do not possess properties. catalytic for at least those specific pollutants. The improved absorption properties are intended to include both ion capture and ion exchange mechanisms. Ion capture refers to the ability of the particle to bind to other atoms due to the ionic nature of the particle. Ion exchange well known in the art refers to ions that are exchanged from one substance to another. Adsorption is a term well known in the art and should be distinguished from absorption. In the particle of this invention, typically any particle that initially has certain adsorbent and / or catalytic properties can be used. For example, activated carbon and oxide particles can be implanted with oxygen by the process of the present invention. For the oxide particles, oxides of metals or non-metal oxides, such as silicon or germanium, are preferred. Still especially preferred are the transition metal oxides, metal oxides of Group III (B, Al, Ga, In, TI) and IA (Li, Na, Ca, Rb, Cs, Fr) of the periodic table and silicon oxides. Oxides, particularly preferred, include aluminum oxides (AI2O3), silicon dioxide (SIO2), manganese dioxide (Mn? 2), copper oxide (CuO), iron oxide black (Fe3Ü4), iron oxide red (ferric oxide or Fe2Ü3), zinc oxide (ZnO), zirconium oxide (ZrÜ2), pentoxide vanadium (V2O5), titanium dioxide (TIO2). In one embodiment, the particle comprises alumina oxide which has been pre-treated by a complete calcination process. Calcined aluminum oxide particles are well known in the art. They are particles that have been heated to a specific temperature to form a specific crystalline structure. Processes for manufacturing these calcined aluminum oxide particles are well known in the art as disclosed e.g., in Physical and Chemical Aspects of Adsorbents and Ca talyst, editors Linsen et al., Academic Press (1970), which is incorporated by reference herein. In one embodiment, the Bayer process can be used to make aluminum oxide precursors. Also, the precalcined aluminum oxide, i.e., the aluminum oxide precursor (Al (OH) 3) and the calcined aluminum oxide can be commercially obtained easily. The calcined aluminum oxide can be used in this activated dry form or can be used in a partially or nearly complete deactivated form, allowing the water to be adsorbed on the surface of the particle. However, it is preferred to minimize the deactivation to maximize the adsorbent capacity. In a preferred embodiment, the aluminum oxide has been produced by calcining at a particle temperature of 400 ° C to 700 ° C. These preferred aluminum oxide particles are preferably in the gamma, Chi-rho or eta forms and have a pore size in diameter of 3.5 nm to 35 nm and a BET surface area of 120 to 350 square meters per gram. For the activated carbon, any of the activated carbons useful in the adsorbent branch can be used. Preferably, carbon based coal or coconut based coal are used. Generally, coal-based carbon can be used to remediate aqueous pollutants while coconut-based carbon can be used to remediate airborne or gaseous contaminants. Preferably, the activated carbon is of size less than 20 microns for ease of mixing and extrusion. The particle of the invention can be used alone, in combination with particles of composition of identical or different type prepared by the processes of the invention and / or in combination with another adsorbent or catalytic particles known in the art. The particles may be combined in a physical mixture or agglomerated using techniques known in the art or disclosed herein. In a preferred embodiment, the particles of different composition type are combined by agglomeration to form a multifunctional composite particle. In this mode, the particles can be used to achieve multiple functions simultaneously, such as removing the multiple contaminants, taking advantage of the individual effects of each of the particle types. The co-particles that are preferably used in this invention include all the particles disclosed above and zeolite. In one embodiment, the composite particle comprises aluminum oxide and a second particle of titanium dioxide, copper oxide, vanadium pentoxide, silicon dioxide, manganese dioxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, activated carbon, zeolite. In another embodiment, the composite particle comprises aluminum oxide and activated carbon. In another embodiment, the particle comprises activated carbon (coal based), activated carbon (coconut based), silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide. In a preferred embodiment, this particle is used to remediate aqueous contamination. In one embodiment, this activated carbon particle based on coal, activated carbon based on coconut, silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide is used to remediate aqueous contaminants such as 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), radon and heavy metals from a contaminated water source. The particles of this invention can be subjected to other surface treatments before or after being treated by the process of the present invention. The particles of the invention can be pretreated by processes known in the art to improve their adsorptive capacity such as by calcination. Calcination refers to heating a solid to a temperature lower than its melting temperature to alter the crystal structure to a specific shape. The calcined particle can be dried or kept in dry form by creating an activated particle orIf the water is adsorbed on the particle, the particle can be deactivated partially or almost completely. In one embodiment, the particles of this invention may be in dry, thick slurry or gel form. The size of the particle may vary depending on the end use, which varies in sizes known in the art such as colloidal, microscopic and macroscopic. Preferably the particles before the pilling are less than 20 microns in size for ease of mixing and extrusion. Binders for ligating individual particles in order to form an agglomerated particle are known in the art or are described herein. In a preferred embodiment, the binder can also act as an adsorbent and / or a catalyst. A preferred binder for the agglomerated particle is colloidal alumina or colloidal silica. At a temperature of about 450 ° C, the colloidal alumina goes through a transformation step and reticles with itself. The colloidal silica is cross-linked with itself and dried sufficiently to remove the water. Preferably, from 20 weight percent to about 99 percent of the total mixture is colloidal alumina or colloidal silica to provide the necessary crosslinking during heating to bind the agglomerated particle and the water resistant particle. The particle can also resist exposure to all types of water for a prolonged period of time and not degrade. In one embodiment, the agglomerated particle is made by mixing colloidal alumina with the adsorbent particles. Typically, from about 20 percent to about 99 percent by weight of the mixture is colloidal alumina. The mixture of particles is then mixed with an acid solution such as, for example, nitric, sulfuric, hydrochloric, boric, acetic, formic, phosphoric and mixtures thereof. In one embodiment, the acid is a 5 percent nitric acid solution. The colloidal alumina, the adsorbent particles and the acid solution are mixed vigorously in order to create a homogenous mixture of all the elements. Then, an additional acid solution is added and the mixing is further carried out until the mixture reaches a suitable consistency for agglomeration. After the agglomeration is complete, the agglomerated particles are heated to a temperature of at least 450 ° C to cause the crosslinking of the colloidal alumina to occur. The sources and / or methods for making the starting materials for the various adsorbent particles of the present invention can be easily obtained and are well known to those skilled in the art. For an explanation of the process used to manufacture a particle of one embodiment of this invention, reference is made to Figure 1. The apparatus of this embodiment is generally designated 10. The particulate material or target medium 20 to be treated it is placed in a chamber 11 on a white plate 22 not connected to ground. In one embodiment, the target plate can be rotated to provide more efficient treatment of the particle by the energy beam. The chamber 11 is preferably made of a dielectric material. Chamber 11 is sealed by a door 12 engaged with a compression plate that has the ability to withstand high compression ratios at both positive and negative pressures. The pressure is monitored with a pressure gauge 18. Vacuum conditions are created in the chamber using the vacuum pump 19 to evacuate an effective amount of air initially contained in the chamber. The air can be detrimental to the oxygen implantation step since it reduces the efficiency of the effect of the energy beam on the particle. Evacuating an effective amount of air is intended to imply that a sufficient amount of air is removed so that the energy beam has the ability to improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties and / or produce catalytic properties in the particle. Typically, a vacuum pump 19 is used to adapt as much as possible of the air from the chamber 11 to maximize the efficiency of the energy beam and to allow a lower energy beam to be used. The chamber is brought to a pressure of at least one atmospheric pressure using an inert gas from the cylinder 13 through a high pressure injector 17. In one embodiment, the gauge pressure (pressure above atmospheric) is 1 to 351.5 kilograms per square centimeter. Typically, the gauge pressure may be at least about 1.41 kilograms per square centimeter to prevent arcing. The inert gas is typically any gas that is inert to react chemically and degrade the adsorbent particle and yet does not impede the efficiency of the energy beam when implanting oxygen. Typical inert gases include noble gases such as helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.

