A composition including a plant medium and a poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The composition may include one or more nutrients. The composition may be in a solid form, a fluid form, or a combination thereof. The poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in a fluid. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition may have particles having a diameter of 212 m or less, and which may be homogeneous.

A process for producing metastable nanocrystalline alpha-alumina (-Al.sub.2O.sub.3) having particle sizes smaller than 12 nm. Starting crystallites of -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 having a particle size larger than 12 nm, typically on the order of about 50 nm, are ball-milled at low temperatures to produce a nanocrystalline -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 powder having a particle size of less than 12 nm, i.e., below the theoretical room temperature thermodynamic size limit at which -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 changes phase to -Al.sub.2O.sub.3, wherein the powder remains in the -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 phase at all times.

The present invention relates to anodic porous alumina (APA) in the form of microparticles, characterized in that it contains interconnected through nanopores, and to its use in the preparation of a new composite material, which is useful for example in the field of conservative dentistry. The invention further relates to a process for preparing the nanoporous alumina of the invention in microparticles.

A process for producing metastable nanocrystalline alpha-alumina (-Al.sub.2O.sub.3) having particle sizes smaller than 12 nm. Starting crystallites of -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 having a particle size larger than 12 nm, typically on the order of about 50 nm, are ball-milled at low temperatures to produce a nanocrystalline -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 powder having a particle size of less than 12 nm, i.e., below the theoretical room temperature thermodynamic size limit at which -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 changes phase to -Al.sub.2O.sub.3, wherein the powder remains in the -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 phase at all times.

A method of producing high strength shaped alumina by feeding alumina power into an agglomerator having a shaft with mixers able to displace the alumina power along the shaft, spraying a liquid binder onto the alumina power as it is displaced along the shaft to form a shaped alumina, and calcining the shaped alumina. The shaped alumina produced having a loose bulk density of greater than or equal to 1.20 g/ml, a surface area less than 10 m.sup.2/g, impurities of less than 5 ppm of individual metals and less than 9 ppm of impurities in total, and/or crush strength of greater than 12,000 psi.

An apparatus and a method for producing fine particles capable of increasing the production and producing fine particles at low costs by feeding a large quantity of material efficiently into the plasma. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles into the vacuum chamber from material feeding ports, a plurality of electrodes connected to the vacuum chamber, tip ends of which protrude into the vacuum chamber to generate plasma and a collecting device connected to the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which generates discharge inside the vacuum chamber and produces the fine particles from the material, in which the material feeding ports of the material feeding device are arranged in a lower side than the plural electrodes in the vertical direction in the vacuum chamber.

Alumina products containing a fine particle size component and a coarse particle size component, and with specific particle size characteristics and irregular and non-spherical particle shapes, are disclosed. These alumina products can be used in polymer formulations to produce composites having high isotropic thermal conductivity.

A composition including a plant medium and a poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The composition may include one or more nutrients. The composition may be in a solid form, a fluid form, or a combination thereof. The poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in a fluid. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition may have particles having a diameter of 212 m or less, and which may be homogeneous.

Disclosed are systems and methods for refractory recycling that result in refined individual refractory components from a network of aggregate refractory components based on a fragmentation process. In one embodiment, a network of refractory aggregates is crushed and deposited into a refiner machine. The refiner machine includes a blast chamber that houses a projecting mechanism. The deposited aggregate material is propelled from the projecting mechanism at a critical velocity. Upon impact with an inner lining of material within the blast chamber, contaminant particles can fracture apart from the deposited aggregate material, leaving a refined individual refractory component.

Disclosed are systems and methods for refractory recycling that result in refined individual refractory components from a network of aggregate refractory components based on a fragmentation process. In one embodiment, a network of refractory aggregates is crushed and deposited into a refiner machine. The refiner machine includes a blast chamber that houses a projecting mechanism. The deposited aggregate material is propelled from the projecting mechanism at a critical velocity. Upon impact with an inner lining of material within the blast chamber, contaminant particles can fracture apart from the deposited aggregate material, leaving a refined individual refractory component.