US4014787A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Wastewater treatment
Assignee: Surface Finishing Technologies Inc
•
Filing: 1975-09-05
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Granted: 1977-03-29
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Expires: 1995-09-05
Abstract
Abstract A method of removing soluble and insoluble small particle size materials from wastewater by binding the small particle size material with a combining agent to form soluble and/or insoluble bound materials having a particle size sufficiently large to permit filtration of the wastewater with removal of the bound materials. The method is preferably carried out to remove heavy metals and other materials from metal plating and finishing wastewater to allow recovery and reuse of the water in plating and finishing operations and/or permit recovery and salvaging of the metals normally carried by the wastewater.
Inventors
- 👤 Jacob Shorr
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 15:54
CPC Classifications
C; C02; C02F; C02F9/00; B; B01; B01D; B01D61/00; B01D61/14; B01D61/145; B01D61/16; C02F1/00; C02F1/52; C02F1/5236; C02F1/58; C02F1/62; B01D2311/00; B01D2311/04; C02F2101/00; C02F2101/10; C02F2101/20; C02F2101/22
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of removing small particle size material in the form of heavy metal ions and contaminants of metal finishing and plating operations from wastewater feed containing no greater than about 4000 ppm of said heavy metal ions and contaminants, said method comprising, combining said small particle size material with a combining agent at a pH of from 7.1 to 14 to form bound material having a particle size of at least 10 angstroms, said combining agent being an inorganic metal hydroxide with the metal being selected from the group consisting essentially of iron, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, silicon, lead, barium, calcium, manganese and chrome, said combining agent being present in an amount of at least 1700 ppm and in a molar ratio of from 1:1 and above with respect to moles of the small particle size material yet in an amount permitting pumping of said wastewater, and subsequently filtering said wastewater through an ultrafiltration skinned membrane at a flux at least as high as 30 gfd under pressure at least as high as 9 psig to separate said bound material from said wastewater.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
187 words
A method of removing small particle size material in the form of heavy metal ions and contaminants of metal finishing and plating operations from wastewater feed containing no greater than about 4000 ppm of said heavy metal ions and contaminants, said method comprising, combining said small particle size material with a combining agent at a pH of from 7.1 to 14 to form bound material having a particle size of at least 10 angstroms, said combining agent being an inorganic metal hydroxide with the metal being selected from the group consisting essentially of iron, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, silicon, lead, barium, calcium, manganese and chrome, said combining agent being present in an amount of at least 1700 ppm and in a molar ratio of from 1:1 and above with respect to moles of the small particle size material yet in an amount permitting pumping of said wastewater, and subsequently filtering said wastewater through an ultrafiltration skinned membrane at a flux at least as high as 30 gfd under pressure at least as high as 9 psig to separate said bound material from said wastewater.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
79 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said pH is basic, said wastewater after filtration contains an amount of said small particle size material below the water solubility limits of said small particle size material, said small particle size material consists essentially of heavy metal ions from wastewater feeds containing no greater than about 4000 ppm of said heavy metal ions, and said ultrafiltration pressure is in the range of from 9 to 150 psig.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 2 wherein said pH is in the range of from pH 8 to 12.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
101 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 3 wherein said small particle size material consists essentially of contaminant heavy metal ions resulting from a metal finishing procedure, and further comprising, carrying out said combining in a reacting tank and filtering said wastewater in an ultrafiltration unit, obtaining a concentrate from the ultrafiltration unit and recycling said concentrate to said reacting tank, and obtaining the filtrate from the filtration unit and recycling said filtrate to said procedure, and passing wastewater from said procedure to said reacting tank with all of the steps being carried out continuously in a closed loop.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 4 wherein said combining agent is selected from the group consisting essentially of iron hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 3 wherein said combining agent is formed by addition of a large excess of ferrous sulfate to said wastewater.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 3 wherein said small particle size material comprises a mixture of at least two different heavy metal ions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 3 wherein said combining agent is selected from the group consisting of iron hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
