U.S. patent application number 16/170316 was filed with the patent office on 2019-06-27 for mobile extraction array with brine constituent separation, purification and concentration.
The applicant listed for this patent is Christina Metz Borgese, Marc Privitera. Invention is credited to Christina Metz Borgese, Marc Privitera.
Application Number | 20190193027 16/170316 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66248015 |
Filed Date | 2019-06-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190193027 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Privitera; Marc ; et
al. |
June 27, 2019 |
Mobile Extraction Array with brine constituent separation,
purification and concentration
Abstract
A system that uses single or multiple elements arranged in a
single unit or multiple arrays for the extraction, purification,
and concentration of lithium and other constituents from a brine
that can be constructed in a mobile unit.
Inventors: |
Privitera; Marc; (Walnut
Creek, CA) ; Borgese; Christina Metz; (San Ramon,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Privitera; Marc
Borgese; Christina Metz |
Walnut Creek
San Ramon |
CA
CA |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
66248015 |
Appl. No.: |
16/170316 |
Filed: |
October 25, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62577554 |
Oct 26, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C22B 3/24 20130101; B01J
20/08 20130101; B01J 20/0281 20130101; B01D 61/58 20130101; B01D
2313/54 20130101; C02F 1/008 20130101; C01D 15/02 20130101; B01D
61/246 20130101; B01D 61/04 20130101; B01J 20/262 20130101; C01D
15/08 20130101; C22B 26/12 20130101; B01D 2311/04 20130101; B01D
61/025 20130101; C22B 7/006 20130101; C25B 1/14 20130101; B01D
15/10 20130101; B01J 20/10 20130101; C22B 3/02 20130101; C02F 1/42
20130101; B01J 20/0292 20130101; C02F 1/441 20130101; C02F 2101/10
20130101; B01D 2311/2626 20130101; C02F 1/281 20130101; B01J 20/16
20130101; B01D 15/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B01D 61/04 20060101
B01D061/04; B01D 61/58 20060101 B01D061/58; C25B 1/14 20060101
C25B001/14 |
Claims
1. A system of single elements arranged in an array for the
extraction, isolation, purification, and concentration of lithium
and various other constituents.
2. The combination of the single element array of claim 1 with the
use of a purification membrane similarly arranged in arrays for the
purification of lithium and various other constituents.
3. In combination with the array of claim 1 and the purification
array of claim 2 a concentration array enables greater capacity and
reduced destruction of the extraction material.
4. Targeted constituents of claim 1, 2, or 3 can include but are
not limited specifically to lithium and could also include:
monovalent, divalent, metal, and organic elements. Examples may
include calcium, zinc, and carbon.
5. A system as described in claim 1, 2, or 3 that is able td be
fitted to a mobile carrier. Such examples include but are not
limited to an over the road trailer, shipping container, railcar,
airlift container.
6. The use of membrane separated CO2 to directly produce a lithium
carbonate product where lithium is the specific targeted
constituent for extraction, from a source
7. The use of electrolysis to directly convert the lithium rich
brine to a lithium hydroxide produce with only the requirement of
the secondary purification process having the primary purification
process be the incorporate purification and concentration units
described.
Description
[0001] Provisional Patent Application 62/577,554 is incorporated in
this application in its entirety.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A system that uses single or multiple elements arranged in a
single unit or multiple arrays for the extraction, purification,
and concentration of lithium and other constituents from a brine
that can be constructed in a mobile unit.
[0003] Constituents are targeted by arranging the following unit
operations using an interdependent multiple array concept:
extraction columns, purification membranes, and concentration
membranes.
[0004] Conventional methods of separating lithium and other
constituents from brines depend upon a specific sequence of
variable concentration streams. These streams are run through
different types of equipment, most commonly packed bed columns.
Lithium specifically is selectively adsorbed onto the internal
packing of the packed bed column. The internals, made up primarily
of treated material in the form described below is operated using a
specific sequence set of steps. The sequence of flows is required
to displace various residual streams minimizing impurities and
maximizing concentration of the targeted constituent for isolation,
the conventional system performance is limited by the ability to
increase the concentration of the targeted constituent and decrease
concentration of the undesired impurities. Conventionally, streams
dilute in the targeted constituent have to be recycled thus
creating specific sequences and column arrangements that require
large volume internal components and flow. Large volume internals
which may include sorbent particles, sorbent fibers, separation
membranes, plates, and other known separation materials must be
arranged such that a sharp distinct difference in the concentration
of the stream flowing through the equipment containing the
internals is present to enable the mass transfer of the targeted
constituent to the internals. These internals are the extracting
materials.
