The present invention provides that powder is mainly constituted from secondary particles of hydroxyapatite. The secondary particles are obtained by drying a slurry containing primary particles of hydroxyapatite and aggregates thereof and granulating the primary particles and the aggregates. A bulk density of the powder is 0.65 g/mL or more and a specific surface area of the secondary particles is 70 m.sup.2/g or more. The powder of the present invention has high strength and is capable of exhibiting superior adsorption capability when it is used for an adsorbent an adsorption apparatus has.

A method and a system for gold and silver recovery from a pregnant solution resulting from gold extraction from an ore using halogen, the method comprising lowering the oxidation reduction potential of the pregnant solution by mixing the pregnant solution with a reducer over the surface of a bed of silica, and flowing the mixture through the bed of silica. The system comprises a bed of silica, a feeder controlling feeding of the pregnant solution with a reducer to direct a mixture of an ORP less than 550 mV to the surface of the bed of silica, and a collector receiving a barren solution from the bed of silica after flowing of the mixture therethrough.

A method for the separation of C4 olefin mixtures using anion-pillared hybrid porous materials as physical adsorbents is provided. The anion-pillared hybrid porous material was constructed by metal ions (M), organic ligand (L), and inorganic anion (A), forming a three-dimensional structure (A-L-M). C4 olefin mixtures contact with hybrid porous materials in certain ways, then each single C4 olefin monomer can be obtained. The pore size of anion-pillared hybrid porous materials and the spatial configurations of the anions within the pores can be fine-tuned and pre-designed. C4 olefins with different size and shape can be efficiently separated by the anion-pillared hybrid porous materials through shape recognition and size-sieving mechanism.

In embodiments, a packing material for supported liquid extraction has a sorbent media that includes synthetic silica particles. In embodiments, the synthetic silica particles can have physical properties relating to one or more of particle surface area, shape, size, or porosity. In one embodiment, synthetic silica particles have a surface area less than about 30 m.sup.2/g. In another embodiment, the synthetic silica particles have an approximately uniform particle shape. In further examples, synthetic silica particles have a particle size in a range of about 30-150 m inclusive or greater than about 200 m. In another embodiment, synthetic silica particles are arranged to have a pore size greater than about 500 Angstroms. In an embodiment, an apparatus for supported liquid extraction includes a container and a sorbent media that includes synthetic silica particles. In a further embodiment, a method for extracting target analytes through supported liquid extraction is provided.

The present disclosure relates to a process for the purification of water. The process includes leading water laden with microorganisms and arsenic through an arsenic adsorption media followed by treating the resultant arsenic deficient water with a disinfectant releasing system to obtain water deficient of arsenic and viable microorganisms. The present disclosure also provides an apparatus for the purification of water using the afore-stated process.

Producing high purity lithium solution from a lithium source containing dissolved Na.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, and Mg.sup.2+, by: passing the source into and out of a bed of sorbent composed of hydrated alumina intercalated with LiX, preferably LiCl, to extract lithium from the lithium source into the sorbent; washing the bed of sorbent with dilute aqueous LiCl to remove lithium from the sorbent to obtain a lithium eluent of increased Li.sup.+ concentration; subjecting this eluent to nanofiltration to produce a lithium permeate from which Ca2+, Mg2+, and other nanofilterable components are concurrently removed, yielding a permeate solution with 25% or less, and a retentate solution with 75% or more Ca.sup.2+ and Mg.sup.2+, as compared to the eluent from washing; and subjecting the permeate solution to a particular forward osmosis yielding a solution having 13,000-25,000 ppm dissolved lithium. Specified optional steps and new features can be used to increase lithium concentrations and purity.

Disclosed in certain embodiments are sorbents for capturing heavy hydrocarbons via thermal swing adsorption processes.

A thermal management system includes a sublimator that has a porous plate, a water feed line connected with the sublimator for delivering feed water to the porous plate, and an adsorbent bed in the water feed line. The sublimator is operable to freeze and sublime the feed water using the porous plate. The adsorbent bed is configured to substantially remove organic compounds from the feed water.

The present invention provides that powder is mainly constituted from secondary particles of hydroxyapatite. The secondary particles are obtained by drying a slurry containing primary particles of hydroxyapatite and aggregates thereof and granulating the primary particles and the aggregates. A bulk density of the powder is 0.65 g/mL or more and a specific surface area of the secondary particles is 70 m.sup.2/g or more. The powder of the present invention has high strength and is capable of exhibiting superior adsorption capability when it is used for an adsorbent an adsorption apparatus has.

A desulfurization apparatus according to the present invention includes: a first desulfurizer filled with a first desulfurization agent that removes a first sulfur compound from a hydrocarbon fuel; and a second desulfurizer filled with a second desulfurization agent that removes a second sulfur compound from the hydrocarbon fuel, the second desulfurizer being provided downstream of the first desulfurizer in a flow direction of the hydrocarbon fuel. The second desulfurization agent is constituted by a porous coordination polymer having a polymeric structure that is a combination of copper ions and organic ligands. A sulfur compound adsorption ability of the second desulfurization agent to adsorb the second sulfur compound is different from a sulfur compound adsorption ability of the first desulfurization agent to adsorb the first sulfur compound. A temperature of the second desulfurization agent is kept to 100 C. or lower. The desulfurization apparatus thus configured makes it possible to efficiently remove the sulfur compounds from the hydrocarbon fuel at low cost with a simple configuration.