The present invention provides alumina hydrate particles, a flame retardant and a resin composition that are each for an electric wire/cable covering material improvable in flame retardancy and mechanical properties while the covering material keeps acid resistance; such an electric wire/cable; and producing methods thereof. The alumina hydrate particles of the present invention for electric wire/cable covering material have an average particle size of 0.5 to 2.5 μm, and having a primary particle variation R of 24% or less, the variation R being represented by the following expression:
primary particle variation R (%)=“standard deviationσ(μm) of major axis diameters of the primary particles”/“average value(μm) of the major axis diameters of the primary particles”×100.

The present invention provides alumina hydrate particles, a flame retardant and a resin composition that are each for an electric wire/cable covering material improvable in flame retardancy and mechanical properties while the covering material keeps acid resistance; such an electric wire/cable; and producing methods thereof. The alumina hydrate particles of the present invention for electric wire/cable covering material have an average particle size of 0.5 to 2.5 μm, and having a primary particle variation R of 24% or less, the variation R being represented by the following expression:
primary particle variation R (%)=“standard deviationσ(μm) of major axis diameters of the primary particles”/“average value(μm) of the major axis diameters of the primary particles”×100.

A composition including a plant medium and a poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The composition may include one or more nutrients. The composition may be in a solid form, a fluid form, or a combination thereof. The poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in a fluid. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition may have particles having a diameter of 212 .Math.m or less, and which may be homogeneous.

A composition including a plant medium and a poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules. The poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide may comprise of a poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide. The composition may include one or more nutrients. The composition may be in a solid form, a fluid form, or a combination thereof. The poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide is soluble in a fluid. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated metal hydroxide composition may have particles having a diameter of 212 .Math.m or less, and which may be homogeneous.

Provided is an inorganic filler powder (3) having a structure in which at least a portion of the surface of inorganic particles (1) having a particle size of 1 μm or more is covered with inorganic microparticles (2) having a particle size of 10 nm or more and less than 0.1 μm, in which the coverage ratio of the surface of the inorganic particles (1) by the inorganic microparticles (2) is 30% or greater.

A composition of chlorine-free poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules and a nutraceutical. In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide has particles having a diameter of 212 μm or less. The nutraceutical may include one or more of a protein, vitamin, fiber, mineral and electrolytes. The composition may be in a powder or fluid form.

A composition of chlorine-free poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide that comprises a clathrate containing oxygen gas molecules, In one embodiment, the poly-oxygenated aluminum hydroxide has particles having a diameter of 212 microns or less. The composition may be homogeneous.

Disclosed are systems and methods for refractory recycling that result in refined individual refractory components from a network of aggregate refractory components based on a fragmentation process. In one embodiment, a network of refractory aggregates is crushed and deposited into a refiner machine. The refiner machine includes a blast chamber that houses a projecting mechanism. The deposited aggregate material is propelled from the projecting mechanism at a critical velocity. Upon impact with an inner lining of material within the blast chamber, contaminant particles can fracture apart from the deposited aggregate material, leaving a refined individual refractory component.

There is provided a process for purifying aluminum ions comprising: reacting an aluminum-containing material with an acid so as to obtain a composition comprising aluminum ions; precipitating said aluminum ions in the form of AlCl.sub.3; optionally converting AlCl.sub.3 into Al(OH).sub.3; and heating said AlCl.sub.3 or said Al(OH).sub.3 under conditions effective for converting AlCl.sub.3 or Al(OH).sub.3 into Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and optionally recovering gaseous HCl so-produced. Aluminum ions so purified are thus useful for preparing various types of alumina.

A method of producing high strength shaped alumina by feeding alumina power into an agglomerator having a shaft with mixers able to displace the alumina power along the shaft, spraying a liquid binder onto the alumina power as it is displaced along the shaft to form a shaped alumina, and calcining the shaped alumina. The shaped alumina produced having a loose bulk density of greater than or equal to 1.20 g/ml, a surface area less than 10 m.sup.2/g, impurities of less than 5 ppm of individual metals and less than 9 ppm of impurities in total, and/or crush strength of greater than 12,000 psi.