US3932166A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Landfill and soil conditioner
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-05-15
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Granted: 1976-01-13
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Expires: 1994-05-15
Abstract
Abstract A method for converting organic waste materials into inert humus-like materials by charring the organic waste materials by heating and drying same in the presence of certain water-soluble inorganic acids, removing residual acid and other water-soluble contaminants by washing the crude char product with water, and utilizing the resulting inert material as a landfill. If desired, the humus-like char products can be reacted with an alkali at elevated temperatures, and the resulting alkali salts of humic-acid-like materials can be mixed with the soil to provide an improved and/or fertilized topsoil.
Inventors
- 👤 Martin Vignovich
- 👤 Russell B. Sperry
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 02:01
CPC Classifications
C; C05; C05D; C05D1/00; C05D1/02; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P20/00; Y02P20/10; Y02P20/129; Y10; Y10S; Y10S71/00; Y10S71/903
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for providing a soil conditioner for arable land which comprises: a. intimately admixing organic waste material with a water-soluble inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sulfur trioxide, until said acid penetrates and contacts substantially all of the organic waste material, the ratio of acid to organic waste on a dry weight basis being between about 1:30 and 1:2; b. reacting the resulting mixture by heating to a temperature between about 200° and 300°F under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone, until said organic waste material is converted to an essentially dry, water-insoluble black, humus-like char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solutions below about 240°F; c. contacting said char material with a reactant selected from the group consisting of alkaline substances and water to remove residual acids from said char;
Claim 2
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for providing a soil conditioner for arable land which comprises: a. intimately admixing organic waste material with a water-soluble inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sulfur trioxide, until said acid penetrates and contacts substantially all of the organic waste material, the ratio of acid to organic waste on a dry weight basis being between about 1:30 and 1:2; b. reacting the resulting mixture by heating to a temperature between about 200° and 300°F under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone, until said organic waste material is converted to an essentially dry, water-insoluble black, humus-like char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solutions below about 240°F; c. contacting said char material with a reactant selected from the group consisting of alkaline substances and water to remove residual acids from said char;
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
d. mixing an alkaline compound with said char, said alkaline compound being selected from the group consisting of alkali-metal hydroxides, silicates, and carbonates, and alkaline-earth hydroxides, the ratio of said alkaline compound to said humus-like char being from about 1:20 to 2:3 on a dry weight basis; e. heating said char/alkaline compound mixture to a temperature between about 240° and 550°F until the char reacts with the alkaline compound to produce water-soluble salts of black, humic-acid-like materials.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
77 words
d. mixing an alkaline compound with said char, said alkaline compound being selected from the group consisting of alkali-metal hydroxides, silicates, and carbonates, and alkaline-earth hydroxides, the ratio of said alkaline compound to said humus-like char being from about 1:20 to 2:3 on a dry weight basis; e. heating said char/alkaline compound mixture to a temperature between about 240° and 550°F until the char reacts with the alkaline compound to produce water-soluble salts of black, humic-acid-like materials.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein said char includes residual inorganic acids and said acids are recovered for re-use by contacting said char with water.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 1, wherein the acid-charring reaction is conducted at a temperature between about 220° and 240°F.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as in claim 1, wherein the reaction of the humus-like material in the char with the alkaline compound is conducted at a temperature between about 475° and 530°F.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as in claim 2, wherein the reaction of the humus-like material in the char with the alkaline compound is conducted at a temperature between about 475° and 530°F.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
143 words
A method for easily disposing of organic waste materials without polluting the environment, which comprises: a. intimately admixing organic waste material with a water-soluble inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sulfur trioxide, until said acid penetrates and contacts substantially all of the organic waste material, the ratio of acid to organic waste being between about 1:30 and 1:2 on a dry weight basis; b. reacting the resulting mixture by heating under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone to a temperature above 200°F until the organic waste material is converted to as essentially dry, water-insoluble, humus-like black char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solutions below about 240°F, said char including residual acids and water-soluble impurities therein; c. removing said residual acid and water-soluble impurities from said char by washing said char with water.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
143 words