[0005] An example of the conventional approach is described by the
following sequence. A column of sufficient diameter to support the
needed flowrate and of a height with a ratio of diameter to height
of 1 to 3 filled with a particle that has been treated to capture
and extract a specific constituent present in the flow is fed brine
at an appropriate rate. The targeted constituent is held on sites
on the extracting material, in this case, the particle. Saturation
occurs once the extracting material has reached a point that all
available extraction sites have been filled by the targeted
constituent. A second stream is flowed through the column to
displace the residual liquid from the initial flow. This lowers the
impurities, or the non-targeted constituents. A third flow
comprised of an appropriate constituent concentration removes the
targeted constituent from the extracting material. This is known as
product flow. The sequence duration and specific makeups of each of
these streams determine the performance of the column. In many
cases streams of dilute concentration of the targeted constituent
are used in the sequence. This requires the equipment to be large
volume, therefore affecting the stability of the sharp
concentration profile needed to drive mass transfer. There are many
other possible sequences including intermediate arrangements of the
columns as well. There are also many other methods of extracting
the targeted constituents including using the extraction material
sites to grab the unwanted impurities. Other methods include steps
not addressed here which could be wash, breakthrough, backwash, and
regeneration.
[0006] This invention simplifies the column sequence, reduces the
needed volume, reduces the dynamic shock on the internals, and
makes use of post column concentration methods not available
previously in conventional systems. An embodiment of the invention
is described by the following sequence. A stream containing a
concentration of lithium or another targeted constituent is fed
into an array of small diameter columns on the order of one fifth
to one twentieth diameter of conventional columns with a height to
diameter ratio in the range of two to ten. The columns are arranged
in a parallel flow array thus allowing a combined feed manifold and
a number of parallel single elements arranged in the array to
behave as one flow unit. This enables an extremely sharp
concentration profile presented to the extracting material in each
of the single elements. This arrangement using single elements in
an array with a distribution manifold acting as one flow unit can
be constructed of dimensions that allow its fitting to a standard
mobile container. These can be many types. Since many economically
recoverable constituents are located at remote sites, the ability
to bring a mobile system to extract those constituents is novel and
useful. Such an array cannot support the complex valving required
for conventional sequencing. The number of valves and the
complexity of the piping would create not only technical barriers
due to the hydraulic action and dynamics that would destroy the
internals but it would also be economically prohibitive.
[0007] In addition to the benefits described above, this invention
solves problems with the mechanical dynamics that are present in
the conventional approach. In the conventional approach, the
internals are subjected to great dynamic movement, vibration and
surface to surface interaction. These dynamics grind the internals
such that particles or structures become smaller and smaller. As
the packed bed of internal vibrates, the ground smaller pieces fill
the previously open interstitial spaces and the pressure drop
increases. A specific application of this invention is for lithium.
To capture lithium, the internals must be constructed of size
exclusion material, typically one of many types of alumnosilicates,
that has a high surface area and that has been activated by one of
many methods using various chemicals. For a lithium example, the
activation is completed with a hydroxide and acid sequence to
develop the sites for lithium capture, then build a structurally
stable particle to make up the internals of the packed bed. The use
of these materials is much more susceptible to damage due to
hydraulic dynamics as opposed to conventional ion exchange resin
which usually has a more robust structure. This invention solves
the problem associated with the brittle and friable nature of the
alumnosilicates in lithium extraction applications. An increased
pressure drop reduces the flow that can be obtained trough the
system, thus reducing the capacity of the system. The reduced
capacity and higher pressure drop leads to more dynamic action as
more flow is attempted to processed through the column thus
exacerbating the griding, and exponentially increasing the
reduction of the interstitial space. At some point the column is
rendered in operable. The invention reduces this dynamic
destruction of the internals by reducing the stress on the
internals and keeping the pressure drop low. The lower pressure
drop reduces the grinding and allows much more capacity of the
system. This in (urn increases internal useful life and allows for
continued lower cost operation.
[0008] The volume of fluid that takes up the space of one column is
called a bed volume. In column extraction it is helpful to think of
the sequence for loading the targeted constituent on the extraction
material sites and collecting, or stripping, the targeted
constituent off the extraction material sites in terms of bed
volumes. The extraction array in combination with purification and
concentration membrane units makes use of a simplified sequence
that maximizes the collected mass of the target constituent. At
saturation the targeted constituent concentration on the extraction
material is at its peak and the liquid in the column contains one
bed volume of loading, or feed, solution worth of impurities.
[0009] At saturation in the conventional method the residual
impurity liquid bed volume is displaced with a dilute stream and
the residual impurity liquid bed volume is sent to spent solution.
Next the bed volume of dilute stream is displaced with a bed volume
of clean stream containing a part per million concentration of
targeted constituent also known as strip solution. The same happens
in the invention for these two displacement step in the sequence.