The energy source is focused on the particle contained in the chamber through an energy injector 15 placed at the end of the power source 14. The energy source can be any high energy that can force oxygen into the particle and / or add an excess charge to the particle. Typically, the energy source is an ion machine that concentrates an ion beam or electron, such as a broad beam ion source or a wide beam photoioniser. In a specific embodiment, the energy source can be a broad beam ion source manufactured by Commonwealth, Alexandria, Virginia, USA that has a maximum yield of 25 eV. The power source 14 uses a power supply 21. In a specific mode, the power source can be a Commonwealth IBS-250 high voltage power supply rated up to 1500V, with remote operation capability. In addition, the energy beam causes the inert gas to ionize. The charge introduced into the chamber at a level sufficient to improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle and / or to produce catalytic properties in the particle. In one embodiment, an electronic beam of 15 to 20 eV was used even when a smaller or larger amount of energy can be used. Once the proper charge has been achieved for a sufficient time, the power source is disconnected. This sufficient time can be very short in the order of less than 1 second to about 10 seconds, even when a longer time is not harmful. Then, the chamber pressure is decompressed through a release valve 16. Not wishing to be bound by any theory, we have the theory that the energy beam causes the monatomic oxygen present on the surface of the particle to be pushed down from the surface of the particle, which is then tightly bound to the internal structure of the particle. the particle. For critaline particles, oxygen is tightly bound within the crystal lattice. The monatomic oxygen originates from oxygen that is on the outer surface of the crystalline lattice of the particle or of the residual water or air on the surface of the particle. This increases the characteristics of the adsorbent and / or the catalytic characteristics of the particle and can create catalytic properties including catalytic capacities at room temperature in the particle. The theory is further that the advantageous properties of the particle of this invention result from the energy beam that adds an electric charge or an increased electric charge to the particle.

