Note(s)

• The following notes are meant to assist in the use of this part of the classification scheme; they must not be read as modifying in any way the elaborations.
  • In this sub-section, the separation of different materials, e.g. of different matter, size, or state, is predominantly found in the following subclasses:
    • B01D
    • B03B, B03C, B03D
    • B04B, B04C
    • B07B, B07C.
  • The classifying characteristics of these subclasses are:
    • the physical state of the matter to be separated;
    • the principle of the process used;
    • particular kinds of apparatus.

    The first of these characteristics involves six different aspects, assembled in three groups:

    • liquid/liquid or liquid/gas and gas/gas;
    • solid/liquid or solid/gas;
    • solid/solid.

  • These subclasses are to be used according to the following general rules:
    • B01D is the most general class as far as separation other than solids from solids is concerned.
    • Apparatus for separating solids from solids are covered by B03B when the process concerned is regarded as the equivalent of "washing" in the sense of the mining art, even if such apparatus is a pneumatic one, especially pneumatic tables or jigs. Screens per se are not covered by this subclass but are classified in B07B, even if they are being used in a wet process. All other apparatus for the separation of solids from solids according to dry methods are classified in B07B.
    • If the separation takes place as a result of the detection or measurement of some feature of the material or articles to be sorted it is classified in B07C.
    • It should also be noted that the separation of isotopes of the same chemical element is covered by B01D 59/00, whatever process or apparatus is employed.

Note(s) [6]

• In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
  • "solid particles" includes such particles whether catalysts, reactants or inert in solid, semi-solid or pasty state;
  • "fluidised particles" means finely divided solid particles lifted and agitated by a stream of fluid;
  • "fluidised-bed technique" means fluid-solid contacting technique in which finely divided particles are lifted and agitated by a rising stream of fluid, said stream having such a speed as to form a lower dense phase (the "bed") and an upper dilute fluidised phase of "fluidised particles";
  • "processes conducted in the presence of solid particles" does not include processes wherein the only solid particles present are formed during the reaction.
• In this subclass, tradenames that are often found in scientific and patent literature have been used in order to define precisely the scope of the groups.

Note(s) [5]

• In groups B01J 20/00-B01J 31/00, metal salts having an anion composed of metal and oxygen only, e.g. molybdates, are considered as chemically bound mixtures of the component metal oxides.
• Attention is drawn to the definitions of groups of chemical elements following the title of section C.
• In group B01J 20/00 and in each set of groups B01J 21/00-B01J 31/00 and B01J 32/00-B01J 38/00, the last place priority rule is applied, i.e. at each hierarchical level, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, classification is made in the last appropriate place.
• Pure compounds or elements, or their recovery from solid sorbent compositions, filter aid compositions, or catalysts, are classified in the appropriate subclass for chemical compounds or elements. However, when it is explicitly stated that the pure compound or element, in a particular form, is especially useful as a solid sorbent, filter aid, or catalyst, it is further classified in group B01J 20/00 or B01J 35/00.

Note(s) [5]

• In groups B01J 21/00-B01J 38/00, the following term is used with the meaning indicated:
  • "catalyst" covers also a carrier forming part of the catalyst.
• Classification of the:
  • carriers;
  • forms or physical properties;
  • preparation or activation;
  • regeneration or reactivation

  of catalysts according to more than one of main groups B01J 21/00-B01J 31/00 is made in the following general groups:

  • B01J 32/00 for such carriers;
  • B01J 35/00 for such forms or physical properties;
  • B01J 37/00 for such preparation or activation;
  • B01J 38/00 for such regeneration or reactivation.

Note(s) [5]

• Metal catalysts or metal oxide catalysts activated or conditioned by halogens, sulfur or phosphorus, or compounds thereof are classified in the appropriate groups for metal catalysts or metal oxide catalysts.

Note(s) [6]

• In this group, the following term is used with the meaning indicated:
  • "zeolites" means:
    • crystalline aluminosilicates with base-exchange and molecular sieve properties, having three dimensional, microporous lattice framework structure of tetrahedral oxide units;
    • compounds isomorphous to those of the former category, wherein the aluminium or silicon atoms in the framework are partly or wholly replaced by atoms of other elements, e.g. by gallium, germanium, phosphorus or boron.

Note(s) [2]

• In this group, the presence of water is disregarded for classification purposes.

Note(s) [2006.01]

• When classifying in groups B01J 32/00-B01J 38/00, any part of a catalyst that is not identified by this classification, and which itself is determined to be novel and non-obvious, must also be classified in groups B01J 21/00-B01J 31/00. Such a part of a catalyst can be either a single substance or a composition in itself.
• Any part of a catalyst which is not identified by the classification according to Note (1) above, and which is considered to represent information of interest for search, may also be classified. This can, for example, be the case when it is considered of interest to enable searching of catalysts using a combination of classification symbols. Such non-obligatory classification should be given as "additional information".

Note(s) [3]

• In groups B01J 39/00-B01J 49/00:
  • ion-exchange covers all processes whereby ions are exchanged between the solid exchanger and the liquid to be treated and wherein the exchanger is not soluble in the liquid to be treated;
  • ion-exchange processes cover also ion-exchange in combination with complex or chelate forming reactions.
• In groups B01J 39/00-B01J 49/00, the last place priority rule is applied, i.e. at each hierarchical level, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, classification is made in the last appropriate place.