| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090049954 | SIMPLIFIED PROCESS FOR LEACHING PRECIOUS METALS FROM FUEL CELL MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLIES - The membrane electrode assemblies of fuel cells are recycled by pulverizing the membrane electrode assemblies into a powder and contacting with acid to leach precious metals. Surfactants can optionally be used to increase yield of precious metals recovered. | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090081092 | Pollutant Emission Control Sorbents and Methods of Manufacture and Use - Sorbents for removal of mercury and other pollutants from gas streams, such as a flue gas stream from coal-fired utility plants, and methods for their manufacture and use are disclosed. Embodiments include brominated sorbent substrate particles having a carbon content of less than about 10%. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090136401 | Pollutant Emission Control Sorbents and Methods of Manufacture and Use - Sorbents for removal of mercury and other pollutants from gas streams, such as a flue gas stream from coal-fired utility plants, and methods for their manufacture and use are disclosed. Embodiments include brominated sorbent substrate particles having a carbon content of less than about 10%. Other embodiments include one or more oxidatively active halides of a nonoxidative metal dispersed on sorbent substrate particles mixed with activated carbon in an amount up to 30% by weight. | 05-28-2009 |
| 20090301171 | METHOD FOR MEASURING RECOVERY OF CATALYTIC ELEMENTS FROM FUEL CELLS - A method is provided for measuring the concentration of a catalytic clement in a fuel cell powder. The method includes depositing on a porous substrate at least one layer of a powder mixture comprising the fuel cell powder and an internal standard material, ablating a sample of the powder mixture using a laser, and vaporizing the sample using an inductively coupled plasma. A normalized concentration of catalytic element in the sample is determined by quantifying the intensity of a first signal correlated to the amount of catalytic element in the sample, quantifying the intensity of a second signal correlated to the amount of internal standard material in the sample, and using a ratio of the first signal intensity to the second signal intensity to cancel out the effects of sample size. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090301260 | EFFICIENT PROCESS FOR PREVIOUS METAL RECOVERY FROM FUEL CELL MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLIES - A method is provided for recovering a catalytic element from a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly. The method includes grinding the membrane electrode assembly into a powder, extracting the catalytic element by forming a slurry comprising the powder and an acid leachate adapted to dissolve the catalytic element into a soluble salt, and separating the slurry into a depleted powder and a supernatant containing the catalytic element salt. The depleted powder is washed to remove any catalytic element salt retained within pores in the depleted powder and the catalytic element is purified from the salt. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20090320680 | Methods of Manufacturing Bentonite Polution Control Sorbents - Methods of manufacturing bentonite sorbents for removal of pollutants including mercury from gas streams, such as a flue gas stream from coal-fired utility plants are disclosed. The methods include mixing bentonite sorbent particles with a sulfide salt and a metal salt to form a metal sulfide on the outer surface of the bentonite sorbent particles. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20100288079 | Method for Recovering Catalytic Elements from Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assemblies - A method for recovering catalytic elements from a fuel cell membrane electrode assembly is provided. The method includes converting the membrane electrode assembly into a particulate material, wetting the particulate material, forming a slurry comprising the wetted particulate material and an acid leachate adapted to dissolve at least one of the catalytic elements into a soluble catalytic element salt, separating the slurry into a depleted particulate material and a supernatant containing the catalytic element salt, and washing the depleted particulate material to remove any catalytic element salt retained within pores in the depleted particulate material. | 11-18-2010 |