A reactor for gas-liquid mass transfer between a gas and a liquid or slurry includes a tank for receiving the liquid or slurry having a wall; a drive shaft; an upward pumping impeller; and an aerating apparatus disposed above the upward pumping impeller and extending between the drive shaft and the wall of the tank at a first distance (d1) from the drive shaft and at a second distance (d2) from the wall of the tank, the aerating apparatus encircling the drive shaft at least partially. The aerating apparatus has an outward inclined or curved inner surface for directing at least a part of the flow over the inner surface.

The present invention provides a method and system for separating a liquid from organic particles. The mixer-settler extraction cell includes a flow distributor. The flow distributor comprises a chevron-shaped series of welded plates, which separates the incoming flow stream of liquid and organic particles from one another.

A method of making a zeolite comprises: adding a zeolite seed to a leach solution containing silicon and aluminum; and heating the leach solution to obtain the zeolite. The leach solution can be made by mixing coal ash with a basic stream, thereby creating (i) a leach solution containing silicon and aluminum, and (ii) leached ash; and separating the leach solution from the leached ash.

A method of making a zeolite comprises: adding a zeolite seed to a leach solution containing silicon and aluminum; and heating the leach solution to obtain the zeolite. The leach solution can be made by mixing coal ash with a basic stream, thereby creating (i) a leach solution containing silicon and aluminum, and (ii) leached ash; and separating the leach solution from the leached ash.

Method for the secondary fusion aluminum slags treatment to obtain finished goods for agricultural, domestic and industrial use includes treating aluminous material with concentrated sulfuric acid to obtain aluminum sulfate, wherein the aluminous material comes from slags fed in lots of finite-dimension in a treatment plant of aluminum slags and includes aluminum oxides present in at least 30% by weight, the method includes: a) a first step of separating the metals present in the slags, by known methodologies, to obtain powders of metals as Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni and to obtain an aluminous component in the form of aluminum grains; b) a subsequent step of treating the aluminous component, with sulfuric acid to obtain aluminum sulfate in solution and/or in form of crystals; c) a subsequent step of obtaining a solid residual portion, derived from step b), apt to be used as a refractory material in applications with thermal character.

Method for the secondary fusion aluminum slags treatment to obtain finished goods for agricultural, domestic and industrial use includes treating aluminous material with concentrated sulfuric acid to obtain aluminum sulfate, wherein the aluminous material comes from slags fed in lots of finite-dimension in a treatment plant of aluminum slags and includes aluminum oxides present in at least 30% by weight, the method includes: a) a first step of separating the metals present in the slags, by known methodologies, to obtain powders of metals as Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni and to obtain an aluminous component in the form of aluminum grains; b) a subsequent step of treating the aluminous component, with sulfuric acid to obtain aluminum sulfate in solution and/or in form of crystals; c) a subsequent step of obtaining a solid residual portion, derived from step b), apt to be used as a refractory material in applications with thermal character.

A system for recovering precious metals includes a rotatable drum, recyclable materials, and a separating solution. The rotatable drum is configured to receive recyclable materials. The recyclable materials include non-metallic materials and electronic components, with one or both of the non-metallic materials and the electronic components having attached thereto one or both of base metals and precious metals. The separating solution is disposed in the rotatable drum and is configured to separate the base metals and the precious metals from the electronic components and the non-metallic materials and to separate the electronic components from the non-metallic materials. The rotatable drum is configured to agitate the recyclable materials and to wash the recyclable materials with the separating solution. The electronic components, non-metallic materials, base metals, and precious metals are each separately removable from the separating solution.

The subject invention provides safe, environmentally-friendly, compositions and methods for extracting minerals and/or metals from ore. More specifically, the subject invention provides for bioleaching using a composition comprising one or more biosurfactant-producing microorganisms and/or microbial growth by-products. In specific embodiments, the composition comprises biosurfactant-producing yeasts and/or their growth by-products.

The subject invention provides safe, environmentally-friendly, compositions and methods for extracting minerals and/or metals from ore. More specifically, the subject invention provides for bioleaching using a composition comprising one or more biosurfactant-producing microorganisms and/or microbial growth by-products. In specific embodiments, the composition comprises biosurfactant-producing yeasts and/or their growth by-products.

A heap of a material to be leached to recover a valuable metal from the material includes an electromagnetic heating system to generate heat in situ in the heap.