Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
115 words
A thermally reversible, heterogeneous, amphoteric ion exchange resin in particulate form consisting essentially of: A. microbead particles of a weak acid cation or weak base anion exchange resin having about 0.5 -10 percent crosslinking and a particle size of about 0.1 -10 microns, and B. a matrix of a weak base anion or weak acid cation exchange resin, opposite in type to the microbead resin, and having about 0.5-10 percent crosslinking, said microbead resin A being incorporated in the matrix resin B to give a composite amphoteric resin having a particle size of about 0.074-4.00 millimeters and a ratio of about 0.5-2.0 meq weak base anion exchange capacity per meq weak acid cation exchange capacity.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
115 words
A thermally reversible, heterogeneous, amphoteric ion exchange resin in particulate form consisting essentially of: A. microbead particles of a weak acid cation or weak base anion exchange resin having about 0.5 -10 percent crosslinking and a particle size of about 0.1 -10 microns, and B. a matrix of a weak base anion or weak acid cation exchange resin, opposite in type to the microbead resin, and having about 0.5-10 percent crosslinking, said microbead resin A being incorporated in the matrix resin B to give a composite amphoteric resin having a particle size of about 0.074-4.00 millimeters and a ratio of about 0.5-2.0 meq weak base anion exchange capacity per meq weak acid cation exchange capacity.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 1 wherein the weak acid cation exchange resin is a crosslinked polyacrylic or polymethacrylic acid.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 1 wherein the weak acid cation exchange resin is crosslinked with divinylbenzene.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 1 wherein the weak base anion exchange resin is an aminated vinylaromatic resin crosslinked with divinylbenzene.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exahange resin of claim 1 wherein a microbead resin of polyacrylic or polymethacrylic acid crosslinked with about 0.5-10 percent divinylbenzene is incorporated in a matrix resin of an aminated styrene-divinylbenzene resin.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 5 wherein the aminated styrene-divinylbenzene resin is a copolymer of vinylbenzyl chloride and divinylbenzene aminated with a primary or secondary amine.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 5 wherein the aminated styrene-divinylbenzene resin is a chloromethylated styrene-divinylbenzene aminated with a primary or secondary amine.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 5 wherein the aminated styrene-divinylbenzene is aminated with dimethylamine.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 1 wherein a microbead of aminated sytrene-divinylbenzene resin is incorporated in a matrix resin of polyacrylic or polymethacrylic acid crosslinked with about 0.5-10 percent divinylbenzene.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The amphoteric microbead-matrix ion exchange resin of claim 5 wherein 2-5 micron weak acid microbead copolymer particles of polyacrylic acid crosslinked with about 2.5 percent divinylbenzene are embedded in a weak base matrix resin prepared by aminating a copolymer of polyvinylbenzyl chloride crosslinked with about 1.5 percent divinylbenzene with dimethylamine, said resin having a thermally reversible capacity of about 0.20 meq NaCl/ml resin
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
110 words
A process for preparing an amphoteric microbead-matrix resin of claim 1 which comprises: A. preparing a crosslinked weak acid or weak base ion exchange resin in microbead form with an average particle size of about 0.1-10 microns and about 0.5-10 percent crosslinking; B. suspending the weak acid or weak base microbead particles in a liquid mixture of monomers which can be converted to a crosslinked matrix polymer of opposite ion exchange type; C. polymerizing the liquid monomer mixture to form a matrix resin having the microbead particle embedded therein; and D. converting as necessary, the microbead-matrix resin into active ion exchange form with a particle size of about 0.074-4.00 mm.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
49 words
The process of claim 11 wherein a polyacrylic acid microbead resin crosslinked with about 2.5 percent divinylbenzene is suspended in a mixture of vinylbenzyl chloride and about 1.5 percent divinylbenzene and the mixture is polymerized, broken as necessary into particles of about 40-200 mesh, and aminated with aqueous dimethylamine.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
The process of claim 11 wherein a weak acid microbead resin is suspended in styrene containing about 0.5-10 percent divinylbenzene, the mixture is polymerized to form a matrix resin having the microbead particles embedded therein, and thereafter the matrix resin is converted into a weak base form by chloromethylation and amination with a secondary alkylamine.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process of claim 11 wherein a polybenzyl chloride microbead resin crosslinked with about 0.5-10 percent divinylbenzene is embedded in a polymethacrylic acid matrix resin and thereafter converted into weak base form by amination with aqueous dimethylamine.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process for treating aqueous solutions using the amphoteric microbead-matrix resin of claim 1 wherein the resin containing anions and cations absorbed from the aqueous solution is regenerated by contact with an aqueous solution at a higher temperature.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the aqueous solution to be treated has a pH of about 6-8 and the resin is preconditioned to the pH of the aqueous solution.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
55 words
The process of claim 15 wherein brackish water containing from about 500 to 5000 ppm of dissolved salts is treated at ambient temperature with the amphoteric microbead-matrix resin to give an eluant containing a reduced concentration of dissolved salts, and thereafter the resin is regenerated by treatment with brackish water preheated to above about 60°C.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 15 wherein hard water is softened by removal of alkaline earth salts with the amphoteric microbead-matrix resin.