In the conventional method the bed volume of displaced dilute
stream is either recycled or sent to spent solution so as not to
dilute the concentrated target constituent stream that will be
stripped off the sites. In the invention the bed volume of
displaced dilute stream can be recycled or pushed forward to the
purification and concentration membrane units because the units can
readily concentrate dilute and clean target constituent streams. In
the conventional method the strip solution is pushed for a limited
number of bed volumes to capture a clean and concentrated stream of
targeted constituent. The conventional method does not have the
advantage of the purification and concentration membrane units and
has to stop the flow of strip solution when the targeted
constituent falls below a concentration level. The invention allows
a greater number of bed volumes of strip solution to run through
the columns resulting in a higher mass of collected targeted
material. This material, known as the product cut, will be clean of
impurities, but more dilute than the conventional method. The
invention's product cut can be more dilute because the invention
utilizes the purification and concentration membrane units.
Additionally, in the invention the extraction material sites in the
column are more available than the conventional method because more
of the targeted constituent was released, or stripped, from the
extraction material sites. The next step of the sequence is to
repeat the load step pushing the impurity and constituent laden
feed solution back into the column. Because the invention can
remove more of the targeted constituent, resulting in a greater
number of available extraction material site, a greater number of
bed volumes can be loaded back onto the columns than in the
conventional system. The invention can operate without the need for
recirculating loads. This results in a simple time based sequence
without complex valving conventionally required for high purity
product cuts.
[0010] As mentioned, the invention product cut is dilute compared
to conventional methods. To overcome this challenge a concentration
membrane is used to remove the solvent, in most cases water, from
the stream containing the desired constituent. Concentration
membranes are susceptible to impurity materials affecting the
performance of the separation. This challenge is overcome by using
a purification membrane prior to the concentration membrane. In a
typical embodiment, a cross flow membrane. Cross flow meaning the
way the liquid is presented to the membrane. The cross flow
membrane allows the targeted constituent and solvent to pass, or
permeate, as it rejects the undesired impurities. An example would
be lithium in a chloride brine as the targeted constituent and
solvent with divalent cations, most commonly calcium and magnesium,
being rejected. Other constituent combinations exist. Purification
membranes typically reduce the levels of impurities to the parts
per million level. Purification membranes typically are operated at
a pressure between 100 and 400 psig.
[0011] To complete this invention's purification and concentration
of the targeted constituent the product stream that passed through
the purification membrane is now fed into a system containing a
concentration membrane. In this unit the solvent, most commonly
water, passes through the membrane and the targeted constituent is
rejected, thus concentrates in the reject stream from the
concentrating membrane unit. An embodiment of this concentrating
membrane is reverse osmosis. Concentration membranes operated as
reverse osmosis systems typically concentrate the targeted
constituent to weight percentage levels. Concentration membranes
operated as reverse osmosis systems are limited by the osmotic
pressure of the solution and the practical limits of the pressure
ratings of the single element components. Concentration membranes
typically operate between 200 and 1200 psig.
[0012] Both the purification membrane units and the concentration
membrane units are made up of single elements arranged in arrays.
Similar to the extraction array, purification and concentration
membrane units can be arranged in arrays and fitted to mobile
systems. This allows the mobile deployment of these unit operations
for recovery of targeted constituents.
[0013] The mobile configuration of RO units and ion exchange units
is not new, however, the arrangement of selective absorbent, which
is a particle which is described as one of the possible internals
above, in a mobile configuration is new and novel and previously
unavailable in a small single element configuration due to the
previous limitation of the management of the dilute streams and the
recirculating loads. The conventional lithium extraction system
columns are very large diameter and very large heights. This
invention, and its use of the post extraction membrane purification
and concentration methods enables the unique and novel use of this
configuration to deliver the benefits of the invention.
[0014] The invention can include the collection of the purified and
concentrated lithium rich brine for use in post extraction product
conversion systems. These systems benefit from the purity of the
lithium rich brine and the ability to avoid further raw
purification processes to prepare the brine for unit operations
including electrolysis, splitting and recovery.
[0015] The invention makes use of membrane technology to also
isolate CO2 from a feed gas stream which could be simply air, ore
as complex as a discharge from a power plant. The CO2 is used to
produce the final Li2CO3 product by reacting the lithium rich brine
stream with the separated CO2. In the case of LiOH production, the
raw purification and concentration system allows the direct feed to
a lithium hydroxide electrolysis system. The purified product will
meet the raw purification requirements and the system will only
require the secondary purification system to prepare the brine for
electrolysis to LiOH. In both these product cases, lithium is the
targeted constituent, but other elements may behave in a similar
fashion using the same scheme.
* * * * *