IPC Definitions - January 01, 2012

A62D 3/00 - Definition fr

Definition statement

This main group covers:

Processes for chemically altering harmful chemical substances into safe or less-dangerous substances.

These processes can be chemical, bio-chemical or physico-chemical processes, e.g. use of special chemical reagents for chemical fixing, which result in the decomposition or transformation of the harmful chemical substances into harmless or less harmful substances because of a change in their chemical structure.

These processes can comprise the step of dissolving or dispersing the harmful chemical substances in water for the purpose of treating them, or the step of producing, for treatment, a gaseous product from a non-gaseous harmful chemical substance.

The harmful chemical substance can be one component of a mixture, e.g. a component in contaminated sludge.

Relationship between large subject matter areas

The disposal of solid waste or the reclamation of contaminated soil is classified elsewhere, i.e. in class B09. However, the treatment of a specific harmful chemical substance in solid waste resulting in the change of its chemical constitution to make it harmless or less harmful is covered by A62D.

In the same way, treatment of sludge is not classified here with the exception of the treatment of a specific harmful chemical substance in the sludge, e.g. in residues from industrial processes (excluding contaminants from municipal sewage treatment) resulting in the change of its chemical constitution to make it harmless or less harmful.

Preventive chemical treatments, e.g. to prevent the formation of harmful chemical substances are classified elsewhere, depending on the kind of treatment and/or the context of application.

Processes using enzymes or micro-organisms classified in A62D 3/00 are also classified in subclass C12S.

References relevant to classification in this main group

This main group does not cover:

Detoxification of foods or foodstuffs

A23L 1/015

Apparatus for chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general

B01

Treatment of gases, e.g.:

Chemical or biological purification of smoke or fumes, e.g. flue gas

B01D 53/34

Purification or modifying the chemical compositions of combustible gases containing carbon monoxide

C10K

Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust

F01N 3/00

Consuming noxious gases by combustion

F23G 7/06

Chemical processes resulting in the production of a useful product, e.g.:

using untreated contaminated fly ash as raw material in the manufacture of cement

C04B 7/26

metals obtained from residues or scrap

C22B

Treatment of radioactively-contaminated waste

G21F 9/00
Examples of places where the subject matter of this class is covered when specially adapted, used for a particular purpose, or incorporated in a larger system:

Treatment of waste water, sewage or sludge

C02F

Making explosives harmless by detonation

F42D 5/04

Informative references

Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:

Disinfection or sterilizing methods specially adapted for refuse

A61L 11/00

Waste or refuse as compounding ingredient for glass, cement, mortar, concrete, artificial stone or ceramics

C03, C04B

Materials for absorbing liquids to remove pollution, e.g. oil, gasoline, fat

C09K 3/32

Destructive distillation of carbonaceous materials

C10B

Destructive hydrogenation of carbonaceous materials

C10G 1/06

Micro-organisms, enzymes or compositions thereof

C12N

Consuming waste by combustion

F23G

Removal or treatment of combustion products or combustion residues

F23J

Glossary of terms

In this main group, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:

Catalyst

Substance which either increases or decreases the speed of a chemical reaction, without itself undergoing a permanent chemical change.

Catalyst

Catalyst

Chalcogen

Also known as chalcogenides, specifically O, S, Se, Te.

Harmful

Directly toxic to living organisms, with the exception of toxic to plants only.

Harmful chemical substances

Chemical waste substances which are too hazardous or toxic to be discarded in an ordinary municipal landfill.

Halogens

The elements F, Cl, Br ,I , At.

Physico-chemical

Having at least one chemical step and one physical step.

Sludge

Residue (normally viscous) from an industrial, residential, or agricultural process.