An activated carbon sorbent composition comprising activated carbon and a passivation agent, wherein the activated carbon sorbent composition exhibits reduced self-heating or auto-ignition properties as compared to the activated carbon. The activated carbon sorbent composition may be utilized to sequester contaminants such as mercury from a flue gas stream. The passivation agent includes a sulfur species, and may be a sulfur oxide compound, a sulfide compound, or an organic sulfur compound. Methods for the manufacture of the activated carbon sorbent composition and for the sequestration of contaminants in a flue gas stream using the composition are also disclosed.

Disclosed is a method of decontamination by exposing a zirconium oxy(hydroxide) aerogel to a liquid, vapor, or gaseous sample suspected of containing a phosphonate compound. The aerogel may be doped with Fe.sup.3+ ions, Ce.sup.3+ ions, or SO.sub.4.sup.2− ions. The aerogel may be made by: providing a solution of ZrCl.sub.4; FeCl.sub.3, CeCl.sub.3, or Zr(SO.sub.4).sub.2; and a solvent; adding a cyclic ether to the solution to form a gel; infiltrating the gel with liquid carbon dioxide; applying a temperature and pressure to form supercritical fluid carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide for form an aerogel.

Provided are a superabsorbent polymer and a preparation method thereof, including preparing a base resin and conducting surface modification of the base resin in the presence of an inorganic filler. The method of preparing the superabsorbent polymer of the present invention may provide a superabsorbent polymer having improved rewetting property and liquid permeability.

A method of determining opal-C and cristobalite contents of a product that comprises diatomite is disclosed. The method may comprise performing thermal processing to determine a loss on ignition for a representative first portion of a sample of the product; identifying and quantifying primary and secondary peaks present in a first diffraction pattern that results from bulk powder X-ray Diffraction on a representative second portion of the sample; and using a known standard sample of cristobalite to determine whether the primary and secondary peaks present in the first diffraction pattern indicate the presence of opal-C or cristobalite in the product.

A highly selective carbon monoxide adsorbent and a method of preparing the highly selective carbon monoxide adsorbent are provided. The highly selective carbon monoxide adsorbent includes a boehmite or pseudo-boehmite in which a copper compound is dispersed.

A method for producing a mixed salt of sodium and aluminum includes providing a solution comprising water, sodium chloride and sulfuric acid, heating the solution to a temperature between 180 F. and 300 F. so that the sodium chloride reacts with the sulfuric acid to form sodium bisulfate and hydrochloric acid and then continue heating until the solution is essentially free of the hydrochloric acid, adding aluminum or an aluminum compound to the solution to form the mixed salt comprising a sodium aluminum sulfate compound and solidifying the mixed salt to form the sodium aluminum sulfate compound.

A moisture-absorbing sheet including a hygroscopic molded article containing a resin component and a hygroscopic agent, wherein (1) calcium oxide-based particles having a specific surface area of 0.5 m.sup.2/g to 20 m.sup.2/g and an average particle diameter of 0.5 m to 50 m are included as the hygroscopic agent; (2) a fibrillated fluororesin is included as the resin component; and (3) the sheet has: (a) a weight increase ratio of 1% or less after being allowed to stand for 2 hours in an atmosphere at a temperature of 20 C. and a relative humidity of 65%; and (b) a weight increase ratio of 5% or more after being allowed to further stand for 36 hours after being allowed to stand for 36 hours in an atmosphere at a temperature of 20 C. and a relative humidity of 65%.

Powdery calcium-magnesium compound, sorbent composition based on calcium-magnesium for being used in flue gas treatment, compatible with electrostatic precipitators and process for reducing the resistivity of a powdery sorbent composition for flue gas treatment installation comprising an electrostatic precipitator.

Methods of preparing a mercury sorbent material are provided. The methods comprise making a copper/clay mixture by admixing a dry clay and a dry copper source; making a sulfur/clay mixture by admixing a dry clay and a dry sulfur source; admixing the copper/clay mixture and the sulfur/clay mixture, to form a mercury sorbent premixture; and shearing the mercury sorbent pre-mixture to form the mercury sorbent material. Various substrates may be used with or instead of the clay, and various additives may be added to the copper, sulfur, clay, or mixture thereof.

A sorbent composition for the sequestration of mercury from a gas stream, a method for sequestering mercury from a gas stream and a method for the manufacture of a sorbent composition. The sorbent composition includes a highly porous particulate sorbent and at least two additive components, namely a non-halogen metal compound comprising a metal cation and an inorganic sulfur-containing compound, where at least a portion of the sulfur in the sulfur-containing compound has an oxidation state of equal to or less than +4. The method includes injecting the highly porous particulate sorbent and the two additive components into a gas stream, either discretely or as a single sorbent composition, to sequester mercury in the particulate sorbent. The method has a high degree of efficacy for mercury removal without requiring the addition of halogens to the gas stream.