Reactive-adsorptive protective materials and methods for use

Abstract

A reactive-adsorptive protective material having an activated carbon adsorbent, including those manufactured from a gel-type ion exchange resin. The activated carbon adsorbent has adsorptive properties for adsorbing chemical impurities. The activated carbon is wettlerized to further impart reactive properties onto the activated carbon for providing protection against blood agents in the atmosphere. Advantageously, a superior reactive-adsorptive material is provided having the ability to neutralize chemical substances, in particular, blood agents, while at the same time not diminishing the effectiveness of the carbon's adsorption capabilities.

1 . A method of providing a reactive-adsorptive protective material for combating chemical or biological threats comprising the steps of: 
 providing adsorptive carbon that has been activated to produce a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of at least 1500 m 2 /g and a pore size distribution having a majority of the pores below 40 Å; and    providing finely-divided inorganic metal oxide nanoparticulates that agglomerate into 1 nm to 200 nm sized clusters due to van der Waals forces, whereby the clusters have a BET surface area of at least about 1200 m 2 /g; and    imbedding the agglomerated clusters directly onto the activated carbon by (i) controlling the forces to minimize over occlusion and preserve adsorptive surface area and (ii) avoiding chemical reactions to retain the nanoparticulate's reactive properties to provide a reactive-adsorptive protective material;    wherein the reactive-adsorptive protective material is adapted to combat chemical or biological threats contained within an environment, without interfering with the activated carbon adsorbent's ability to combat an adsorbable threat.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon has a substantially spherical shape.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon has a microstructure with pores in a size range between 0 Å and 40 Å, wherein 
 5% to 10% of the overall micropore volume includes pores between 20-40 Å;      15 % to 25% of the overall micropore volume includes pores between 10-20 Å;      0 % to 20% of the overall micropore volume includes pores between 8-10 Å;      40 % and 50% of the overall micropore volume includes pores between 5-8 Å; and 10%-25% of the overall micropore volume includes pores smaller than 5 Å.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the pore density in the microstructure is at least 0.6 cm 3 /g.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activated carbon bead is produced from the gel-type ion exchange resin by: 
 delivering the gel-type ion exchange resin to a rotary tunnel dryer pre-heated to from 880° to 900° C. up to a filling volume of from 10 to 20%, wherein a product temperature of from 250° to 300° C. is set up in the dryer in the 50 to 80% kiln length range, said kiln length range being calculated from the product input;    drying the gel-type ion exchange resin continuously with 6-fold product turnover per kiln rotation and a residence time of from 30 to 60 minutes by means of a hot gas in countercurrent to a residual moisture content of at least 10%;    transferring the gel-type ion exchange resin to an indirectly heated rotary tunnel kiln up to a filling volume of from 5 to 10%, said indirectly heated rotary tunnel kiln having a carbonizing zone and an activating zone, wherein the gel-type on exchange resin is carbonized and activated continuously in an inert-gas flow with 8-fold product turnover per kiln rotation and with a product temperature profile in the carbonizing zone of from 850° to 900° C. and a residence time of from 120 to 180 minutes, and with a product temperature profile in the activating zone of from 910° to 920° C. and a residence time of from 480 to 720 minutes with the addition of from 3 to 5 kg/h·kg of steam in the activating zone.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the flow-rate of the hot gas in the dryer, expressed in terms of free cross-section, is from 0.2 to 0.5 m/s, with a kiln length to kiln diameter ratio of from 5.5 to 10.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the carbonizing zone covers 20% and the activating zone covers 80% of the heated kiln length, calculated from the product input; and wherein the carbonizing takes place with a product temperature profile, calculated in terms of the heated kiln length from the product input, of 850° C. at the product input, 880° C. after 10% of the kiln length and 900° C. after 20% of the kiln length.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of sieving the protective nanoparticles during said imbedding step.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said embedding step comprises electromagnetically induced impacting.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the step of sieving the protective nanoparticles during impacting.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said finely-divided inorganic metal oxide nanoparticulates are selected from the group consisting of chemically adsorptive nanoparticles, chemically reactive nanoparticles, biocidally reactive nanoparticles, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said finely-divided inorganic metal oxide nanoparticulates are selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, metal hydroxides, metal hydrates, POMs, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said finely-divided inorganic metal oxide nanoparticulates are combined with a material selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide, a reactive halogen, an alkali metal, a metal nitrate, SO 2 , NO 2 , ozone, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein said nanoparticulates have an average pore radius of at least about 45 Angstroms to at least about 100 Angstroms.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 loading metal ions onto activated carbon adsorbents, prior to said imbedding step, whereby the metal ions are adapted to combat blood agent threats contained within the environment, without interfering with the activated carbon adsorbent's ability to combat an adsorbable chemical threat.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the adsorbents derive from a gel-type resin.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said step of loading includes one of infusing metal ions, perfusing metal ions and wettlerizing metal ions.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the metal ions are selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper and molybdenum.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the nanoparticulates are combined with a reactive halogen.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticulates are selected from the group consisting of finely-divided inorganic metal-containing nanoparticles combined with a reactive halogen, finely-divided inorganic metal-containing nanocrystals, finely-divided inorganic metal-containing nanocrystals combined with a reactive halogen, and combinations thereof.