Agglomeration of particulate materials with reticulated cellulose
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser Company
InventorsR. Scott Stephens, John A. Westland, Douglas R. Shaw
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Particulate materials, particularly fine particles of clay animal litter, are agglomerated using a reticulated cellulose product formed by growing Acetobacter. Treatment with such reticulated cellulose also enhances the liquid absorbency of particulate materials.
Claims21
An agglomerated particle comprising:
- (a) at least one non-cellulosic particle, and
- (b) at least one reticulated bacterial cellulose particle,
- wherein the agglomerated particle is larger than any of the non-cellulosic particles within the agglomerated particle.
A process for making an agglomerated particle comprising:
- mixing at least one non-cellulosic particle with at lease one reticulated bacterial cellulose particle, and
- allowing the particles to agglomerate, wherein the agglomerated particle is larger than any of the non-cellulosic particles within the agglomerated particle.
A process for increasing the liquid absorbency of particulates, comprising treating the particulates in a slurry containing reticulated bacterial cellulose and thereby producing treated particulates having enhanced liquid absorbency characteristics compared to the absorbency of untreated particulates.
A treated particulate product comprising particles treated with a sufficient amount of reticulated bacterial cellulose to increase the liquid absorbency of the treated particulate product compared to the liquid absorbency of untreated particles.
An agglomerated product comprising metal ore particles and associated fines admixed with bacterial cellulose to form an agglomerated product that is amenable to heap leaching techniques.
A process for enhancing the liquid permeation properties of metal ore particles and associated fines, comprising treating the metal ore particles and associated fines with reticulated cellulose and thereby producing treated metal ore particles and associated fines having enhanced liquid permeation properties over time compared to the liquid permeation properties of untreated metal ore particles and associated fines over time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.