61 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 3 and further comprising, carrying out said combining in a reacting tank and filtering said wastewater in an ultrafiltration unit, obtaining a concentrate from said unit, obtaining a filtrate from said filtration unit and recycling said filtrate to said metal finishing operation and passing wastewater from said operation to said reacting tank.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 9 wherein said combining agent is selected from the group consisting of iron hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 10 wherein said combining agent is present in an amount of at least 2000 ppm in the wastewater.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 11 wherein a reaction tank is used to contain said combining agent and wastewater feed which form a reaction mixture, said reaction mixture being passed to said ultrafiltration skinned membrane with the filtrate collected and the concentrate recycled to said reaction tank in a continuous method.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 2 wherein said small particle size material is originally present in said wastewater in an amount above 1 ppm, said small particle size material consisting essentially of contaminate heavy metal ions resulting from a metal finishing procedure and said combining agent being selected from the group consisting of iron hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 13 wherein said combining agent is formed by the addition of ferrous sulfate in large excess to said wastewater.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said small particle size material comprises a mixture of at least 2 different heavy metal ions.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said inorganic metal hydroxide is iron hydroxide.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said metal hydroxide is aluminum hydroxide.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said wastewater feed is concentrated so that said combining agent is combined with heavy metal ions in said wastewater feed when said concentration of said heavy metal ions is above 2000 ppm.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
65 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said combining is carried out in a first tank to form an aqueous reaction mixture, transferring said reaction mixture to a second tank, filtering said wastewater in an ultrafiltration unit, obtaining a concentrate from the ultrafiltration unit and recycling said concentrate to said second tank, and continuously obtaining the filtrate from the filtration unit.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 1 wherein said combining agent is formed by addition of a metal ion selected from said group.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
178 words
A method of removing small particle size material in the form of heavy metal ions and contaminants of metal finishing and plating operations from wastewater feed containing no greater than about 4000 ppm of said heavy metal ions and contaminants, said method comprising, combining said small particle size material with a combining agent at a pH of from 7.1 to 14 to form bound material having a particle size of at least 10 angstroms, said combining agent being an inorganic metal hydroxide with the metal being selected from the group consisting essentially of iron, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, silicon, lead, barium, calcium, manganese and chrome, said combining agent being present in a molar ratio of from 1:1 and above with respect to moles of the small particle size material yet in an amount permitting pumping of said wastewater, and subsequently filtering said wastewater through an ultrafiltration skinned membrane at a flux at least as high as 30 gfd under pressure at least as high as 9 psig to separate said bound material from said wastewater.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
178 words
A method of removing small particle size material in the form of heavy metal ions and contaminants of metal finishing and plating operations from wastewater feed containing no greater than about 4000 ppm of said heavy metal ions and contaminants, said method comprising, combining said small particle size material with a combining agent at a pH of from 7.1 to 14 to form bound material having a particle size of at least 10 angstroms, said combining agent being an inorganic metal hydroxide with the metal being selected from the group consisting essentially of iron, aluminum, tin, copper, zinc, cadmium, nickel, cobalt, silicon, lead, barium, calcium, manganese and chrome, said combining agent being present in a molar ratio of from 1:1 and above with respect to moles of the small particle size material yet in an amount permitting pumping of said wastewater, and subsequently filtering said wastewater through an ultrafiltration skinned membrane at a flux at least as high as 30 gfd under pressure at least as high as 9 psig to separate said bound material from said wastewater.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 21 wherein said combining agent is formed by addition of a metal ion selected from said group.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
126 words
In a method of removing heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions obtained from metal finishing and plating operations, the steps comprising, combining a metal hydroxide with the metal ions of said solution at a pH of from 8 to 12 with said metal of said metal hydroxide being present in said solution in a concentration of at least 1700 ppm and said metal hydroxide being present in said solution in a ratio of at least 1:1 with respect to said heavy metal ions, to form bound material, and filtering said combined solution through an ultrafiltration skinned membrane at a flux at least as high as 30 gf 2 d under pressure at least as high as 9 psig to separate said bound material from said solution.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
126 words
In a method of removing heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions obtained from metal finishing and plating operations, the steps comprising, combining a metal hydroxide with the metal ions of said solution at a pH of from 8 to 12 with said metal of said metal hydroxide being present in said solution in a concentration of at least 1700 ppm and said metal hydroxide being present in said solution in a ratio of at least 1:1 with respect to said heavy metal ions, to form bound material, and filtering said combined solution through an ultrafiltration skinned membrane at a flux at least as high as 30 gf 2 d under pressure at least as high as 9 psig to separate said bound material from said solution.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method in accordance with the method of claim 23 wherein said metal hydroxide is formed by the addition of a large excess of ferrous sulfate to said aqueous solution.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3677405A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-03-28 | 1980-09-27 | 1981-03-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-03-28 | 1984-09-27 | 1985-03-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-03-28 | 1988-09-27 | 1989-03-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |