US 12371332 B1Patent grantUnited States

Silicate Composite for Contaminant Immobilization

Official patent title

Particulate nanocomposite material

Arabic title: مادة مركبة نانوية جسيمية

Invention

Problem

Inorganic contaminants in water can be difficult to immobilize for safer handling or separation. A functional particulate material needs controlled phase composition, morphology, and a reproducible preparation route.

Why it matters

Immobilizing dissolved inorganic contaminants could support water-treatment research, containment, and downstream separation, provided the treatment material does not introduce unacceptable leaching risks.

Approach

The particulate composite contains 5–20 wt.% Pb2SiO4, 5–20 wt.% rhombohedral Zn2SiO4, and 60–90 wt.% tetragonal SiO2, and is prepared through sol-gel formation, drying, and high-temperature calcination.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include water-treatment researchers, environmental-remediation laboratories, inorganic-material manufacturers, industrial-waste managers, and analytical-materials developers.

Potential value

The patent defines a three-phase silicate composite, nanoscale crystallite range, heterogeneous particle morphology, sol-gel manufacture, and a claimed use for immobilizing inorganic contaminants in aqueous media.

Background

Contaminant immobilization seeks to bind dissolved or dispersed inorganic species so they are less mobile and easier to separate or contain. Silicate matrices can provide chemically stable sites and tunable phase structures, while particle size and morphology influence contact with water. The disclosed composite includes lead as an intentional constituent, creating a critical requirement to demonstrate that the material itself does not release hazardous lead during treatment or disposal. Performance must therefore be evaluated together with leaching, regeneration, and waste-management behavior.

Technology overview

XRD defines Pb2SiO4, rhombohedral Zn2SiO4, and tetragonal SiO2 phase fractions and a reported volume-average crystallite size of 75–80 nm. SEM describes spherical, cuboid-like, acicular, and aggregated particles with 300–500 nm median grain size. Preparation dissolves zinc and lead salts with a silicate ester, adds aqueous ammonia to form a gel, filters and washes it, dries at 80–200 °C, and calcines at 700–1,000 °C. A claim covers contacting contaminated water with the material.

Potential applications

Inorganic-contaminant immobilization research.
Water-treatment material screening.
Silicate nanocomposite development.
Environmental-remediation and waste-containment studies.

Evidence-supported advantages

Provides defined crystalline phase fractions.
Uses a reproducible sol-gel and calcination route.
Reports XRD, SEM, and EDX characterization.
Offers heterogeneous particle morphologies.
Claims direct contact use in aqueous contaminant immobilization.

Development stage

Laboratory synthesis and XRD, SEM, and EDX characterization are described, with a claim to aqueous contaminant immobilization; contaminant-removal capacity, selectivity, and leaching safety were not established in the supplied evidence. The development stage was not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The material could be evaluated for specialized remediation or waste-treatment processes. Commercial use requires contaminant-specific capacity and kinetics, competing-ion studies, lead and zinc leaching across pH, ecotoxicity, regeneration or disposal plans, column-scale testing, energy and precursor-cost analysis, reproducible manufacture, and compliance with water and hazardous-waste regulations.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C01B33/20Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B33/18Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof

CPC

C01B33/18Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01B33/20Non-metallic elements; compounds thereof
C01P2004/30Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/60Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2004/03Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2004/64Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/85Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds
C01P2002/72Indexing scheme for structural and physical aspects of solid inorganic compounds

Inventors

First inventorEhab Abdelhamed Abdelrahman Ahmed

Keywords

particulate nanocomposite
lead orthosilicate
zinc orthosilicate
silicon dioxide
sol-gel
contaminant immobilization
water treatment

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.