A method of producing a product inorganic compound including: immersing a raw material inorganic compound having a volume of 10.sup.−13 m.sup.3 or more in an electrolyte aqueous solution or an electrolyte suspension; exchanging anions in the raw material inorganic compound with anions in the electrolyte aqueous solution or the electrolyte suspension; cations in the raw material inorganic compound are exchanged with cations in the electrolyte aqueous solution or the electrolyte suspension; or including a component (that excludes water, hydrogen, and oxygen) in the electrolyte aqueous solution or the electrolyte suspension not included in the raw material inorganic compound in the raw material inorganic compound; and obtaining a product inorganic compound having a volume of 10.sup.−13 m.sup.3 or more from the raw material inorganic compound.

Provided is a method of preparing a metal oxide-silica composite aerogel and a metal oxide-silica composite aerogel having an excellent weight reduction property prepared by the method. The method comprises adding an acid catalyst to a first water glass solution to prepare an acidic water glass solution (step 1); adding a metal ion solution to the acidic water glass solution to prepare a precursor solution (step 2); and adding a second water glass solution to the precursor solution and performing a gelation reaction (step 3).

The disclosure herein sets forth processes and compositions for producing carbonated materials comprising calcium carbonates through a mechanochemical process. The present disclosure concerns the production of calcium carbonate by sequestrating CO.sub.2. Certain processes herein include providing alkaline-rich mineral materials that include carbonatable solid wastes such as lime kiln dust, cement kiln dust, and coal combustion residues, and simultaneously fractioning the alkaline-rich mineral materials, while contacting the alkaline-rich mineral materials with a CO.sub.2-containing gas in carbonation reactor at low temperature and ambient pressure. In some embodiments, the alkaline-rich mineral materials are partially carbonated before being used in the processes disclosed herein. After contacting the alkaline-rich mineral materials with a CO.sub.2-containing gas in carbonation reactor at low temperature and ambient pressure, solid calcium carbonate is produced. In aqueous reactors, the solid calcium carbonate is filtered from a solution in which it precipitated, and the remaining solution includes hydroxide as well as alkaline metal ions. The solution filtered from the solid calcium carbonate can be sequentially contacted with a CO.sub.2-containing gas stream to precipitate additional calcium carbonate. The carbonated materials formed from these processes can be used in the form of a slurry, as a moist powder, as a dried powder, as a reactive filler or as a supplementary cementitious material in a mixture that is used to make concrete.

Glycine is an organic compound that can be used in the making of a synthetic base that obviates all the drawbacks of strong bases such as sodium hydroxide. The new compound is made by dissolving glycine in water and adding calcium hydroxide at a molar ration of about 1:1. Next, sodium percarbonate is dissolved in the solution to produce the new compound, which can be referred to as glycine hydroxide.

Glycine is an organic compound that can be used in the making of a synthetic base that obviates all the drawbacks of strong bases such as sodium hydroxide. The new compound is made by dissolving glycine in water and adding calcium hydroxide at a molar ration of about 1:1. Next, sodium percarbonate is dissolved in the solution to produce the new compound, which can be referred to as glycine hydroxide.

A method of treating a metal carbonate salt includes hydrolyzing a metal halide salt to form a hydrohalic acid and a hydroxide salt of the metal in the metal halide salt. The metal includes an alkaline earth metal or an alkali metal. The method includes reacting the hydrohalic acid with the metal carbonate salt, wherein the metal carbonate salt is a carbonate salt of the alkaline earth metal or alkali metal, to form CO.sub.2 and the metal halide salt. At least some of the metal halide salt formed from the reacting of the hydrohalic acid with the metal carbonate salt is recycled as at least some of the metal halide salt in the hydrolyzing of the metal halide salt to form the hydrohalic acid and the hydroxide salt.

A method of treating a metal carbonate salt includes hydrolyzing a metal halide salt to form a hydrohalic acid and a hydroxide salt of the metal in the metal halide salt. The metal includes an alkaline earth metal or an alkali metal. The method includes reacting the hydrohalic acid with the metal carbonate salt, wherein the metal carbonate salt is a carbonate salt of the alkaline earth metal or alkali metal, to form CO.sub.2 and the metal halide salt. At least some of the metal halide salt formed from the reacting of the hydrohalic acid with the metal carbonate salt is recycled as at least some of the metal halide salt in the hydrolyzing of the metal halide salt to form the hydrohalic acid and the hydroxide salt.

The present invention concerns a powdery slaked lime composition having an Alpine fluidity greater than 50% and including a first fraction of particles having a size less than 32 μm and a second fraction of particles with the size greater than 32 μm, the second fraction being less than 10% by weight, compared to the total weight of the composition. The invention also relates to a method for producing same.

The present invention concerns a powdery slaked lime composition having an Alpine fluidity greater than 50% and including a first fraction of particles having a size less than 32 μm and a second fraction of particles with the size greater than 32 μm, the second fraction being less than 10% by weight, compared to the total weight of the composition. The invention also relates to a method for producing same.

A process disclosed herein is related to the isolation and purification of substantially pure chemicals, including silica gel, sodium silicate, aluminum silicate, iron oxide, and rare earth elements (or rare earth metals, REEs), from massive industrial waste coal ash. In one embodiment, the process includes a plurality of caustic extractions of coal ash at an elevated temperature, followed by an acidic treatment to dissolve aluminum silicate and REEs. The dissolved aluminum silicate is precipitated out by pH adjustment as a solid product while REEs remain in the solution. REEs are captured and enriched using an ion exchange column. Alternatively, the solution containing aluminum silicate and REEs is heated to produce silica gel, which is easily separated from the enriched REEs solution. REEs are then isolated and purified from the enriched solution to afford substantially pure individual REE by a ligand-assisted chromatography. Additionally, a simplified process using one caustic extraction and one acidic extraction with an ion exchange process was also investigated and optimized to afford a comparable efficiency.