Methods for cost effectively transforming lower quality silica sands into higher quality silica sands for use as proppants in fracking operations involving subterranean hydrocarbon formations. A process of exposing silica sand proppants to locally-sourced electromagnetic radiation, and systems therefor, are disclosed and shown to increase the performance of those silica sands as proppants in hydrocarbon formation fracturing operations.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for recycling waste raw material, capable of melting and recycling, according to size, small-particle waste metal transported by a small-particle waste metal conveyer (411), medium-particle waste metal transported by a medium-particle waste metal conveyer (412), and large-particle waste metal transported by a large-particle waste metal conveyer (413), and of recycling slag transported by a slag conveyer (414) into cover material, thereby recycling resources as well as preventing environmental pollution in advance.

A thermal process for carbonizing hemp and reducing particle size, mechanically, by grinding or milling said carbonized hemp materials to generate a precise particle size hemp char and combining the hemp char particles with a polymer into a master batch.

A thermal process for carbonizing hemp and reducing particle size, mechanically, by grinding or milling said carbonized hemp materials to generate a precise particle size hemp char and combining the hemp char particles with a polymer into a master batch.

Method and apparatus to facilitate recycling of at least one fraction of bitumen-containing materials. This can be accomplished by dissolving the at least one fraction, for example, maltenes or asphaltenes in roofing shingles, into at least one solvent. In one aspect, the apparatus comprises a dissolution vessel, a tumbler positioned therein, and at least one solvent distributor. The tumbler is configured to facilitate wetting the bitumen-containing materials with solvent. In a second aspect, a system comprises the apparatus, a solid-liquid separator, for example, a vibratory screen, and at least one solvent-fraction separator, for example, a flash drum. The at least one solvent can comprise one or more solvents useful to extract the at least one fraction. In a third aspect, a first fraction is extracted from the bitumen-containing materials with a first solvent composition, then a second fraction is extracted from the remaining bitumen-containing materials with a second solvent composition.

A unit for grinding biological samples, comprising a grinding device including at least two tubes having different volumes, suitable for being mounted on a support of the grinding device, each tube comprising an inner space having a height (h) along the axis of the corresponding tube, and being intended to contain samples to be ground, means for driving the support in a precession movement, the support having an axis the position of which varies by describing a cone, each tube being subjected to a movement (d) defined by the projection, onto the axis of said cone, of the distance between the extreme positions of a same point of the tube during the precession movement.

A pulp lifter and a pulp lifter assembly are described for a rotary grinding mill. The pulp lifter has a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of the mill, and includes a first wall bounding an interior space and a second wall dividing the interior space into first and second regions. The first wall includes a leading edge wall formed with at least one inlet opening providing access to the second section, an inner edge wall, and a radially outer wall. The second wall includes a guide that extends substantially from the radially outer wall to a trailing edge of the inner edge wall. The first and second walls form an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section at a radially inner edge. The first section of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge of the pulp lifter.

A multi-directional tumbling cylinder for use in concentrating or cleaning of products such as dross, salt cake, slag, carbon blocks, both, or cast or molded metal pieces, wherein the tumbling cylinder is of length, the cylinder mounted upon a base, is rotated through the operations of a motor, with the cylinder capable of turning in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The cylinder has an intake end and an outlet, and a series of liner segments disposed therein, that interconnect together to form an inner cylinder, and the segments have a series of rifling provided upon the inner surface, and series of vanes formed upon their outer surfaces, with the riffling and vanes having sloped lateral edges, at select degrees, to provide for controlled movement and volumetric flow of product being processed, either towards the outlet, tumbled within its midsection, moving product back towards the inlet, for regulated processing and cleaning of such product. An entrance vane provides for the prompt or slower movement of castings into the cylinder for processing during its operation.

A comminution mill sensor system and methods for monitoring comminution mill operation conditions. The comminution mill sensor system can include a plurality of shell sensor assemblies that are coupled to a comminution mill grinding compartment. The method can include receiving sensing data from a plurality of shell sensor assemblies and determining a two-dimensional process map, a three-dimensional process map, or both, based on the sensing data.

Methods for cost effectively transforming lower quality silica sands into higher quality silica sands having increased crush resistance for use as proppants in fracturing operations involving subterranean hydrocarbon formations. One or more of an attrition process, a microwaving process and a tumbling process are disclosed and shown to be applied to silica sands having inferior physical properties in order to increase the performance of those silica sands as proppants in hydrocarbon formation fracturing operations.