Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B15/00—Cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water; Apparatus therefor
  • E02B15/04—Devices for cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like floating materials by separating or removing these materials
  • E02B15/042—Devices for removing the oil by combustion with or without means for picking up the oil
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A20/00—Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use
  • Y02A20/20—Controlling water pollution; Waste water treatment
  • Y02A20/204—Keeping clear the surface of open water from oil spills
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S210/00—Liquid purification or separation
  • Y10S210/918—Miscellaneous specific techniques
  • Y10S210/922—Oil spill cleanup, e.g. bacterial
  • Y10S210/924—Oil spill cleanup, e.g. bacterial using physical agent, e.g. sponge, mop

Definitions

• the field of the invention is a process for absorbing and burning away of oil or other combustible liquids on water or other noncombustible liquids.
• noncombustible liquids intend to include besides fresh water, aqueous solutions such as sea water.
• combustible liquids By the term combustible liquids” applicants intend to include volatile motor fuels and Diesel fuels, such as kerosene, crude oil and its fractions, fuel oils of the various kinds from the lighter grades to extremely heavy kinds, such as Bunker-C oil, Massut, etc., in short all liquids which float upon water which are regularly transported or are exploited from the ocean or inland waters.
• silicate particles are produced by dissolving 0.020.7 parts of an inorganic fibrous silicate in 1 part alkali metal silicate and 2-l0 parts of water. The mixture is heated to about 140- 300 C. to drive off any free water phase and the substantially dried mass is comminuted to obtain particles of 0.1 to 10 mm. The densities of the final products are decreased by employing inorganic or organic blowing agents.
• inorganic sulfates such as zinc sulfate or aluminum sulfate
• inorganic sulfates such as zinc sulfate or aluminum sulfate
• granular fillers are produced by:
• the granular material is wetted with an aqueous suspension of inorganic compounds, such as lime, chalk, zinc oxide, alumina, iron oxide or the like.
• the high melting inorganic compounds have a melting point of between about 1,200 and 2,500 C.
• About 25100 parts by weight of granulated material are coated by 1 part by weight high melting inorganic compound, where the inorganic compound is dispersed in water.
• the granular end product is treated with a metal soap or a silicon oil.
• the treated granular product is useful in selectively absorbing oil or water dispersions.
• the purpose of this invention is to provide a process by which great damage to the domestic economy and biology by oil contamination is avoided.
• absorbent and/or surface active incombustible and .possibly hydrophobic foamed particles of inorganic materials are provided.
• the combustible liquids include those substances which at room temperature are pasty or solid, but which liquefy at temperatures above 20 C.
• the foamed particles have a lower specific gravity than the liquid to be burned, and are able to absorb the liquid. The absorbing ability is between 10 and 500 percent of the weight of the foamed particles.
• the foamed particles it is not absolutely necessary for the foamed particles to be rendered hydrophobic, and especially not if they are spread over a thick layer of the combustible liquid. With thin layers whose thickness is less than 1-2 mm., it is, however, necessary for the foamed particles to absorb the oil selectively from the water surface to permit complete combustion of the oil.
• the particles are rendered hydrophobic by the usual methods. Especially effective for this purpose are the silicones which are applied by atomization or vaporization.
• the foamed particles preferably range in size from 1 to 30 mm.
• granules can be of approximately uniform size, or can be a mixture of different sizes. Particles of large surface area, such as foamed glass plates, are also useful.
• the surface active noncombustible inorganic foamed particles of the present invention include broken fragments of inorganic foamed material having a maximum size which does not exceed cm.
• the particles may also be plates of inorganic foamed material, such as the waste plates produces by the foamed glass manufacturing method of US. Pat. No. 3,261,894, and these plates may be up to 5 cm. thick and up to 0.5 sq. meters in size.
• Globular or cylindrical particles useful in the present invention are produced according to the disclosure of Application Ser. No. 778,800.
• Suitable substances of which the foamed glass particles are produced are siliceous substances such as sodium, calcium or aluminum silicate, alone or in mixtures, expanded mica or similar expanded natural products, but also oxidic materials such as A1 0 and clay, and even foamed metals, especially aluminum and its alloys when they function as absorbers and remain floating on the surface of the liquid, which means that in addition to the open pores which give the material wicklike properties, it also has enough closed air cells to keep it floatmg.
• foamed materials which are especially suitable for absorbing and burning oil that is floating on a water surface are disclosed in US. Pats. Nos' 3,184,371 and 3,261,894, and Application Ser. No. 778,800.
• foaming agent include calcium carbonate, aluminum sulfate, zinc sulfate, carbon compounds such as glycerol, sugar and others in the presence of sulfates, and also compounds containing chemically bound water.
• the melting point of the products thus produced are varied within wide limits, at least between 400 1 ,000 C.
• the melting point of the foamed glass particles is brought up to at least 400 C. by addition of lead, boron etc. compounds to the aqueous silicate solution.
• Lead compounds suitable for this purpose are preferably lead oxides PbO, PbO and Pb -,O while suitable boron compounds are, for example borax and other bo'rates.