In another embodiment, in the aforementioned energy beam process, after the air has been removed from the chamber, inert gas is added so that the chamber pressure rises to a high pressure. Typically, the gauge pressure can be about at least 7.03 kilograms per square centimeter, more preferably at least 70.30 kilograms per square centimeter and even more preferably at least 351.5 kilograms per square centimeter. Even higher pressures may be used and the chamber 15 is of high enough pressure rating. The high pressure or compression is maintained for a sufficient time to increase the density of the particle. Residual air is purged from the vessel thereby removing any residual air from an inflated particle until it can be maintained at a constant pressure. Typically, approximately 10 minutes of high pressure is sufficient. After the energy source has been introduced for a sufficient time in the chamber as described above, the energy source is disconnected and then the pressure of the chamber rapidly decompresses through the release valve 16. By the term quickly it is preferred to mean approximately 3 seconds. This increases the surface area of the particle. Not wishing to be bound by any theory, there is a theory that as the pressure is rapidly released from the chamber, the content of the chamber expands simultaneously but at different rates of expansion. The charged inert gas expands at a rate much faster than that of the particulate matter due to density differences between the two substances. Due to this difference in the rate of expansion, the charged inert gas marches rapidly and penetrates or explores in and through the particles. This rapid penetration alters the pore structure and increases the number of pores in the particle. The surface area of the particle in this way is greatly increased by increasing the total adsorption capacity of the particle. Depending on the particle used, the BET surface area can be increased by at least 1 percent, more preferably by at least 5 percent, still even preferred by at least 10 percent preferable even more by at least 20 percent. percent and especially preferably at least 30 percent. Lower density particles such as activated carbon can achieve a greater increase in surface area.

The chamber pressure and energy level can be varied to produce different effects to meet the specific physical and chemical requirements for the final use of the specific particle. By varying the pressure parameters and the energy level, the ability of the particle to adsorb a specific contaminant can be altered. In another embodiment of this invention, the improved aspect of the surface area of the process can be carried out only without the appearance of the energy beam. In this mode, the inert gas only needs to be inert to the particle and must not be inert to the effects of the energy beam. In this way, gases such as air and CO2 can also be used in this mode. In another embodiment, the appearance of the energy beam can be implemented only without the aspect of improving the surface area. In this mode, the energy beam is focused directly on the particle to implant oxygen within the particle. This can be carried out in the intermittent process described above or a semi-intermittent or continuous process. In a semi-intermittent process, the particles move automatically to the camera where they are automatically treated and removed from the camera. In a continuous process, in one embodiment, the particles are provided in a conveyor belt system. The air is displaced from the area around the particles by the inert gas to provide a viable path for the energy beam, which is established along one side or above the conveyor system. The energy beam is connected either continuously or connected as the particles reach a specific point along the system of the conveyor belt. In a variation of the embodiments of this invention, air removal and replenishment with inert gas passages in the intermittent or semi-intermittent processes and air displacements by the passage of inert gas in the continuous process, can be avoided by using an extremely high level of energy source in such a way, that the air does not prevent oxygen from penetrating the surface of the particle. In another embodiment of a continuous process, the particles are filtered through a screen of a mesh screen, which has been ionized essentially to cause oxygen in the particle to penetrate the particle. The particles of this invention are characterized in that they have an oxygen level increased at least above the surface of the particle. This increased oxygen level is higher than the total of the stoichiometric amount of oxygen that is expected in the particle and which is found as the residual oxygen on the surface of the particle. The particle implanted with oxygen has at least 1.1 times the ratio of the percentage of oxygen atom to the percentage of non-oxygen atom on its surface compared to the initial implanted particle without oxygen, where the surface characterization is determined by a spectrometer of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA), a device well known to those skilled in the art. Even more preferably, the particle at least has a 1.5-fold increase in its oxygen ratio and still preferably the particle has at least a two-fold increase in the oxygen ratio, and still more preferred , at least a 4-fold increase in the oxygen ratio, and especially preferably at least a 6-fold increase in the oxygen ratio. The particle of this invention can be used in any adsorption and / or catalytic application known to a person skilled in the art to achieve superior results in relation to the particles of the prior art. In addition, the particle of the invention can be used in different adsorption and / or catalytic applications not hitherto proposed in the art. In a modality, the particle is used for environmental remedy applications. In this embodiment, the particle can be used to remove contaminants, such as heavy metals, organic materials including, but not limited to, organic chlorinated materials and volatile organic materials, inorganic materials or mixtures thereof. Specific examples of contaminants include, but are not limited to acetone, microbial materials, ammonia, benzene, carbon monoxide, chlorine, dioxane, ethanol, ethylene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone , methylene chloride, oxides of nitrogen, propylene, styrene, sulfur dioxide, toluene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, lead, iron, phosphates, selenium, cadmium, uranium, plutonium, radon, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), chromium, tobacco smoke, and cooking vapors. The particle of this invention can remediate individual contaminants or multiple contaminants from a single source. For environmental remedy applications, typically, the particles of the invention are placed in a container, such as a filtration unit. The contaminated stream enters the container at one end, is contacted with the particles inside the container and the purified stream exits through the other end of the container. The rate of flow of the contaminant stream and the amount of particulate material required can be determined by a person skilled in the art without routine experiments determining the necessary capacity. The particles come in contact with the contaminants within the stream and bind to and remove the contamination from the stream. The particles can also remove certain contaminants by catalyzing the conversion of the contaminants into other components. Typically, in the adsorption application, the particles become saturated with the contaminants over a period of time and the particles must be removed from the container and replaced with new particles. The contaminant stream can be a gas, such as air, or a liquid, such as water. In the adsorption application, the particle of this invention is ligated with the contaminant so that the particle and the contaminant are tightly bound. This bond makes it difficult to remove the contaminant from the particle, allowing the waste product to either be discarded to any public landfill or used as a raw material in the building block manufacturing industry. The measurements of the contaminants adsorbed on the particles of this invention using a Toxic Chemical Leaching Allowance (TCLP) test that is known to those skilled in the art demonstrated that there was at least as much binding as a covalent bond between the particles. particles of this invention and the contaminants. The particles of this invention have superior ability to adsorb contaminants due to the improved physical and chemical properties of the particle. The particles of this invention can adsorb a larger amount of the adsorbed material per unit volume or weight of the adsorbent particles in an unimproved particle. The particle of this invention surprisingly removes contaminants in the various streams at both high and low pollutant concentrations. Also, the particles of this invention can reduce the concentration of the contaminants or the adsorbed material in a stream to a lower absolute value than is possible with an unimproved particle. In specific embodiments, the particles of this invention should reduce the concentration of the contaminant in a stream to less than detectable levels, never before capable of being achieved with particles of the prior art. The particles of this invention may also have a newly added catalyst property. Specifically, the increased oxygen content in the particle matrix allows the particle to act as a catalyst. For example, the particle has the catalytic capacity of the disintegration of hydrocarbon compounds and has the ability to catalyze the conversion of CO, S0X or N0X into other components, even at low temperature or ambient temperatures. Specific end uses proposed by this invention include, but are not limited to, reducing or eliminating contaminants for specific applications, such as wastewater treatment facilities, sewage water installations, municipal water purification facilities, wastewater purification systems, domestic water, smoke stack effluents, vehicle exhaust effluents, engine or machine effluents, domestic or building air purification systems, domestic radon remedy, fill leachate, chemical waste effluent from manufacturing facility and the like . Adsorbents of the prior art, such as activated carbon, when sprayed with antimicrobial materials, tend to lose their adsorbing properties. In contrast, the increased adsorbent properties allow the particles of the present invention to be sprayed with antimicrobial materials while still retaining the adsorbent properties from the particle. In addition, unlike the particles of the prior art, contact with water does not deactivate the adsorption capacity of the particles of the invention.