A method for easily disposing of organic waste materials without polluting the environment, which comprises: a. intimately admixing organic waste material with a water-soluble inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sulfur trioxide, until said acid penetrates and contacts substantially all of the organic waste material, the ratio of acid to organic waste being between about 1:30 and 1:2 on a dry weight basis; b. reacting the resulting mixture by heating under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone to a temperature above 200°F until the organic waste material is converted to as essentially dry, water-insoluble, humus-like black char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solutions below about 240°F, said char including residual acids and water-soluble impurities therein; c. removing said residual acid and water-soluble impurities from said char by washing said char with water.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 6, wherein the acid recovered in the wash water is reused in the charring reaction.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
165 words
A method for easily disposing of organic waste materials without polluting the environment, which comprises: a. intimately admixing organic waste material with a water-soluble inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sulfur trioxide, until said acid penetrates and contacts substantially all of the organic waste material, the ratio of acid to organic waste being between about 1:30 and 1:2 on a dry weight basis; b. reacting the resulting mixture by heating under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone to a temperature above 200°F until the organic waste material is converted to an essentially dry, water-insoluble, humus-like black char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solutions below about 240°F, said char including residual acids and water-soluble impurities therein; c. neutralizing said residual acid in the crude char with an alkaline compound of accepted fertilizing value, said alkaline compound being selected from the group consisting of ammonia and ammonium compounds, and compounds of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
165 words
A method for easily disposing of organic waste materials without polluting the environment, which comprises: a. intimately admixing organic waste material with a water-soluble inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sulfur trioxide, until said acid penetrates and contacts substantially all of the organic waste material, the ratio of acid to organic waste being between about 1:30 and 1:2 on a dry weight basis; b. reacting the resulting mixture by heating under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone to a temperature above 200°F until the organic waste material is converted to an essentially dry, water-insoluble, humus-like black char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solutions below about 240°F, said char including residual acids and water-soluble impurities therein; c. neutralizing said residual acid in the crude char with an alkaline compound of accepted fertilizing value, said alkaline compound being selected from the group consisting of ammonia and ammonium compounds, and compounds of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein said char includes residual inorganic acids and said acids are neutralized by contacting said char with an alkaline substance.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
161 words
A method for easily disposing of water-containing organic waste materials without polluting the environment, which comprises: a. admixing organic waste material with toluene and refluxing the mixture; b. separating the vaporizing and recondensing water from the toluene in a water trap; c. adding to said refluxing waste material and toluene an acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, sulfur trioxide, hydrochloric acid, benzene sulfonic acid and toluene sulfonic acid, the ratio of acid-to-organic waste being between about 1:30 and 1:2 on a dry weight basis; d. reacting the resulting mixture by heating under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone to a temperature above 200°F until the organic waste material is converted to an essentially dry, water-insoluble, humus-like black char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solution below about 240°F, said char including residual acid and water-soluble impurities therein; and e. removing said residual acid and water-soluble impurities from said char by washing said char with water.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
161 words
A method for easily disposing of water-containing organic waste materials without polluting the environment, which comprises: a. admixing organic waste material with toluene and refluxing the mixture; b. separating the vaporizing and recondensing water from the toluene in a water trap; c. adding to said refluxing waste material and toluene an acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, sulfur trioxide, hydrochloric acid, benzene sulfonic acid and toluene sulfonic acid, the ratio of acid-to-organic waste being between about 1:30 and 1:2 on a dry weight basis; d. reacting the resulting mixture by heating under conditions which rapidly remove water from the reaction zone to a temperature above 200°F until the organic waste material is converted to an essentially dry, water-insoluble, humus-like black char which is substantially insoluble in alkaline solution below about 240°F, said char including residual acid and water-soluble impurities therein; and e. removing said residual acid and water-soluble impurities from said char by washing said char with water.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
GB189724085A
Cited
US2992093A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-01-12 | 1979-07-14 | 1980-01-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-01-12 | 1983-07-14 | 1984-01-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-01-12 | 1987-07-14 | 1988-01-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |