Recovery of mining processing product using boronic acid-containing polymers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10427950-B2
Application number	US-201514960129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

Methods and compositions for improving performance of flocculants in an industrial production process. Methods include pH triggered cross-linking reaction between a flocculating agent, such as dextran, and a composition comprising a boronic acid-containing polymer. The pH trigger can be provided by a fluid having a pH of 8 or more. The production process can be a Bayer Process and the fluid is caustic liquor or slurry in the fluid circuit of the Bayer, wherein the reaction time is reduced over conventional methods and the cross-linked dextran composition effectuates improved flocculation of the trihydrate particles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for solid-liquid separation in a mining process, the method comprising:
combining a first composition with a fluid stream of a mining process, the first composition comprising an uncrosslinked polysaccharide, the fluid stream having a pH of 8 or more;
combining a second composition with the fluid stream, the second composition comprising a boronic acid-containing polymer; and
separating a solid from the fluid stream.

2. The method of claim 1 , the boronic acid-containing polymer comprises at least one polymerized water soluble vinyl monomer and at least one polymerized vinyl monomer containing a boronic acid moiety.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the boronic acid moiety is phenylboronic acid.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one vinyl monomer containing a boronic acid moiety is chosen from the group consisting of 3-(acrylamido)phenylboronic acid, 4-(acrylamido)phenylboronic acid, 2-(acrylamideo)phenylboronic acid, 4-vinylphenylboronic acid, 3-vinylphenylboronic acid, 2-vinylphenylboronic acid, and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one water soluble vinyl monomer is an acrylate monomer or is chosen from the group consisting of acrylamide; acrylic acid or a salt thereof; 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid or a salt thereof; N,N,N-trimethyl-2-[(1-oxo-2-propenyl)oxy]-ethanaminium chloride, N,N-dimethyl-N-propenyl-2-propen-1-aminium chloride, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one vinyl monomer containing a boronic acid moiety is 3-(acrylamido)phenylboronic acid.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one water soluble vinyl monomer is acrylamide and the boronic acid-containing polymer is a water soluble boronic acid-containing polyacrylamide.

8. The method of claim 2 , the boronic acid-containing polymer having a reduced specific viscosity of at least about 0.2 dl/g and comprising at least about 0.01 wt % boronic acid-containing monomer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the boronic acid-containing polymer is in the form of latex, an aqueous solution or a dry powder.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a reaction product of the polysaccharide with the boronic acid-containing polymer inhibits the rate of nucleation of one or more alumina trihydrate crystals in the Bayer process.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a reaction product of the polysaccharide with the boronic acid-containing polymer facilitates red mud clarification in the Bayer process.

12. A composition consisting essentially of
a fluid stream of a mining process, the fluid stream having a pH of 8 or more;
an uncrosslinked dextran; and
a boronic acid-containing polymer, wherein the boronic acid-containing polymer comprises about 1.0 wt % to 2.0 wt % polymerized 3-(acrylamido)phenylboronic acid and at least one polymerized water soluble vinyl monomer.

13. The composition of claim 12 , wherein the boronic acid-containing polymer has a reduced specific viscosity of at least about 0.2 dl/g.

14. The composition of claim 12 wherein the fluid stream of a mining process is a fluid stream of a Bayer process.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the combining of the first composition and the second composition with the fluid stream inhibits the rate of nucleation of one or more alumina trihydrate crystals in the Bayer process.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the combining of the first composition and the second composition with the fluid stream facilitates red mud clarification in the Bayer process.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Wang Jing
• O'Brien Kevin
• Wei Mingli
• Cheng Weiguo
• Wang Jinfeng
• Mcdonald Kevin
• Huang Xinyu C

Classifications

• C01F7/47 Primary

  of aluminates, e.g. removal of compounds of Si, Fe, Ga or of organic compounds from Bayer process liquors · CPC title

• C01F7/148

  Separation of the obtained hydroxide, e.g. by filtration or dewatering · CPC title

• C01F7/145

  characterised by the use of a crystal growth modifying agent other than aluminium hydroxide seed · CPC title

• C08J2405/02

  Dextran; Derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C08J2343/00

  Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and containing boron, silicon, phosphorus, selenium, tellurium or a metal; Derivatives of such polymers (of metal salts, e.g. phenolates, alcoholates, see the parent compounds) · CPC title