Experimental The following examples are indicated in order to provide those skilled in the art with a full disclosure and description of the manner in which the compounds claimed herein are manufactured and evaluated, and are intended to be purely exemplary of the invention and are not They are intended to limit the scope of what inventors consider to be their invention. Efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers (v.gr, quantities, temperature, etc.) but some errors and deviations must be taken into account. Unless otherwise indicated, the parts are parts by weight, the temperature is in ° C and is at or near room temperature and the pressure is at or near atmospheric.

Example 1.

Different particles were manufactured in accordance with the methods of this invention in the following manner. The procedures used to prepare the particle designated as in Table 1 below, a composition of 60 percent I2O3, 20 percent carbon, 15 percent manganese dioxide, and 5 percent copper oxide. , it is exemplified of course. The alumina used was gamma-calcined alumina (550 ° C) derived from an alumina or pseudoboehmite alumina gel of high density and low porosity. The alumina was pretreated by calcining at 550 ° C to achieve the desired gamma crystalline structure. The carbon used in this particle was a coconut-based carbon designated as Polynesian coconut-based carbon purchased from Calgon Carbon Corporation. Due to the use of coconut shells or shells in the manufacture of this carbon, there is a very large surface area as well as micropores that are useful for removing contaminants in a gas stream. The four individual particle types were mixed together in their appropriate percentages by weight according to the dry weight. They were mixed together in a homogeneous dry mixture. An acid solution of 20 parts by weight of 80 percent nitric acid was added to 80 parts by weight of water. The acid solution was added to the dry particle mixture slowly until the mixture obtained was of a pasty wet consistency. This consistency allowed the mixture to be extruded into the desired shape. The mixture was extruded using an LCI laboratory extrusion apparatus model BTG®. After the mixture was extruded, the extruded material was crushed into approximately 1.59 millimeters to 3.18 millimeters particles and then dried at temperatures of at least 450 ° C to recover the aluminum oxide. The particles were placed in a chamber of a vacuum / pressure vessel in a blank plate not electrically connected. The door to the chamber was secured and air was pumped out of the chamber down to a negative pressure of two militors. Upon reaching this pressure, the argon gas allowed to purge towards the chamber and reach an internal gauge pressure of approximately 1.41 kilograms per square centimeter. Upon reaching this pressure, the source of the energy beam was activated at 15 to 20 eV and applied to the particle in the target area. A broad-beam Commonwealth ion source was used. The treatment times for the particles vary according to the amount of density of the material in the target. For this example, a volume of 50 grams of the material and a treatment time of 10 seconds were used. Treatment times also vary according to the energy output from the energy source and the internal pressure in the chamber. After ten seconds, the ion source was disconnected and the chamber evacuated at atmospheric pressure. The sample was then removed from the chamber.

