The present disclosure is directed to a method for reducing bacteria in a precipitated calcium carbonate (CaCO.sub.3) slurry, the method including: adding water to calcium oxide (CaO) to form Ca(OH).sub.2; treating the Ca(OH).sub.2 with CO.sub.2 gas to form a slurry including precipitated CaCO.sub.3; neutralizing the slurry; and exposing the slurry that was neutralized to ozone in an amount sufficient to reduce bacteria in the precipitated calcium carbonate slurry. Oral care compositions including the precipitated calcium carbonate of the disclosed process are also described.

The present invention refers to the use of a surface-reacted calcium carbonate having a volume median particle size d.sub.50 from 0.1 to 90 m as skin appearance modifier in a cosmetic and/or skin care composition.

Divalent ions are extracted from solids by leaching to form a divalent ion-containing solution. The divalent ion-containing solution is subjected to concentration to form a concentrated divalent ion-containing solution. Precipitation of a divalent ion hydroxide salt is induced from the concentrated divalent ion-containing solution. In other cases, the concentrated divalent ion-containing solution is exposed to carbon dioxide to induce precipitation of a divalent ion carbonate salt.

The present invention relates to processes employing water produced from wells that, after suitable purification steps, is processed to recover resources that can be used to treat other waste streams, such as flue gases and ashes from combustion of fossil fuels.

Techniques are described for chemical sequestration of carbon dioxide and production of precipitated magnesium carbonate. The process can include contacting carbon dioxide from industrial emissions with water and magnesium-containing particulate material, such as serpentinite, which is thermally pre-treated and has a particle size of at most 75 microns. The process can also include separation of the loaded aqueous stream from the solids, followed by precipitation of magnesium carbonate material that includes carbon and oxygen from industrial emissions and magnesium from serpentinite or chrysotile mining residue, for example.

Aspects of the invention include methods of removing carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) from a CO.sub.2 containing gas. In some instances, the methods include contacting CO.sub.2 containing gas with a bicarbonate buffered aqueous medium under conditions sufficient to produce a bicarbonate rich product. Where desired, the resultant bicarbonate rich product or a component thereof may then be stored or further processed, e.g., combined with a divalent alkaline earth metal cation, under conditions sufficient to produce a solid carbonate composition. Aspects of the invention further include systems for practicing the methods, as well as products produced by the methods.

Disclosed are a method and a system for recycling carbon dioxide. The method includes chlorinating a calcium-containing silicate and/or a magnesium-containing silicate to obtain a calcium chloride and/or magnesium chloride, mixing the calcium chloride and/or magnesium chloride with ammonia water and carbon dioxide and performing a carbonation reaction to recover the carbon dioxide and convert it into calcium carbonate and/or magnesium carbonate while generating an ammonium chloride solution, and recovering the ammonium chloride solution generated in the carbonation reaction. The ammonium chloride solution after being concentrated or hydrogen chloride generated from a decomposition reaction of the ammonium chloride solution is directly used to chlorinate the calcium-containing silicate and/or the magnesium-containing silicate. The ammonium chloride is used as a catalyst for the entire mineralization of the carbon dioxide, the final product is the calcium carbonate and/or the magnesium carbonate.

In this disclosure, a process of recycling acid, base and the salt reagents required in the Li recovery process is introduced. A membrane electrolysis cell which incorporates an oxygen depolarized cathode is implemented to generate the required chemicals onsite. The system can utilize a portion of the salar brine or other lithium-containing brine or solid waste to generate hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and carbonate salts. Simultaneous generation of acid and base allows for taking advantage of both chemicals during the conventional Li recovery from brines and mineral rocks. The desalinated water can also be used for the washing steps on the recovery process or returned into the evaporation ponds. The method also can be used for the direct conversion of lithium salts to the high value LiOH product. The method does not produce any solid effluent which makes it easy-to-adopt for use in existing industrial Li recovery plants.

The present invention is directed to a process for producing precipitated calcium carbonate with improved resistance to structural breakdown, wherein the milk of lime is carbonated in the presence of at least one gas other than carbon dioxide, or the carbonation is carried out in the presence of a static gas bubble comminution unit as well as to precipitated calcium carbonate obtained by such a process.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing amorphous calcium carbonate, the amorphous calcium carbonate obtainable by the process, its use as well as a product comprising the amorphous calcium carbonate and the use of a spray dryer for the preparation of amorphous calcium carbonate.