Use of hydrophobically associating copolymers as binders for pelletizing metal containing ores

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11072840-B2
Application number	US-201615754325-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2016
Priority date	Sep 2, 2015
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of hydrophobically associative copolymers as binders for pelletizing metal containing ores such as iron containing ores. The copolymers comprise monomer units derived from at least one hydrophobically as sociative monomer, preferably at least one unsaturated hydrophobically associating monomer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process, comprising:
pelletizing a metal comprising ore in contact with a hydrophobically associating copolymer,
wherein the hydrophobically associating copolymer comprises, in polymerized form, a monomer (C) having a formula (I), formula (III), and/or (V):
H 2 C═C(R 1 )—R 2 —O—(—CH 2 —CH 2 —O—) k —(—CH(R 5 )—CH(R 3 )—O—) l —CH 2 —CH 2 —O—) m —H   (I),

H 2 C═C(R 1 )—(C═O)—O—(—CH 2 —CH(R 5 )—O—) k —R 6   (III), and/or

wherein
k is a number from 10 to 150;
l is a number from 5 to 20;
m is a number from 0 to 30;
R 1 is H or methyl;
R 2 is a single bond or a divalent linking group of formula —(CH 2 ) n — and —O—(CH 2 ) n′ —, n being a natural number from 1 to 6 and n′ being a natural number from 2 to 6;
R 3 and R 5 are independently H, a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an ether group of formula —CH 2 —O—R 3′ , R 3′ being a hydrocarbyl radical comprising at least 2 carbon atoms;
R 5′ is H, methyl or ethyl;
R 6 is a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 8 to 40 carbon atoms;
R A , R B , R C , R D , R E , R F are independently H or a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
Q is a hydrocarbylene radical comprising 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
X is a counterion with a negative charge; and
R G is a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 8 to 30 atoms,
wherein a sum total of carbon atoms in all hydrocarbyl radicals R 3 or R 3′ and R 5 is in a range from 10 to 50,
wherein the monomer (C) has the formula (I) and is a mixture comprising a first monomer C of the formula (I) wherein m is 0 and a second monomer (C) of the formula (I) wherein m is in the range of from 1 to 15, and
wherein the weight ratio of the first to second monomer (C) of the formula (I) is in the range from 19:1 to 1:19.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the monomer (C) further comprises a monomer of formula (IV) or (VI):
H 2 C═C(R 1 )—(C═O)—O—R 6   (IV),

wherein
R 1 is H or methyl;
R 6 is independently an aliphatic and/or aromatic, straight-chain or branched hydrocarbyl radical having 8 to 40 carbon atoms;
R a , R b , and R c are independently H or a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
R d is a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 4 to 18 carbon atoms; and
G is —O— or —NH—.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the monomer (C) has the formula (I), wherein:
k is in the range of from 23 to 26;
l is in the range of from 8.5 to 17.25; and
m is in the range of from 0 to 15.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobically associating copolymer further comprises, in polymerized form, an anionic monoethylenically unsaturated, hydrophilic monomer (A).

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the monomer (A) comprises —COOH, a salt of —COOH, —SO 3 H, a salt of —SO 3 H, —PO 3 H 2 , and/or a salt of —PO 3 H 2 .

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein the monomer (A) is 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) or a salt thereof.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobically associating copolymer further comprises, in polymerized form, an uncharged, monoethylenically unsaturated hydrophilic monomer (B).

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobically associating copolymer further comprises, in polymerized form:
an anionic monoethylenically unsaturated, hydrophilic monomer (A); and
an uncharged, monoethylenically unsaturated hydrophilic monomer (B).

9. The process of claim 7 , wherein the monomer (B) comprises an acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methyl methacrylamide, N-methyl acrylamide, N,N′-dimethyl acrylamide, N,N′-dimethyl methacrylamide, N-methylol acrylamide, N-methylolmethacrylanude, and/or uncharged vinylamide.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer comprises about 0.1 to about 15 wt. % of the monomer (C).

11. The process of claim 8 , wherein the copolymer comprises about 2 wt. % of the monomer (C), about 48 wt. % of the monomer (A) and about 50 wt. % of at monomer (B).

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer has been made by polymerization of the monomer blend in the presence of at least one branching agent.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the molecular weight of the copolymer is at least 300,000 Da.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer is water-soluble.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer does not comprise, in polymerized form, the monomer (C) of the formula (V) or a monomer (C) of formula (VI)

wherein
R a , R b , R c are independently H or a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
R d is a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 4 to 18 carbon atoms; and
G is —O— or —NH—.

16. The process of claim 1 , wherein the metal containing ore comprises Fe, Cu, Mo, Ni, and/or Cr.

17. A composition suitable for pelletizing a metal comprising ore, the composition comprising:
(i) a hydrophobically associating copolymer; and
(ii) a pelletization aid and/or a water soluble treatment polymer,
wherein the pelletization aid is a water soluble material comprising sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium silicate, sodium phosphate, sodium stearate, sodium benzoate, sodium tartrate, sodium oxalate, sodium citrate, sodium acetate, the corresponding ammonium, potassium, calcium and magnesium salts of the preceding sodium salts, urea, and/or calcium oxide, and
wherein the water soluble treatment polymer has molecular weight of from about 1,000 to about 20,000 and is a synthetic polymer formed by polymerization of water soluble ethylenically unsaturated anionic monomer or water soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer blend comprising at least 50% by weight anionic monomer,
wherein the hydrophobically associating copolymer comprises, in polymerized form, a first and a second monomer (C) independently having a formula (I):
H 2 C═C(R 1 )—R 2 —O—(—CH 2 —CH 2 —O—) k (—CH(R 5 —CH(R 3 )—O—) l —(—CH 2 —CH 2 —O—) m —H   (I)

wherein
k is a number in a range of from 10 to 150;
l is a number in a range of from 5 to 20;
R 1 is H or methyl;
R 2 is a single bond or a divalent linking group of formula —(CH 2 ) n′ — and —O—(CH 2 ) n′ —, n being a natural number from 1 to 6 and n′ being a natural number from 2 to 6,
R 3 and R 5 are independently H, a hydrocarbyl radical comprising 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or an ether group of formula —CH 2 —O—R 3′ , R 3′ being a hydrocarbyl radical comprising at least 2 carbon atoms, and
wherein, in the first monomer (C), m is 0, and, in the second monomer (C), m is in a range of from 1 to 15.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Villanueva Berindoague Adrian Mauricio
• Michailovski Alexej
• Brodt Gregor
• Von Krog Sylvia
• Bechen Dominic Rene
• Packe-Wirth Rainer
• Hoff Shane

Classifications

• C22B1/00

  Preliminary treatment of ores or scrap · CPC title

• C08F216/1433

  Monomers containing side chains of polyethylene oxide groups · CPC title

• C22B1/244 Primary

  organic · CPC title

• C08F216/1425

  Monomers containing side chains of polyether groups · CPC title

• C22B1/2406

  pelletizing · CPC title