• the melting points of the foamed glass are brought to a maximum of l,000 to l,l00 C. by the addition of alkaline earths and earth metals to the foamable silicate solution. Reference is here made to compounds of the alkaline earths and of the elements of main group Ill of the periodic table, such as aluminum, etc., and especially in the oxide form. 7
• the products of combustion are preferably allowed to escape into the air while some of the ash remains in the foam.
• the foam remains floating on the surface if it retains sufficient porosity to keep the densities of the floating particles less than the densities of the liquids. This is accomplished by using glasses, metal oxides or expansible clay of high melting point for the production of foamed particles.
• the foamed material will, however, sink if the closed pores are lostsufficiently to give the foamed material a greater density than the noncombustible liquid. This result is produced by the use of low melting glasses as starting materials.
• foamed particles remain floating after the combustion because they can then be brought on land and collected without soiling the coast or acting unfavorably upon the marine fauna. If, however, economic considerations are controlling, then those foamed particles should be preferred which will sink after the burning, because the original raw materials are very cheap.
• the treatment of the foamed particles to render them hydrophobic is accomplished in many ways with industrial silicone oils (produced from organosiloxanes derived from alkylhalogen silanes) which are dissolved in organic solvents, the foamed particles being sprayed with the silicone solution or immersed therein.
• the silicone oils are also applied as aqueous emulsions, or in the form of their precursors (e.g. mono-,' diand tri-chlor-silanes) which by hydrolysis with steam are coated upon the foamed particles.
• the water-repelling agents are also vaporized upon the foamed particles under vacuum. From this it is seen that silicone oils or their precursors are applied in many ways.
• the foamed particles are also rendered water-repellent by other known methods, e.g. by coating them with oils such as heating oil, asphalt, mineral fats, waxes such as montan wax or ozocerite, but also with salts of fatty acids, e.g. calcium stearate in solution, suspension, emulsion or dispersion.
• oils such as heating oil, asphalt, mineral fats, waxes such as montan wax or ozocerite, but also with salts of fatty acids, e.g. calcium stearate in solution, suspension, emulsion or dispersion.
• the substances used in the present invention have the following characteristics-they are inorganic silicious, oxidic or metallic foam, the last three of which can be used either separately or in mixtures of two or three. They are incombustible, buoyant, insoluble or only slightly soluble in water, insoluble in oil, absorbent for liquids that do not dissolve in water, stable in the presence of water and only slightly swellable or not swellable at all. Their affinity for combustible liquids is greater than their affinity for water.
• a preliminary solution was prepared from 1 liter of alkali silicate solution 32 percent potassium silicate solution) and 3 g. crystallized sucrose dissolved in 40 cm. of water.
• 150 g. rock wool and 1 liter of this aqueous preliminary solution were thereafter mixed with 0.7 liter of water.
• the rock wool was completely dissolved by heating, and the solution was then evaporated in an iron vessel for 6 hours at 300 C.
• the solid residue was removed after cooling, and crushed in a conventional grinder to a maximum grain size of 10 mm.
• a concrete trough is filled with water.
• 4 liters of light heating oil are poured which spreads out evenly on the water in a layer about 1 mm. thick.
• 2 liters of porous, absorbent water repellent foamed glass spherical particles produced according to example 2, of 2-10 mm. diameter and an apparent density of 80 g./liter are deposited on the oil covered water.
• the particles absorb 300 percent of their weight of oil. They were rendered water repellent with dichlor-silane by vapor coating in vacuum. The oil coated foamed glass particles are then ignited with a match.
• EXAMPLE 5 In the same experimental trough as examples 3 and 4, absorbent pieces of foamed glass produced by example 1 and rendered water repellent by an alcoholic solution of calcium stearate are distributed in a layer about 4 cm. thick on half of the liquid layer consisting of water covered by a layer of oil 4 mm. thick. After being ignited by a small fuse, the oil surface burns completely away. During the burning many of the particles of foamed glass disintegrated into smaller pieces. Most of the foamed glass particles are sintered together sufficiently during the burning process to cause them to sink.
• a method for absorbing and burning away combustible liquids floating upon water comprising spreading over said combustible liquids inorganic foamed particles having a melting point between 400-l,l00 C. and a density of 0.05 to 0.20 grams per cubic centimeter which are incombustible, buoyant, substantially insoluble in water, insoluble in oil and having an absorption affinity for said combustible liquids greater than the affinity for water to absorb said combustible liquids, and igniting said absorbed combustible liquids.
• a method for absorbing and burning away combustible liquids floating upon water comprising:
• a method for absorbing and burning away combustible liquids floating upon water comprising:

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Solid-Sorbent Or Filter-Aiding Compositions (AREA)
• Removal Of Floating Material (AREA)
• Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (13)

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Citations (3)

• 1968
  • 1968-12-30 SE SE17951/68A patent/SE368434B/xx unknown
• 1969
  • 1969-01-29 ES ES363066A patent/ES363066A1/es not_active Expired
  • 1969-02-06 FR FR6902657A patent/FR2003285A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 1969-02-27 GB GB00596/69A patent/GB1262144A/en not_active Expired
  • 1969-02-28 US US803477*A patent/US3589844A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (3)

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