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US 5,858,299 AGranted
Process for consolidating particulate solids
AssigneeEcolab Inc.
InventorsPeter J. Fernholz, Sandra Witt, Hans-Peter Koehler, Wolfgang Preibsch, Horst Pruehs, Karl-Heinz Rogmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bed of particulate solids including some hydrated materials can be converted by controlled irradiation with subinfrared electromagnetic radiation into a unitary porous solid that is mechanically strong enough for easy handling. When the particulate solids include typical acid to alkaline cleaner materials, a block or tablet especially suitable for automatic cleaning machinery, with a very fast dissolution rate in water, can readily be obtained.
Claims21
A process for the formation of a unitary macrosolid from a bed of particulate matter, said process consisting essentially of:
- (A) providing a container with walls penetrable by subinfrared electromagnetic radiation and having within the container a bed of particles of detergent raw material, at least part of said raw material being a hydrated material, and wherein at least one of said raw materials is a crystalline layered silicate present in an amount of at least 5%, based on the mass of said macrosolid;
- (B) irradiating the bed of particles provided in step (A) for a sufficient time with subinfrared electromagnetic radiation of sufficient energy to cause the temperature of at least part of said raw material to rise and be sintered, and subsequently discontinuing the irradiation of said raw material and cooling it, so as to transform the bed of particles into a macrosolid having a length of from 5 mm to 13 mm on each edge and a porosity of from 7 to 35% of its bulk volume, said macrosolid having a bulk volume that is not greater than 1.20 times the bulk volume of the particle bed from which it was formed, said macrosolid further having a bridgework structure formed from said bed of particulate matter wherein the originally individual particles have been joined by bridges- to join the particle bed into a unitary macrosolid having pores, interstitial spaces, or both pores and interstitial spaces, and wherein upon immersion at 55.degree. C. in a volume of water that is at least ten times the bulk volume of the macrosolid article, the macrosolid article dissolves so that no part of the macrosolid article remains in any single undissolved particle having a largest dimension greater than about 2.2 mm, within a time after immersion that is not greater than about 0.050 minutes per cubic centimeter of bulk volume of the macrosolid article.
A process for the formation of a unitary macrosolid from a bed of particulate matter, said process consisting essentially of:
- (A) providing a container with walls penetrable by subinfrared electromagnetic radiation and having within the container a bed of particles of detergent raw material, at least part of said raw material being a hydrated material, and wherein at least one of said raw materials is a crystalline layered silicate present in an amount of at least 5%, based on the mass of said macrosolid;
- (B) irradiating the bed of particles provided in step (A) for a sufficient time with subinfrared electromagnetic radiation of sufficient energy to cause the temperature of at least part of said raw material to rise and be sintered, and subsequently discontinuing the irradiation of said raw material and cooling it, so as to transform the bed of particles into a macrosolid having a length of from 5 mm to 13 mm on each edge and a porosity of from 7 to 35% of its bulk volume, said macrosolid having a bulk volume that is not greater than 1.20 times the bulk volume of the particle bed from which it was formed, said macrosolid further having a bridgework structure formed from said bed of particulate matter wherein the originally individual particles have been joined by bridges to join the particle bed into a unitary macrosolid having pores, interstitial spaces, or both pores and interstitial spaces, and wherein upon immersion at 550.degree. C. in a volume of water that is at least ten times the bulk volume of the macrosolid article, the macrosolid article dissolves so that no part of the macrosolid article remains in any single undissolved particle having a largest dimension greater than about 2.2 mm, within a time after immersion that is not greater than about 0.050 minutes per cubic centimeter of bulk volume of the macrosolid article, and
- (C) introducing additional material into the pores, interstitial spaces, or both pores and interstitial spaces of the macrosolid object formed in step (B) and causing at least part of the additional material so introduced to remain fixed within, on, or both within and on the macrosolid, so as to produce a modified macrosolid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.