Appeal No. 95-4644
Application 08/031,430
46. A remediation method for a gas containing high
concentrations of more than 1,000 ppm ethylene oxide, said method
comprising the steps of:
a) in the presence of water and a catalyst, simultaneously
adsorbing and absorbing ethylene oxide as well as wet-
catalytically converting ethylene oxide to ethylene glycol on a
material that acts simultaneously as an absorbing medium, an
adsorbing medium, and a catalyst carrier;
b) rinsing said material with water in the presence of the
catalyst and thereby converting remaining and incompletely
converted ethylene oxide of step a) to ethylene glycol; and
c) repeating steps a) and b) when needed.
The references relied on by the examiner are:
Kruse et al (Kruse) 4,828,810 May 9, 1989
Buonicore et al (Buonicore) 4,831,196 May 16, 1989
Process for Air Pollution Control, G. Nonhebel, Butterworth & Co.
Ltd, (1972), pp 271-275 (hereinafter referred to as "Nonhebel").
The appealed claims stand rejected as follows:
(1) Claims 46, 47 and 58 through 64 under 35 U.S.C. § 103
as unpatentable over Buonicore and Kruse ; and 2
(2) Claims 48 through 57 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as
unpatentable over Buonicore, Kruse and Nonhebel.
2In the final office action dated February 17, 1994, the
examiner rejected claims 46, 47 and 58 through 64 under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103 as unpatentable over Buonicore in view of Kruse. In the
Answer, however, the examiner inadvertently referred to claim 46
as claim 47 by repeating "47" twice. For the purposes of this
appeal, we will presume that claim 46 is still rejected under
§ 103.
2
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