Mineral separation using sized-, weight- or magnetic-based polymer bubbles or beads

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11117141-B2
Application number	US-201715794327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2017
Priority date	May 25, 2011
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

Apparatus for use in, or forming part of, a separation process to be implemented in separation processor technology, the apparatus comprising synthetic bubbles or beads configured with a polymer or polymer-based material functionalized to attach to a valuable material in a mixture so as to form an enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and also configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on a difference in a physical property between the enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the mixture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for use in, or forming part of, a separation process to be implemented in separation processor technology, the apparatus comprising:
synthetic beads, each synthetic bead having body made of a synthetic material, the synthetic material comprising a polymer or polymer-based material, the body having a surface configured with a hydrophobic silicone polymer different from said synthetic material, said synthetic beads functionalized to attach to a valuable material in a mixture having water so as to form an enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and also configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on a difference in a physical property between the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the mixture, wherein the valuable material comprises mineral particles.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on the difference between the size of the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto in relation to the size of unwanted material in the mixture.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on the difference between the weight of the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto in relation to the weight of unwanted material in the mixture.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on the difference between the para-, ferri-, ferro-magnetism of the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto in relation to the para-, ferri, ferro-magnetism of unwanted material in the mixture.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on the difference between the density of the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the density of the mixture.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured so that the size of the synthetic beads is greater than a maximum ground ore particle size in the mixture.

7. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured so that the size of the synthetic beads is less than a minimum ground ore particle size in the mixture.

8. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured as solid polymer beads.

9. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured with a core material of sand, silica or other suitable material and also configured with a polymer encapsulation.

10. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a vertical column or horizontal pipeline for implementing the separation process, the vertical column or horizontal pipeline being configured with a screen to separate the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto from the mixture based at least partly on the difference in size.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the vertical column or horizontal pipeline is also configured to separate the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto from the mixture using countercurrent flows with mixing, so as to
receive in the vertical column or horizontal pipeline ground ore flowing in a first direction,
receive in the vertical column or horizontal pipeline slurried synthetic beads flowing in a second direction opposite to the first direction,
provide from the vertical column or horizontal pipeline the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and flowing in the second direction, and
provide from the vertical column or horizontal pipeline waste that is separated from the mixture using the screen and flowing in the second direction.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the vertical column or horizontal pipeline is also configured to separate the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto from the mixture using concurrent flows with mixing, so as to
receive in the vertical column or horizontal pipeline the synthetic beads in water flowing in a first direction,
receive in the vertical column or horizontal pipeline ground ore flowing in the first direction,
provide from the vertical column or horizontal pipeline waste that is separated from the mixture using the screen and flowing in the first direction, and
provide from the vertical column or horizontal pipeline the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and flowing in the first direction.

13. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a vertical column or horizontal pipeline for implementing the separation process, the vertical column or horizontal pipeline being configured to
receive the synthetic beads in water,
receive ground ore, and
provide the synthetic beads in water and the ground ore in a process mixture; and
a hydrocyclone cyclone configured to
receive the process mixture,
separate from the process mixture the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and unwanted material in the form of waste ore, and
provide either the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto or the waste ore, including separating the waste ore in the form of ore particles that are smaller in size than the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and including separating the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto that are larger in size than the ore particles.

14. Apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a mixing vat, a screen and a hydrocyclone cyclone for implementing the separation process,
the mixing vat being configured to receive the synthetic beads and ore particles in a slurry, and to provide the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and waste; and
the screen being configured to separate the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the waste; or
the hydrocyclone cyclone being configured to separate the enriched synthetic beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the waste.

15. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured so that the weight of the synthetic beads is greater than a maximum ground ore particle weight in the mixture.

16. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured so that the weight of the synthetic beads is less than a minimum ground ore particle weight in the mixture.

17. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured as solid polymer beads.

18. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the synthetic beads are configured with a core material of magnetite, air or other suitable material and also configured with a polymer encapsulation.

19. Apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a vertical column or horizontal pipeline for implementing the separation process, the vertical column or horizontal pipeline configured to
receive the synthetic beads in water,
receive ground ore,
provide the synthetic beads in water and the ground ore in a process mixture; and
a hydrocyclone cyclone configured to
receive the pr

Assignees

• Cidra Corporate Services Inc

Inventors

• Rothman Paul J
• Fernald Mark R
• Didden Francis K
• O'Keefe Christian V
• Kersey Alan D
• Adamson Douglas H

Classifications

• Y02W30/52

  Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly · CPC title

• B01D37/02

  Precoating the filter medium; Addition of filter aids to the liquid being filtered {(devices for feeding reagents C02F1/685 and sub-groups; filter aids)} · CPC title

• C22B15/0063

  Hydrometallurgy · CPC title

• B01D15/02

  with moving adsorbents · CPC title

• B03D1/023

  Carrier flotation; Flotation of a carrier material to which the target material attaches · CPC title