Particles lb to lac were similarly manufactured in accordance with the example described above for the exception that the specific compositions were as indicated in Table 1. Also, the carbon used for aqueous particle designations lv and lw was a carbon based coal. This coal-based carbon was purchased from Calgon Carbon Corporation as WHP grade carbon. The specific alumina used in the particles lb to lac was the same as that described above for the particle, a calcined gamma alumina. The other components listed below in Table 1 are well known and can be easily obtained by a person skilled in the art. Each of the particle compositions made in accordance with the methods of this invention described above, and the contaminant was then tested in Examples 2 and 3 and are listed below in Table 1. The same system particle designation was used in Tables 1 to 3.

TABLE I DESIGNATE COMPOSITION1 CONTAMINATES OF (% by weight) PARLLLED IN THE AIR AQUEOUS TULLE 60% of A1203, 20% Carbon, 15% MnÜ2, 5% CuO Acetone 100% A1203 Ammonia lb 50% A1203, 40% Carbon, 10% SiO2 Benzene Id 40% of l2? 3, 30% of V205, 20% of Mn02, Monoxide 10% of Ti02 of Carbon 100% A1203 Chlorine lf 100% A1203 1, 4-Dioxane lg 100% A1 03 Ethanol lh 100% of A1203 Formaldehyde li 40% of A1203, 30% of Mn0, 20% of V205, 5% of Zeolite, 5% of Cyanide of Fe2? 3 Hydrogen lj 30% of A1203, 50% of Mn? 2, 5% of Carbon, Sulfide of 5% of SiO2, 10% of ZnO Hydrogen lk 90% A1203, 10% Carbon Methanol 11 100% of A1203 Methylethyl ketone lm 40% of A1203, 20% of Mn02, 10% of CuO, 30% Chloride of V2O5 Methylene ln 40% of A1203, 30% of V2O5, 20% of Mn? 2, Oxides of 10% of TIO2 Nitrogen % of A120, 70% of Propylene Carbon lp 30% A1203, 70% Styrene Carbon lq 100% AI2O3 Sulfur Dioxide Go 40% of A1203, 30% of Mn? 2, 30% of Carbon Toluene ls 30% of A1203, 70% Carbon Chloride Vinyl lt 100% of I2O3 Arsenic lu 100% A1203 Cadmium lv 40% A1203, 40% Carbon, 20% SiO2 Chlorine lw 40% of A1203, 40% of Carbon, 20% of SÍO2 DBCP lx 100% of A1203 Iron ly and 100% of A1 03 Lead lz 100% of A1203 Phosphate 40% of A1203, 40% of Carbon, 20% of SiO2 Radon 100% AI2O3 lab Selenium 100% Lac of Uranium A1203 Activated coconut-based carbon was used for the pollutants carried in the air and for lane (radon) and coal-based activated carbon which was used for the aqueous contaminants lv and lw.

Example 2 The particles manufactured in Example 1 were tested for their ability to remove various air components. The tests for contaminants carried in the air are summarized in Table 2 below and were carried out as follows. The source of the contaminant used was either solvent vapor or a residue of the bottled gas mixture in the rack. The solvent vapor was mixed with moist air by injecting into the system with a syringe pump. A gas bottle in a needle valve and a flow meter, either a rotameter or a mass flow meter controller, was used to mix the effluent from the gas bottle with the moist air. Humid air at a relative humidity of 30 percent at a temperature of 25 ° C was mixed with either the solvent vapor or the gas stream. The humid air was generated by a flow-temperature-humidity control module that controls the temperature, relative humidity and the flow rate of the humid air. The concentration of the pollutant carried in the air in the humid air was then measured by an infrared analyzer. After the infrared analysis of the fluent, the sample was admitted to a sample holder. The sample holder was a test container with a diameter of 7.62 centimeters which kept a quantity of 200 grams of the particle sample in place using a fried disk. After passing through the particles, the concentration of the contaminant in the effluent left the sample holder. The concentration of the contaminant on the effluent side of the particle holder was also analyzed with an infrared analyzer. The test time was ten minutes. The percentage of removal was calculated as (initial pollutant concentration minus the pollutant concentration of the effluent) divided by the initial contaminant concentration.

The results are shown in Table 2, which is presented below.

