Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
A process for converting basic sodium material into a liquid comprising aqueous hydrogen ions and a liquid comprising aqueous sodium base which comprises: (a) contacting basic sodium material with a liquid comprising aqueous hydrogen ions for a time sufficient to produce a reaction liquid comprising aqueous sodium ions and being substantially free of CO 3 .sup.═ values; (b) introducing the reaction liquid and a liquid comprising water into separate compartments of an electrodialytic water splitter; (c) passing direct current through said electrodialytic water splitter to produce a reaction liquid product comprising aqueous hydrogen ions and a liquid product comprising an aqueous sodium base; (d) withdrawing reaction liquid product from the electrodialytic water splitter; and (e) supplying at least a portion of the withdrawn reaction liquid product for contact with the basic sodium material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
133 words
A process for converting basic sodium material into a liquid comprising aqueous hydrogen ions and a liquid comprising aqueous sodium base which comprises: (a) contacting basic sodium material with a liquid comprising aqueous hydrogen ions for a time sufficient to produce a reaction liquid comprising aqueous sodium ions and being substantially free of CO 3 .sup.═ values; (b) introducing the reaction liquid and a liquid comprising water into separate compartments of an electrodialytic water splitter; (c) passing direct current through said electrodialytic water splitter to produce a reaction liquid product comprising aqueous hydrogen ions and a liquid product comprising an aqueous sodium base; (d) withdrawing reaction liquid product from the electrodialytic water splitter; and (e) supplying at least a portion of the withdrawn reaction liquid product for contact with the basic sodium material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the electrodialytic water splitter is a two-compartment electrodialytic water splitter comprising at least one acid compartment and at least one base compartment, and wherein the reaction liquid is introduced into an acid compartment of said two-compartment electrodialytic water splitter and the liquid comprising water is introduced into a base compartment of said two-compartment electrodialytic water splitter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
The process of claim 2 wherein the acid and base compartments of the two-compartment electrodialytic water splitter are defined by alternating cation and bipolar membranes, the acid compartment being defined by a cation membrane and a cation permselective face of a bipolar membrane, and the base compartment being defined by a cation membrane and an anion permselective face of a bipolar membrane.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
76 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the electrodialytic water splitter is a three-compartment electrodialytic water splitter comprising at least one base compartment, at least one acid compartment and at least one salt compartment, and wherein the liquid comprising water is fed to the base compartment, the reaction liquid is fed to the salt compartment, and at least a portion of the reaction liquid in the salt compartment is withdrawn therefrom and transferred to the acid compartment.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
76 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the base, acid and salt compartments of the three-compartment electrodialytic water splitter are defined by alternating cation, bipolar and anion membranes, the base compartment being defined by a cation membrane and an anion permselective face of a bipolar membrane, the acid compartment being defined by a cation face of a bipolar membrane and an anion membrane, and the salt compartment being defined by an anion membrane and a cation membrane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the basic sodium material comprises at least one of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the basic sodium material comprises trona.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the basic sodium material is dry-mined trona and contacting occurs above ground.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 1 wherein contacting occurs in a subterranean deposit of trona as a solution mining step.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the liquid comprising aqueous hydrogen ions is an aqueous solution comprising Na x H 2-x SO 4 , Na x H 3-x PO 4 , HCl or mixtures thereof, and wherein x= 0 to 2.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the liquid comprising water further comprises at least one of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 11 wherein the liquid product comprises aqueous sodium carbonate and aqueous sodium hydroxide.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the liquid product comprises aqueous sodium hydroxide, wherein the basic sodium material comprises at least one of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate and contact thereof with the basic sodium material occurs for a time sufficient to produce an aqueous solution comprising about 10 to about 30 weight percent sodium carbonate.