A remedial composition is disclosed made from plant material residue that has been densified and then reduced into discrete pieces with a bulk density of from about 0.2 g/cm.sup.3 to about 0.5 g/cm.sup.3. The composition can be made from various different plant species and can be particularly made from agricultural crop byproducts, such as flax shives. The composition is particularly well suited for use as a remediation product for cleaning up and/or removing oily substances, such as petroleum products.

A process for manufacturing particles of water-absorbing material is provided. The process includes providing a powder bed composed of an absorptive powder comprising a water-absorbing polysaccharide onto a surface; releasing an aqueous solution from a solution dispenser so as to contact the powder bed, thereby forming a solution-impregnated humid material; letting the solution-impregnated humid material agglomerate in substantially shear-less conditions to form an agglomerated humid material, the solution-impregnated humid material being supported by the surface; and drying the agglomerated humid material, thereby forming the particles.

The present disclosure relates to a carbon-based porous material microscopically exhibiting a three-dimensional cross-linked net-like hierarchical pore structures with micropores nested in mesopores that are in turn nested in macropores. Such material provides for accelerated adsorption and desorption rates and lower desorption temperatures for recovery of organic gas molecules.

The present disclosure provides a cellulose derivative which has excellent storage stability and can selectively adsorb a valuable metal and a toxic metal. The cellulose derivative of the present disclosure has a repeating unit represented by Formula (I) below. In Formula (I) below. R.sup.as are identical or different and are a hydrogen atom or a group represented by Formula (a) below. In Formula (a) below, ring Z represents a heterocycle containing a nitrogen atom as a heteroatom, and R.sup.1 represents a single bond or an alkylene group having from 1 to 10 carbons. Four R.sup.2s are identical or different, and each represent an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbons. At least one of all the R.sup.as included in the cellulose derivative is a group represented by Formula (a) below.

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An object of the present invention is to provide a new form of adsorbent suitable for a motor vehicle canister. An activated carbon fiber sheet satisfies one or two or more of conditions for indices, such as a specific surface area, a pore volume of pores having a given pore diameter, and a sheet density. An embodiment, for example, may have: a specific surface area ranging from 1400 to 2200 m.sup.2/g; a pore volume ranging from 0.20 to 1.20 cm.sup.3/g for pores having pore diameters of more than 0.7 nm and 2.0 nm or less; and a sheet density ranging from 0.030 to 0.200 g/cm.sup.3.

A method includes mixing a dry hydrophobic material with a dry superabsorbent polymer to improve the flowability of the polymer in humid conditions within a machine passageway having a residency time. The application of superabsorbent polymers in agriculture is desirable to aid plant growth in increasingly hot and dry conditions. However, dry bulk planting applications typically used in agriculture require the dry amendment to pass through confined channels and narrow pores. This is problematic because the polymers rapidly absorb moisture from the environment and adhere to the planting equipment causing fouling and clogging. The improvement in flowability provided by the compositions disclosed herein, is to the extent that the superabsorbent starch-like polymer can be applied using dry bulk planting applications in the humid conditions of Florida in the springtime. Surprisingly, the dry mixtures improve flowability without undermining the ability of the polymers to rapidly absorb moisture from rain.

The present invention provides for a water retention polymer capable of retaining water for long durations and in huge amounts and the method of preparing the same. The polymer is capable of releasing the retained water slowly and as per the requirements of the crop and soil. Thus, the water retention polymer minimizes the water requirement during irrigation and other purposes. Further, the said polymer is eco-friendly, pollution free and completely biodegradable. The polymer can be used to grow plants on barren lands and marble slurry. The use of this polymer also minimizes the requirement of fertilizer for the crops. Further, the said water retention polymer is low-priced and hence affordable by farmers. The reduction in water requirement and fertilizer due to the use of this water retention polymer reduces 60% overall production cost for the farmers and hence results in more income generation from agriculture.

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of removing dissolved contaminants from an aqueous liquid. The aqueous liquid is contacted with an adsorbent which comprises a finely divided lignocellulosic material, which has been subjected to extraction to remove hemicellulose and/or other components therefrom, to bind at least a portion of the organic compounds to the adsorbent. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for removing or separating dissolved contaminants from a liquid and to a method for producing a liquid containing hemicellulose and/or an adsorbent containing lignin and/or other components. In particular the invention concerns the use of an adsorbent lignocellulosic material for removing dissolved contaminants from a liquid.

Method for preparing a natural organic macromolecular water treatment agent including: dissolving amylose corn starch in an alkali solution, stirring for 30 min, to obtain a suspension, freezing the suspension to fully frozen state, melting and dialyzing, to obtain a corn starch dispersion; mixing a modified flax fiber, the dispersion, nano-hybrid silica and distilled water, performing 800 W ultrasonication for 10 min, to obtain a treated suspension; taking an amount of a superabsorbent macromolecular resin with a certain shape, making it absorb water and swell into a solid hydrogel with the certain shape; mixing the solid hydrogel and the treated suspension, static defoaming, loading into a mold and solidifying, drying until the solid hydrogel is completely dehydrated, to obtain a hollow agent; spraying a catalytic degrading agent/toxin degrading agent on the surface of the hollow agent and/or the inner wall of holes thereof, to obtain the target agent.

Carbonaceous material that is activated to form precursor activated carbon is further enhanced by doping with copper, iron, and nitrogen and calcining. The carbonaceous material includes those obtained from coal, wood, or coconut shells. Methods of doping the activated carbon are described. The described treatment processes result in a sorbent material that has excellent performance in removing chloramine and similar compounds from fluids such as water that is intended for drinking.