TABLE 2 CONCENTRAPORCENT CONCENTRAPORCENT DESIGNATED AIR CONDITIONER AIR INJECTION REGION OF THE FLUX JE PARCONTAMINAN INITIAL TITLE REMOVAL (ppm) Acetone 750 100 12.19 mt / min lb Ammonia 50 100 12.19 mt / min Le Benzene 50 100 12.19 mt / min Id Carbon Monoxide 10000 100 12.19 mt / min Chlorine 34 100 12.19 mt / min lf 1,4-Dioxane 50 100 12.19 mt / min lg Ethanol 1000 100 12.19 mt / min lh Formaldehyde 10 100 12.19 mt / min li Hydrogen Cyanide 20 100 12.19 mt / min lj Hydrogen Sulfide 20 100 12.19 mt / min lk Methanol 200 100 12.19 mt / min 11 Methylethyl Ketone 1000 100 12.19 mt / min l Methylene Chloride 50 100 12.19 mt / min ln Nitrogen Oxides 100 100 12.19 mt / min Propylene 700 100 12.19 mt / min lp Styrene 50 100 12.19 mt / min l Sulfur Dioxide 20 100 12.19 mt / min Go Toluene 100 100 12.19 mt / min ls Vinyl Chloride 20 100 12.19 mt / min 1 12.19 meters per minute of speed was 55.5 liters per minute of volumetric flow.

In Table 2 above, for the formaldehyde test using the lh particle, formaldehyde was not detected in the particle after the test was completed and, as shown in Table 2, no formaldehyde was detected in the effluent stream . This lh particle acts as a catalyst towards formaldehyde and disintegrates formaldehyde but is believed to be CO2 and water, at an ambient temperature. This was further evidenced by a separate test in which it was shown that formaldehyde was removed from the system over a considerably longer period of time than can be explained if the particle acted only as an adsorbent. As can be seen in Table 2 above, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides are not detected in the effluent system. Because these two components do not normally adsorb the particle of the type used in this test, these particles act as a catalyst towards CO and NOx. It is believed that CO becomes CO2 and water and NOx becomes N2 and O2. It is also believed that the SO2 remedy was through at least part of a catalysis reaction that converted SO2 into other components. The surprisingly catalyzed reactions were achieved at room temperature.

Example 3 The particles manufactured in Example 1 were tested to determine their ability to remove the various water components. The test procedures were as follows. For each pollutant that was operated, 5 glass columns of internal diameter of 29.03 millimeters by 30.48 centimeters long were prepared, each having a bed volume of the test particle of 95 milliliters. Each bed was washed with five bed volumes of deionized water by pumping down at a rate of 6 gpm / 9.29 cm2 a flow rate in cross section (ie, approximately 95 milliliters per minute). Each of the flow regimes listed in Table 3 is by 9.29 square centimeters of flow regime in cross section. The test solutions for each of the aqueous contaminants were prepared. A total of ten bed volumes, i.e., about one liter per column of the aqueous pollutant test solution, was pumped through each of the columns. During each test, the aqueous contaminant test solutions were continuously stirred at low speed before entering the glass column to maintain a homogeneous composition.

During the tenth volume of the bed, a sample of the effluent from each column was collected and analyzed for the specific aqueous contaminant. In addition, a single sample of the tributary for each test was collected and analyzed for the concentration of the contaminant. The results of these tests are shown in Table 3, which is presented below.

TABLE 3 DESIGNACONTAMINANTE AFLUENTE EFFLUENTE REGIME LIMITATION OF AQUEOUS OF PARFLUJO DETECTÍCULA TION lt Arsenic 1, 890 ppb < 10 ppb 5-6 GPM 10 ppb lu Cadmium 1, 003 ppb < 10 ppb 5-6 GPM 10 ppb 1? Chlorine 263 ppb < 10 ppb 5-6 GPM 10 ppb lw DBCP (gw) 230.0 < 0.02μg / l 5-6 GPM 0.02 μg / 1 1, 2-Dibromo-μg / 1 < 0.02μg / l 5-6 GPM 0.02 μg / 1 3- (gw) 210.0 < 0.02μg / l 5-6 GPM 0.02 μg / 1 Chloropropane μg / i (gw) 0.07 μg / l lx Iron 1.15 mg / l < 0.03mg / l 5-6 GPM 0.03 μg / 1 Lead 215 ppb < 10 ppb 5-6 GPM 10 ppb lz Phosphates 40.45 mg / l 9.50 mg / l 5-6 GPM N / A Radon 1,104.2 303.2pCi / l 5-6 GPM N / A pCi / 1 306.1pCi / l 5-6 GPM N / A 911.6 pCi / 1 Selenium lab 1.45 mg / l < 0.003 mg / l 5-6 GPM 0.003mg / l lac Uranium 50.5 ppm 0.08 ppm 5-6 GPM N / A sw = Synthetic water gw = Useful soil water Example 4. A 100 percent coconut-based activated carbon particle of the present invention was prepared according to the procedures of Example 1 above. An ESCA spectrometer was used to analyze the surface composition for the original activated carbon particle and the particle after it was prepared using the process of Example 1. The results of surface characterization are as follows TABLE 4 PARTICLE ELEMENT OF CARBON ACTIVICATED ACTIVATED CARBON PARTICLE OF THIS (% Atomic) INVENTION (% Atomic) Carbon 96.47 61.65 Oxygen 3.53 16.37 Sodium 0.59 Fluor 8.61 Potassium 7.60 Chlorine 1.61 Sulfur 0.86 Phosphor 0.55 Magnesium 2.5 Therefore, the initial particle had an oxygen / carbon ratio of approximately 0.04, while the treated activated carbon particle of this invention had an oxygen / carbon ratio of approximately 0.27, for an increased oxygen / carbon ratio. about 7 times of the original ratio. A similar test was carried out on 100 percent aluminum oxide prepared according to the process of Example 1. The oxygen / aluminum ratio was increased by at least about 2-fold relative to the oxygen / aluminum ratio of the original untreated particle.

