METHOD FOR THERMAL ACTIVATION OF A SURFACE ACTIVE MATERIAL

• US 3,769,776 A
• Filed: 02/22/1972
• Issued: 11/06/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ronald Berg
• Original Assignee: Ronald Berg
• Inventors: Berg, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Adee, John
• Application Number:
  US05/228,335
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 55/66,67,74,75,208,386 252/412,455.2
• US Class Current: 95/87
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/00 Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/08 comprising aluminium oxide or hydroxide; comprising bauxite
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/183 Physical conditioning without chemical treatment, e.g. drying, granulating, coating, irradiation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for thermal activation of a surface active material, mainly for the purpose of increasing the gas sorption ability of the material. It is previously known to improve the sorption ability by heating the sorption agent to a temperature, preferably above 300* C and thereafter slowly cooling said agent to room temperature. According to the invention, however, the slow cooling is replaced by a quenching to a temperature below -75* C, for example, in liquid nitrogen or helium. This activation method has proved to give more efficient sorption agents for several gases, but especially for nitrogen and xenon.

Claims

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gas components are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, krypton and xenon, and the sorption agent is an alumina which has been heated to a temperature between about 600* C and about 950* C, and has been subsequently quenched in liquid nitrogen.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sorption agent is molecular sieve 5A which has been heated to a temperature between about 500* C and about 700* C, and has been subsequently quenched in liquid nitrogen.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gas components are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, krypton and xenon, and the sorption agent is a granulate of MgO and SiO2 which has been heated to a temperature between about 300* C and about 600* C, and has been subsequently quenched in liquid nitrogen.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gas components are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, krypton and xenon, and the sorption agent is a bauxite which has been heated to a temperature between about 300* C and about 800* C and has been subsequently quenched in liquid nitrogen.