Prodn. of floatable materials for absorption beds - by carbonising pre-expanded grain, esp. useful in anaerobic waste water treatment plants

• Main Authors: GIZYCKI, ULRICH VON., 5090 LEVERKUSEN, DE, BONIN, WULF VON., 5068 ODENTHAL, DE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; German
• Published: 17.09.1992
• Subjects: ARTIFICIAL STONE; BLASTING; BUILDING; CEILINGS; CEMENTS; CERAMICS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDINGMATERIALS; CONCRETE; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; FLOORS; GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; LIGHTING; LIME, MAGNESIA; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PIPES; REFRACTORIES; ROOFS; SLAG; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE; USE OF INORGANIC OR NON-MACROMOLECULAR ORGANIC SUBSTANCES ASCOMPOUNDING INGREDIENTS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; WEAPONS

Prodn. is effected by carbonising pre-expanded natural 'fruits' (esp. grains) at 180-450 deg.C. The starting material is popcorn, puffed wheat or puffed rice. Carbonisation is effected in the presence of air, opt. in a closed vessel to form a moulded prod. USE - The floatable materials are esp. useful as biomass carriers in biological (esp. anaerobic) waste-water treatment plants. They may also be used as packing materials in columns, trickle units and adsorption or absorption beds, as biofilter materials, as hydroponic culture substrates, as insulating materials, as fillers for plastics, foams, bricks and concrete, and as carriers for catalysts and 'active agents'