Example 5 A TCLP test was carried out in two different contaminant remediation applications of this invention. The particles were prepared by the procedures of Example 1 and used to adsorb the specific contaminants in Table 5 presented below. In accordance with the EPA test methods, the particles, inter alia, were washed with an acid solution and rotated for the required time interval. The concentration of the pollutants removed from the particle were then measured. The results are indicated below in Table 5.

TABLE 5 CONTAMINATING PARTICLE CONTAMINAN METHOD PQL- TCLP TEST EPA TCLP (mg / l) 100% AI2O3 Lead 1311/6010 < 0.50 0.50 100% A1203 Phosphate 1311 / 365.4 < 0.1 '0.1 PQL is the practical quantification limit that is an EPA standard, and is different from the lowest detectable limit The TCLP measures for phosphorus.

Therefore, the particles of the invention, when acting as an adsorbent, are tightly bound to the contaminants.

Example 6 A fixed bed reactor was charged with 158 grams, 1.54 cubic meters (5.08 centimeters in diameter by 7.62 centimeters high) of the particles of Example 1 (d) (40 percent AI2O3, 30 percent V2O5, 20 percent of Mn 2, 10 percent of TiO2 The mixture of 101.8 parts per million of NO and 1.035 parts per million of CO in air was fed to the fixed-bed reactor at room temperature at a rate of 5.74 normal cubic meters per hour (SCFH The effluent from the fixed bed reactor was increased to a Horiba CLA-510SS NOx analyzer and a VIA-510 CO analyzer. The NO concentration immediately decreased to reach 5.4 parts per million at 5 minutes (the first recorded measurement) and continued to decrease to 4.0 parts per million at 40 minutes (See Figure 2) .The concentration of CO decreased more slowly, falling to 532 parts per million at 40 minutes (See Figure 3.) The test was stopped shortly afterwards. of the 40 The concentration of CO was still decreasing at 40 minutes and may decrease further during an additional reaction time. It is believed that the particles of the invention catalytically degrade CO and NO. Through this request, reference is made to different publications. The presentations of these publications in their entirety are incorporated herein by reference to this application in order to more fully describe the current state of the art to which this invention relates. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. The other embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when taking into account the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only with the true scope and spirit of the invention having been indicated by the following claims.

Claims (56)

CLAIMS:

1. A method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising the steps of: (a) removing an effective amount of air from a closed chamber containing an adsorbent and / or a particle catalytic, where the resulting chamber pressure is less than one atmosphere; (b) raising the pressure of the chamber with an inert gas to at least one atmosphere; (c) contacting the particle with a beam of energy of sufficient energy for a period of time sufficient to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle and / or to produce catalytic properties in the particle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particle comprises an oxide or activated carbon particle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particle comprises a metal oxide, a silicon oxide or activated carbon.

The method of claim 1, wherein the particle comprises aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, copper oxide, vanadium pentoxide, silicon dioxide, manganese dioxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, activated carbon or zeolite .

The method of claim 1, wherein the particle comprises aluminum oxide.

The method of claim 5, further comprising a second particle of titanium dioxide, copper oxide, vanadium pentoxide, silicon dioxide, manganese dioxide, iron oxide, zinc oxide, activated carbon, or zeolite.

The method of claim 1, wherein the particle comprises aluminum oxide and activated carbon.

The method of claim 7, wherein the particle further comprises silicon dioxide and wherein the activated carbon is a mixture of activated carbon based on coal and coconut based.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particle is an agglomeration of smaller particles and a binder.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the smaller particles are of the different composition type.

The method of claim 1, wherein in step (b) the gauge pressure of the chamber is .703 kilogram per square centimeter to 351.5 kilograms per square centimeter.

The method of claim 1, wherein in step (b) the gauge pressure of the chamber is at least 7.03 kilograms per square centimeter and further comprises, after step (c), of rapidly decompressing the pressure of the chamber. camera to thereby increase the surface area of the particle.

The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) the gauge pressure of the chamber is at least about 51.5 kilograms per square centimeter.

The method of claim 1, wherein the inert gas is argon.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy beam is an ion or electron beam.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method produces a catalytic particle at room temperature.

