Method and apparatus for removing contaminants from particulate material
AssigneeTuboscope Vetco International, Inc.
InventorsRobert B. Ballard, Noel A. Shenoi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for removing contaminants, including hydrocarbon and metal, from contaminated particulate material, such as gravel, soil, and the like. Initially, contaminants are removed by contact with water at a temperature higher than a melting temperature of the contaminants to remove them by melting. The removed contaminants are then subjected to specific gravity separation in water and filtration, including ion exchange and activated carbon filtration.
Claims16
A method for removing contaminants, including hydrocarbons and metal, from contaminated particulate material, comprising contacting the contaminated particulate material with water at a temperature higher than a melting temperature of at least some of said contaminants to produce melting and removal of said contaminants to produce particulate material from which said contaminants have been removed, collecting the particulate material from which the contaminants have been removed, subjecting at least a portion of the removed contaminants, including contaminants in particle form, with the water to effect specific gravity separation, wherein a first portion of said contaminants in particle form having a specific gravity greater than water are removed and collected and wherein a second portion of said contaminants in particle form having a specific gravity less than water are separately removed and collected to leave a third portion of said contaminants, filtering said third portion to leave a fourth portion in the water containing hydrocarbon and metal contaminants, introducing to said fourth portion before or after said filtering a water-soluble compound to react with said metal contaminants to form a metal-containing compound capable of removal from the water by ion exchange filtration, removing said hydrocarbon contaminants by activated carbon filtration, removing any unreacted water-soluble compound from the water by contact with an ion exchange resin or activated carbon, and filtering to remove the ion exchange resin and activated carbon particles resulting from the filtration of the water.
Apparatus for removing contaminants, including hydrocarbons and metal, from contaminated particulate material, comprising means for contacting the contaminated particulate material with water at a temperature higher than a melting temperature of at least some of said contaminants to produce melting and removal of said contaminants, means for collecting the particulate material from which the contaminants have been removed, means for specific gravity separation of at least a portion of the removed contaminants, including contaminants in particle form, with the water to separate and collect a first portion of said contaminants in particle form having a specific gravity greater than water and separate and collect a second portion of said contaminants in particle form having a specific gravity less than water, filtering means for removing a third portion from said water to leave a fourth portion in the water containing hydrocarbon and metal contaminants, means for introducing to said third portion a watersoluble compound to react with said metal contaminants to form a metal-containing compound capable of removal from the water by ion exchange filtration, means for removing hydrocarbon contaminants by activated carbon filtration, means for removing any unreacted water-soluble compound from the water by contact with an ion exchange resin or activated carbon, and means for filtering to remove the ion exchange resin and any activated carbon particles resulting from the filtration of the water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.