Process for the removal of ionic metallic impurities from water

Claim 2

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which silicon is present in the alloy in an amount of from about 1 to about 65 percent by weight based on the total weight of the alloy.

Claim 3

A process as claimed in claim 2 in which silicon is present in the alloy in an amount of from about 1 to about 65 percent by weight based on the total weight of the alloy.

Claim 4

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which silicon is present in the alloy in an amount of from about 35 to about 65 percent by weight based on the total weight of the alloy.

Claim 5

A process as claimed in claim 2 in which silicon is present in the allOy in an amount of from about 35 to about 65 percent by weight based on the total weight of the alloy.

Claim 6

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: calcium about 32.4, silicon about 63.1, barium about 0.36, and iron about 4.1.

Claim 7

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: aluminum about 20.5, barium about 12,4, calcium about 10.6, silicon about 39.0, and iron about 17.5.

Claim 8

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: iron about 30.1, titanium about 69.8, and silicon about 0.03.

Claim 9

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: iron about 43.0, aluminum about 8.0, and silicon about 49.0.

Claim 10

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following compositon given in weight percent: iron about 46.0, silicon about 45.0, and magnesium about 9.0.

Claim 11

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: iron about 49.9, aluminum about 1.0, silicon about 49.0, and calcium about 0.1.

Claim 12

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: magnesium about 63.0, silicon about 36.8.

Claim 13

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: vanadium about 47.9, silicon about 6.5, iron about 43.0, aluminum about 0.8, and carbon about 0.5.

Claim 14

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: magnesium about 5.7, silicon 45.7, manganese about 0.7, cerium about 0.6, calcium about 1.0, and iron about 44.5.

Claim 15

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: manganese about 1.0, carbon about 0.4, silicon about 0.3, and iron about 98.0.

Claim 16

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: magnesium about 9.2, silicon about 45.1, manganese about 0.6, cerium about 0.6, calcium about 1.2, and iron about 42.0.

Claim 17

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: calcium about 16.6, barium about 16.7, silicon about 57.0, and iron about 8.5.

Claim 18

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: copper about 50.1, aluminum about 44.8, zinc about 4.7, and silicon about 0.3.

Claim 19

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: iron about 96.0, silicon about 0.3, chromium about 1.1, manganese about 0.8, and carbon about 0.5.

Claim 20

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: molybdenum about 68.2, silicon about 2.3, carbon about 0.6, copper about 0.5, and iron about 27.6.

Claim 21

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: manganese about 99.5, and silicon about 0.4.

Claim 22

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: iron about 96.0, and silicon about 3.2.

Claim 23

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following cOmposition given in weight percent: chromium about 4.2, vanadium about 1.9, molybdenum about 5.2, tungstan about 6.3, carbon about 0.8, iron about 80.0, and silicon about 0.3.

Claim 24

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: magnesium about 95.0, aluminum about 3.0, zinc about 1.0, manganese about 0.5, silicon about 0.01.

Claim 25

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the silicon-metal alloy has the following composition given in weight percent: carbon about 1.3, iron about 13.0, silicon about 19.2, and manganese about 66.3.

Claim 26

A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the extracted ionic metallic impurities are electrochemically bonded to the silicon-metal alloy.

Claim 27

The process of claim 1 wherein said silicon-metal alloy has an electrochemical potential ranging from about 0.35 to about 2.5 volts.

Claim 28

The process of claim 27 wherein the alloys having the ionic metallic impurities electrochemically bonded thereto are regenerated by oxidizing the impurities therefrom.

Claim 29

The process of claim 27 wherein the alloys having the ionic metallic impurities bonded thereto are oxidized by washing the alloy particles in an aqueous acid solution until the impurities bonded thereto are removed from the alloy.

Claim 30

The process of claim 30 wherein the acid is a mineral acid.

Claim 31

The process of claim 30 wherein the acid is hydrochloric acid.

Claim 32

The process of claim 27 wherein the alloys having the ionic metallic impurities electrochemically bonded thereto are regenerated for reuse in the process by forming a liquid electrochemical cell, utilizing the alloy to be regenerated as the anode thereof and applying an electrical potential to the cell to regenerate the alloy.

Claim 33

A process for removing ionic metallic impurities from aqueous solutions thereof comprising, contacting an aqueous solution containing ionic metallic impurities with a solid particulate silicon-metal alloy, said alloy containing up to about 65.0 weight percent of silicon based upon the total weight of the alloy and the remainder of said alloy being composed of a metal selected from the group composed of titanium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, calcium, barium and mixtures thereof; said alloy having an electrochemical potential greater than the electrochemical potential of the ionic metallic impurities to be separated when they are in the metallic state and substantially inert with respect to water.

Claim 34

A process for the selective separation of ionic metallic species from aqueous solutions which comprises: a. contacting the aqueous solution with a sufficient amount of a fast solid particulate silicon-metal alloy containing up to about 65 percent by weight silicon, said alloy having a net electrochemical potential greater than the metallic species to be separated from the aqueous solution and less than the electrochemical potential of the metal species to remain in solution for a period of time until the metallic species having the lower electrochemical potential is separated from said solution; b. removing the separated metallic species from said aqueous solution; c. contacting the resultant aqueous solution with at least one additive solid particulate silicon-metal alloy having a greater electrochemical potential than the silicon-metal alloy employed in step (a) to separate additional metallic species from said solution, said silicon-metal alloy having a greater electrochemical potential than the metallic species to be separated when in their free metallic state; and d. removing the additionally separated metallic species from said resultant aqueous solution.