This invention relates to a method and apparatus for gasifying or liquifying coal. In particular, the method comprises reacting a coal with a molten aluminum or aluminum alloy bath. The apparatus includes a reaction vessel for carrying out the reaction, as well as other equipment necessary for capturing and removing the reaction products. Further, the process can be used to cogenerate electricity using the excess heat generated by the process.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for gasifying or liquifying coal. In particular, the method comprises reacting a coal with a molten aluminum or aluminum alloy bath. The apparatus includes a reaction vessel for carrying out the reaction, as well as other equipment necessary for capturing and removing the reaction products. Further, the process can be used to cogenerate electricity using the excess heat generated by the process.

Discussed is a method for preparing a sulfur-carbon composite including the steps of: (a) mixing a carbon-based material with sulfur or a sulfur compound to prepare a sulfur-carbon mixture; (b) placing the sulfur-carbon mixture mixed in step (a) and a liquid which is vaporizable into a sealable container; and (c) heating the sealed container to a temperature of 120 to 200° C. to vaporize the liquid and prepare the sulfur-carbon composite. Also discussed is a positive electrode for a lithium secondary battery including the sulfur-carbon composite prepared by the above method, and a lithium secondary battery including the above positive electrode.

A process plant and a process for production of sulfur from a feedstock gas including from 15% to 100 vol % H.sub.2S and a stream of sulfuric acid, the process including a) providing a Claus reaction furnace feed stream with a substoichiometric amount of oxygen, b) directing to a Claus reaction furnace operating at elevated temperature, c) cooling to provide a cooled Claus converter feed gas, d) directing to contact a material catalytically active in the Claus reaction, e) withdrawing a Claus tail gas and elementary sulfur, f) directing a stream comprising said Claus tail gas to a Claus tail gas treatment, wherein sulfuric acid directed to said Claus reaction furnace is in the form of droplets with 90% of the mass of the droplets having a diameter below 500 μm, with the associated benefit of such a process efficiently converting all liquid H.sub.2SO.sub.4 to gaseous H.sub.2SO.sub.4 and further to SO.sub.2.

The invention is directed to a process to prepare elemental sulphur by (i) contacting an aqueous solution comprising bisulphide with oxidised sulphide-oxidising bacteria under anaerobic conditions wherein elemental sulphur is produced and a reduced sulphide-oxidising bacteria is obtained and (ii) wherein the reduced sulphide-oxidising bacteria are oxidised by transfer of electrons to an anode of an electrochemical cell to obtain the oxidised sulphide-oxidising bacteria.

Methods, systems, and devices for chalcogenide memory device compositions are described. A memory cell may use a chalcogenide material having a composition as described herein as a storage materials, a selector materials, or as a self-selecting storage material. A chalcogenide material as described herein may include a sulfurous component, which may be completely sulfur (S) or may be a combination of sulfur and one or more other elements, such as selenium (Se). In addition to the sulfurous component, the chalcogenide material may further include one or more other elements, such as germanium (Ge), at least one Group-III element, or arsenic (As).

A gas-solid separating method and a gas-solid separating system for simple substance sulphur in sulphur-containing exhaust are provided. The gas-solid separating method for simple substance sulphur in sulphur-containing exhaust comprises the following steps: first, cooling sulphur-containing exhaust at an extremely high speed; then, separating dust; finally, recycling a heavy liquid phase solvent and simple substance sulphur. The system comprises a quick cooling system, a low-temperature washing and purifying system, a light liquid phase and heavy liquid phase separating system, a washing liquid recycling system and a simple substance sulphur recycling system.

A system for resource recycling of sulfur dioxide includes a charcoal reduction furnace, a high temperature dust remover, a cooling separator A, a liquid sulfur tank, a cooling separator, a tail gas absorption tower, a gas stripping tower, a hypo reactor, a centrifuge, a mother liquor tank and a thickener. And a method for resource recycling of sulfur dioxide includes the following steps: (1) preparing elemental sulfur, (2) removing dust from a process gas containing gaseous sulfur, (3) separating elemental sulfur, (4) reabsorbing residual SO.sub.2 gas, (5) purifying sulfur powder, (6) preparing a slurry of cured hypo, (7) performing liquid-solid separation, and (8) preparing an absorption slurry. According to the method, SO.sub.2 gas is reduced into liquid sulfur and sulfur powder, and sodium thiosulfate is coproduced.

Embodiments of a flow control apparatus of the present invention generally include a vessel equipped with a substantially vertical, bottom-feeding liquid inlet line, a vapor space pressure equalization line, and a liquid outlet, wherein the vessel contains a pair of connected, horizontally oriented, O-ring and/or piston ring equipped sealing plates that are designed to rise and fall as a pair in response to gravity provided liquid pressure in the sump of the vessel, whereby an elevation of the sealing plates provides the liquid in fluid communication with the liquid outlet via internal orifices fluidly connected to one or more fluid conduits. Embodiments of a method of using embodiments of an apparatus of the present invention to control liquid flow are also provided.

An apparatus for solidifying liquid sulphur into orthorhombic crystals includes a liquid sulphur feeding tank, connected to a sulphur cooling screw feeder, and at least one electromagnetic field source external to the screw feeder, for example a solenoid with current flowing through it, acting on the sulphur, in such a way as to prevent it from crystallising in the monoclinic form above 100° C.