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US3957504A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Membrane hydro-metallurgical extraction process

Assignee: Marmon Industrial Water LLC
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Filing: 1974-11-11
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Granted: 1976-05-18
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Expires: 1994-11-11
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Abstract

Abstract A system utilizing membrane extraction is provided to recover metal values. The system may be used to separate metal ions from an aqueous solution through the membrane by an organic liquid containing a chelating agent. This invention also contemplates the recovery of metal values from an organic phase, containing the metal complexed with a chelating agent, by an aqueous phase using membrane extraction. In the former case, the metal ion is passed through the membrane from the aqueous phase to the organic phase where it forms a complex with a chelating agent present in the organic phase. In the latter case the metal is extracted from the organic phase into the aqueous phase through the membrane. In both cases a chelating exchange reaction is involved at the interface between the membrane and one of the two phases. This hydro-metallurgical process employs membranes with metal ion diffusivity in the range of about 10<->5 to about 10<->8 cm2/sec. and has advantages over conventional metal extractions and may be applied as the mechanism is pollutant removal and recovery as well as for metallurgical separations.

Inventors

  • 👤 Win-Sow Ho
  • 👤 Lester T. C. Lee
  • 👤 Kang-Jen Liu

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-25 06:40
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B60/00; C22B60/02; C22B60/0204; C22B60/0217; C22B60/0252; C22B60/026; B; B01; B01D; B01D61/00; B01D61/24; B01D61/246; B01D61/2461; B01D63/00; B01D63/02; C01; C01G; C01G3/00; C01G3/003; C22B3/00; C22B3/20; C22B3/26; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/20

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim 119 words
A process for the recovery of metal values from a solution thereof in a first liquid phase which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a membrane with a first liquid phase containing a metal M dissolved therein, contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting second liquid phase, wherein one of said phases is an organic liquid which contains a chelating agent which forms a complex with said metal and wherein the other phase is an aqueous liquid, and extracting said metal from said first liquid phase through said membrane by maintaining said liquids on the respective sides of said membrane until said metal M has substantially diffused from the first to the second phase.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 119 words
A process for the recovery of metal values from a solution thereof in a first liquid phase which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a membrane with a first liquid phase containing a metal M dissolved therein, contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting second liquid phase, wherein one of said phases is an organic liquid which contains a chelating agent which forms a complex with said metal and wherein the other phase is an aqueous liquid, and extracting said metal from said first liquid phase through said membrane by maintaining said liquids on the respective sides of said membrane until said metal M has substantially diffused from the first to the second phase.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the membrane comprises a hollow fiber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the membrane comprises an ionic composition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the membrane comprises a hollow fiber structure of ionic composition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said first liquid is acidic with pH less than 2.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 19 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said first liquid is basic and has a pH in excess of 8.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 120 words
The process for the recovery of metal values from a solution thereof which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a membrane with an aqueous liquid phase containing a metal M dissolved therein and contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting organic liquid phase which has dissolved therein a chelating agent which forms a complex with said metal, extracting said metal from said aqueous phase through said membrane whereby a complex of said metal and chelating agent is formed as the metal value passes into said organic phase and maintaining said liquid phases on the respective sides of said membrane until said metal M has been substantially diffused into and forms a complex in organic phase.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 120 words
The process for the recovery of metal values from a solution thereof which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a membrane with an aqueous liquid phase containing a metal M dissolved therein and contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting organic liquid phase which has dissolved therein a chelating agent which forms a complex with said metal, extracting said metal from said aqueous phase through said membrane whereby a complex of said metal and chelating agent is formed as the metal value passes into said organic phase and maintaining said liquid phases on the respective sides of said membrane until said metal M has been substantially diffused into and forms a complex in organic phase.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 27 words
The process of claim 7 wherein the metal value is extracted from said complex by subsequent extraction of said complex containing organic phase with an aqueous phase.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 24 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said extraction from the organic phase utilizes a membrane to separate the aqueous phase from the organic phase.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 10 words
The process of claim 9 wherein the membrane is ionic.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 12 words
The process of claim 9 wherein the membrane is a hollow fiber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 13 words
The process of claim 9 wherein the membrane is an ionic hollow fiber.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said organic phase is pentane.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said second liquid is heptane.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 11 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said second liquid is kerosene.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 18 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said second liquid is heptane and contains the chelating agent 2-hydroxy-5-dodecyl benzophenoxime.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 10 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said metal is copper.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 10 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said metal is uranium.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 15 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said metal is copper and chelating agent is 2-hydroxy-5-dodecylbenzophenoxime.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 21 words
The process of claim 7 wherein the metal is uranium and the chelating agent is di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid and tri-n-octyl-phosphine oxide.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 33 words
The process of claim 7 wherein the extraction of the metal M is effected at atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of from about the freezing point of the solutions to about 200°C.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 31 words
The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane is characterized by having a diffusivity of about 1 × 10 - 9 to about 1 × 10 - 4 cm 2 /sec.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim 10 words
The process of claim 22 wherein the membrane is ionic.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim 23 words
The process of claim 22, wherein the metal is copper, the membrane is styrenated sulfonated polypropylene and the chelating agent is 2-hydroxy-5-dodecyl benzophenoxime.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 97 words
A process for the recovery of metal values from an organic phase comprising a solution of a complex of the metal and a chelating agent which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a membrane with said organic phase containing the metal and contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting aqueous phase, extracting said metal from the complex in said organic phase through said membrane into said aqueous phase and maintaining said liquid phases on the respective sides of said membrane until said metal M has been substantially diffused into said aqueous phase.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim 97 words
A process for the recovery of metal values from an organic phase comprising a solution of a complex of the metal and a chelating agent which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a membrane with said organic phase containing the metal and contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting aqueous phase, extracting said metal from the complex in said organic phase through said membrane into said aqueous phase and maintaining said liquid phases on the respective sides of said membrane until said metal M has been substantially diffused into said aqueous phase.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim 10 words
The process of claim 25 wherein the membrane is ionic.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim 12 words
The process of claim 25 wherein the membrane is a hollow fiber.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim 13 words
The process of claim 25 wherein the membrane is an ionic hollow fiber.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3428449A Cited
US3339341A Cited
US3454490A Cited
US3857919A Cited
US3872209A Cited
US3810827A Cited
US3855090A Cited
US3872001A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1979-05-18 1979-11-17 1980-05-18 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1983-05-18 1983-11-17 1984-05-18 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1987-05-18 1987-11-17 1988-05-18 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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