17. A method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle that comprises implanting oxygen in an adsorbent and / or catalytic particle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method produces a catalytic particle at room temperature.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising increasing the electrical charge in the particle.

20. The particle manufactured by the process of claim 1.

21. The particle manufactured by the process of claim 4.

22. The particle manufactured by the process of claim 5.

23. The particle manufactured by the claim process. 6.

The particle manufactured by the process of claim 12.

25. The particle manufactured by the process of claim 17.

26. An improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or a catalytic particle comprising a particle Adsorbent which has been treated to provide an excess of oxygen implanted at least on the surface of the particle to thereby form an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or a catalytic particle.

27. The oxygen implanted particle of claim 26, wherein the particle implanted with oxygen has at least 1.5 times the ratio of the percentage of the oxygen atom to the percentage of atom that has no oxygen on its surface compared to the initial implanted particle of oxygen. no oxygen, the surface characterization being determined by means of an ESCA spectrometer.

28. The oxygen implanted particle of claim 26, wherein the particle comprises activated carbon and the carbon implanted with oxygen has at least a sixfold oxygen to carbon ratio as compared to the implanted carbon without initial oxygen.

29. The oxygen implanted particle of claim 26, wherein the particle comprises aluminum oxide and the aluminum oxide implanted with oxygen has at least twice the oxygen to aluminum ratio as compared to the oxygen oxygen implanted without oxygen initial.

30. A binder for ligating the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particles to produce an agglomerated particle comprising colloidal aluminum oxide and an acid.

31. The binder of claim 30, wherein the acid is nitric acid.

32. A method for binding the adsorbent and / or the catalytic particles, comprising the steps of: (a) mixing the colloidal aluminum oxide with particles and an acid; (b) stirring the mixture until homogeneous; and (c) heating the mixture for a sufficient time to cause crosslinking of the aluminum oxide in the mixture.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the colloidal aluminum oxide is from 20 percent to 99 percent by weight of the mixture.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the acid is nitric acid.

35. A method for reducing or eliminating the amount of contaminant from a gas liquid stream comprising contacting the particle of claim 20 with the contaminant in the stream for a time sufficient to reduce or eliminate the amount of the contaminant from the current.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the stream is a liquid.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the stream is water.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the stream is a gas.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the stream is air.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the contaminant is an organic compound.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the contaminant is a heavy metal.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein the contaminant is carbon monoxide or a nitrogen or sulfur oxide.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the contaminant is acetone, ammonia, benzene, carbon monoxide, chlorine, 1,4-dioxane, ethanol, ethylene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulfide, methanol, ketone methylethyl, methylene chloride, nitrogen oxide, propylene, styrene, sulfur dioxide, toluene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, cadmium, chlorine, DBCP, iron, lead, phosphate, radon, selenium or uranium.

44. A method for adsorbing a contaminant from a liquid or gas stream to an absorbent particle comprising contacting the particle of claim 20 with the contaminant in the stream for a time sufficient to adsorb the contaminant.

45. A method for catalyzing the degradation of a hydrocarbon comprising contacting the hydrocarbon with the particle of claim 20, for a time sufficient to catalyze the degradation of the hydrocarbon.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the catalysis reaction is at room temperature.

47. A method for reducing or eliminating the amount of a contaminant from a gas stream by catalysis comprising contacting the particle of the claim 20 with a gas stream containing a contaminant comprising a nitrogen oxide, an oxide of sulfur, carbon monoxide or mixtures thereof, for a sufficient time to reduce or eliminate the amount of the contaminant.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the catalysis reaction is at room temperature.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the contaminant comprises a nitrogen oxide or carbon monoxide.

50. An apparatus for producing the improved adsorbent and / or the improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising: (a) a chamber means for containing the particle in a closed system having an inlet gas orifice , a gas outlet orifice, a white plate, the chamber medium is able to maintain the vacuum and positive pressures; (b) means for providing an inert gas of the chamber means through the inlet gas orifice; (c) a means for removing from the chamber means an effective amount of ambient air therein in order to create a vacuum within the chamber means; and (d) a means for providing a beam of energy to the chamber means, the energy gas outlet being focused on a target plate.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the energy beam means produces an ion or electron beam.

52. A method for increasing the surface area of an adsorbent and / or catalytic particle comprising the steps of (a) raising the gauge pressure of the chamber of a closed chamber containing the adsorbent and / or catalytic particle by at least 7.03 kilograms per square centimeter with an inert gas, and (b) rapidly decompress the chamber pressure to increase the surface area of the particle.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the pressure in step (a) is at least 351.5 kilograms per square centimeter.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the surface area is increased by at least 20 percent.

55. A method for producing an improved adsorbent and / or an improved catalytic particle and / or for producing a catalytic particle comprising the step of: (a) contacting an adsorbent and / or catalytic particle with a beam of energy and energy sufficient for a sufficient time to thereby improve the adsorbent and / or the catalytic properties of the particle and / or produce catalytic properties in the particle.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the process is continuous.