Method for mixing phosphogypsum within earthen material
OwnerJames L Parisinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An in situ method of mixing a first material with a second material involves disposing the second material over a layer of the first material, disposing a mixing apparatus through the first and second layers of material, and mixing the first and second materials with the mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus includes an endless cutting assembly which is movable along a loop path. The cutting assembly includes a plurality of teeth which convey the second material downwardly and mix the second material with the underlying layer of the first material. The method has particular application in converting mineral waste materials such as phosphogypsum into useful mixtures which can be used as construction fill.
Claims16
A method of using phosphogypsum as a construction fill material, comprising:
- disposing the phosphogypsum over a layer of earthen material;
- disposing a mixing apparatus through the earthen material and the phosphogypsum, to a depth greater than two feet, the mixing apparatus including a plurality of tooth pads which are linked together in an endless cutting assembly which is movable along a loop path, the cutting assembly including a plurality of teeth for conveying the phosphogypsum downwardly and mixing the phosphogypsum with the earthen material;
- and
- mixing the phosphogypsum and earthen material by moving the mixing apparatus translationally through the phosphogypsum and earthen material and moving the cutting assembly along the loop path, with the teeth moving downwardly on a forwardly moving side of the cutting assembly and upwardly on a trailing side of the cutting assembly.
A method of using phosphogypsum as a construction fill material, comprising:
- disposing the phosphogypsum over a plurality of layers of material;
- disposing a mixing apparatus through the phosphogypsum and the plurality of layers of material to a depth greater than two feet, the mixing apparatus including a plurality of tooth pads which are linked together in an endless cutting assembly which is movable along a loop path, the cutting assembly including a plurality of teeth for conveying the phosphogypsum downwardly and mixing the phosphogypsum with the underlying layers of material;
- and
- mixing the phosphogypsum and the underlying layers of material by moving the mixing apparatus translationally through the phosphogypsum and earthen material and moving the cutting assembly along the loop path, with the teeth moving downwardly on a forwardly moving side of the cutting assembly and upwardly on the trailing side of the cutting assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.