Porous composition containing a phenolaldehyde resin, method of preparation, and article fabricated therefrom

Claim 1

COMPOSITION FOR THE FABRICATION OF POROUS MEDIA WHICH COMPRISES (A) A PREPONDERANT PROPORTION OF BETWEEN ABOUT 75 AND ABOUT 90 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION, OF AN INERT FILLER MATERIAL THAT CONSISTS OF A LESSER SHARE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND 25 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION, OF (1) A PULVERULENT FILLING MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GRAPHITE POWDER, SILICA POWDER AND MIXTURE THEREOF, WITH THE BALANCE BEING (2) A RELATIVELY COARSE PARTICULATE AGGREGATE FILLER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CALCINED PETROLEUM COKE, EXPANDED POWERHOUSE SLAG, RELATIVELY COARSE SAND AND MIXTURES THEREOF; AND (B) A BINDING MINOR PORPORTION OF BETWEEN ABOUT 25 AND ABOUT 10 PER CENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION, OF AN ACTIVE POWDERED MAGNESIUM OXIDE CATALYZED AQUEOUS PHENOLIC LIQUID THERMOSETTING RESIN BINDER, SAID BINDER CONTAINING UP TO ABOUT 25 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE PHENOLIC LIQUID RESIN CATALYST CATALYZED WITH BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND 25 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE RESIN IN THE COMPOSITION, OF SAID ACTIVE MAGNESIUM OXIDE POWDER THAT HAS AN INITIAL SETTING TIME OF LESS THAN ABOUT 6 HOURS; SAID RESIN BEING A PHENOLFORMALDEHYDE CONDENSATION PRODUCT THAT HAS A GREATER THAN 1:1 MOLE RATIO OF FORMALDEHYDE TO PHENOL, RESPECTIVELY, A SOLIDS CONTENT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, A PH BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND 9, AND A VISCOSITY AT 77* F. BETWEEN ABOUT 100 AND 1000 CENTIPOISES.