초록 ▼

A method of treating a water-swellable clay after the clay has been mined and dried to improve its properties when in contact with contaminated water. After the common initial drying of the clay to a moisture content of 12% by weight or less, the clay is impregnated with an aqueous solution containi

A method of treating a water-swellable clay after the clay has been mined and dried to improve its properties when in contact with contaminated water. After the common initial drying of the clay to a moisture content of 12% by weight or less, the clay is impregnated with an aqueous solution containing a dissolved, water-soluble polymer, in an amount of at least about 0.5% by weight based on the dry weight of the clay, and the clay is wetted to a moisture content of more than 12% by weight, preferably at least about 15% or more, based on the dry weight of the clay, and then redried to a moisture content of 12% by weight or less, based on the dry weight of the clay. This rewetting step to hydrate and polymer-impregnate the clay, and then redrying the clay, unexpectedly improves the contaminated water absorbency, and viscosity properties when the clay is in contact with contaminated water; unexpectedly increases the rheology properties of the clays for oil well drilling fluids and lost circulation fields when contaminated water is encountered during drilling, enhances the clay properties when used as a suspending agent in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries when the composition contains a dissolved, inorganic salt and/or an organic liquid; and provides unexpectedly increased contaminated water-absorption in forming water-swellable clay-based water barriers.

대표청구항 ▼

In a method of flocculating solids suspended in a dissolved contaminant-containing aqueous solution, including the step of adding a treated water-swellable clay to the solution to flocculate the suspended solids to a size sufficient to cause the solids to settle from the solution, said clay being tr

In a method of flocculating solids suspended in a dissolved contaminant-containing aqueous solution, including the step of adding a treated water-swellable clay to the solution to flocculate the suspended solids to a size sufficient to cause the solids to settle from the solution, said clay being treated after recovery and drying to a moisture content of about 12% by weight or less, based on the dry weight of the clay, the improvement comprising treating the recovered and dried water-swellable clay by impregnating the clay with an aqueous solution containing a dissolved, water-soluble polymer selected from the group consisting of nonionic polymers and anionic polymers, in an amount of at least about 0.5% by weight, based on the dry weight of the clay, and rewetting the clay to a moisture content of more than about 12% by weight, based on the dry weight of the clay, and then redrying the clay to a moisture content of about 12% by weight or less, based on the dry weight of the clay.