Method for recovering valuable elements from precombustion coal-based materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11821054-B2
Application number	US-202016832157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2020
Priority date	Apr 1, 2019
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

A method for recovering valuable elements from pre-combustion coal-based materials includes the steps of grinding the materials to a predetermined size, roasting the ground materials at a temperature of 600° C.-700° C. for a predetermined residence time needed for mineral decomposition, submerging the roasted, ground materials in a solution of lixiviant, filtering the lixiviant solution to separate residual solids from a pregnant leach solution including the valuable elements and recovering and concentrating the valuable elements from the pregnant leach solution.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for recovering valuable elements from pre-combustion coal-based materials, comprising:
grinding the pre-combustion coal-based materials;
roasting the ground pre-combustion coal-based materials at a temperature of between 600° C.-700° C. for mineral decomposition;
submerging the roasted pre-combustion coal-based materials in a solution of a lixiviant;
filtering the lixiviant solution to separate residual solids from a pregnant leach solution; and
recovering and concentrating the valuable elements from the pregnant leach solution.

2. The method of claim 1 , including using a lixiviant selected from the group of lixiviants consisting of ammonium sulfate, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, mineral acid, organic acid, carboxyl acid and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 , including using as the pre-combustion coal-based material a material selected from the group consisting of (a) run-of-mine material extracted from a coal seam, (b) associated mineral matter material within and immediately surrounding a coal seam, (c) waste material generated during a mining process, (d) clean coal products produced in a process of upgrading coal in a processing plant or unit operation, (e) mixed-phase coal material, (f) coarse coal waste from an active processing facility, (g) fine coal waste from an active processing facility, (h) coarse coal waste from legacy waste storage areas, (i) fine coal waste from a slurry impoundment, slurry cell, slurry pond or storage facility and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating the valuable elements.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes solvent extracting the valuable elements.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating and solvent extracting the valuable elements.

7. The method of claim 1 , including using as the precombustion coal-based material a material selected from the group consisting of (a) run-of-mine material extracted from a coal seam, (b) associated mineral matter material within and immediately surrounding a coal seam, (c) waste material generated during a mining process, (d) clean coal products produced in a process of upgrading coal in a processing plant or unit operation, (e) mixed-phase coal material, (f) coarse coal waste from an active processing facility, (g) fine coal waste from an active processing facility, (h) coarse coal waste from legacy waste storage areas, (i) fine coal waste from a slurry impoundment, slurry cell, slurry pond or storage facility and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating the valuable elements.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes solvent extracting the valuable elements.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating and solvent extracting the valuable elements.

11. A method for recovering valuable elements from pre-combustion coal-based materials, comprising:
grinding the pre-combustion coal-based materials;
adding a chemical additive to the ground pre-combustion coal-based materials to decompose the ground pre-combustion coal-based materials;
roasting the ground pre-combustion coal-based materials at a temperature of between 600° C.-700° C. for a predetermined residence time needed for mineral decomposition;
submerging the roasted pre-combustion coal-based materials in a solution of a lixiviant;
filtering the lixiviant solution to separate residual solids from a pregnant leach solution; and
recovering and concentrating the valuable elements from the pregnant leach solution.

12. The method of claim 11 , including using a lixiviant selected from the group of lixiviants consisting of ammonium sulfate, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, mineral acid, organic acid, carboxyl acid and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 12 , including using as the pre-combustion coal-based material a material selected from a group consisting of (a) run-of-mine material extracted from a coal seam, (b) associated mineral matter material within and immediately surrounding a coal seam, (c) waste material generated during a mining process, (d) clean coal products produced in a process of upgrading coal in a processing plant or unit operation, (e) mixed-phase coal material, (f) coarse coal waste from an active processing facility, (g) fine coal waste from an active processing facility, (h) coarse coal waste from legacy waste storage areas, (i) fine coal waste from a slurry impoundment, slurry cell, slurry pond or storage facility and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating the valuable elements.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes solvent extracting the valuable elements.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating and solvent extracting the valuable elements.

17. The method of claim 11 , including using as the pre-combustion coal-based material a material selected from the group consisting of (a) run-of-mine material extracted from a coal seam, (b) associated mineral matter material within and immediately surrounding a coal seam, (c) waste material generated during a mining process, (d) clean coal products produced in a process of upgrading coal in a processing plant or unit operation, (e) mixed-phase coal material, (f) coarse coal waste from an active processing facility, (g) fine coal waste from an active processing facility, (h) coarse coal waste from legacy waste storage areas, (i) fine coal waste from a slurry impoundment, slurry cell, slurry pond or storage facility and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating the valuable elements.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes solvent extracting the valuable elements.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the recovering and concentrating includes selectively precipitating and solvent extracting the valuable elements.

Assignees

• Univ Kentucky Res Found

Inventors

• Honaker Rick
• Zhang Wencai

Classifications

• C22B1/02 Primary

  Roasting processes (C22B1/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C22B1/24

  Binding; Briquetting {; Granulating} · CPC title

• C22B3/04

  by leaching (C22B3/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C22B3/22

  by physical processes, e.g. by filtration, by magnetic means {, or by thermal decomposition} (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26) · CPC title

• C22B3/44

  by chemical processes (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26, by ion-exchange extraction C22B3/42) · CPC title