Water-in-Oil Emulsion Compositions and Methods for Making and Using the Same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016185613-A1
Application number	US-201113578271-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 7, 2011
Priority date	Feb 12, 2010
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The suspended solids content of a process stream in a process for producing alumina is reduced by contacting the stream with silicon-containing polymers provided by water-in-oil compositions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of making a water-in-oil emulsion composition, the method comprising: forming an aqueous solution comprising a silicon-containing polymer; and
intermixing the aqueous solution with a surfactant and oil to form a water-in-oil emulsion composition including the silicon-containing polymer.

2 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer comprises an —Si(OR) 3 group, wherein R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 6-12 aryl, C 7-20 aralkyl, a group I metal ion, a group II metal ion, and NR′ 4 + ; wherein R′ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 6-12 aryl, and C 7-20 aralkyl; and wherein R and R′ are independently unsubstituted or hydroxy-substituted.

3 . A method according to claim 2 , where R is independently selected from the group consisting of Na + , K + , and NH 4 + .

4 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer is selected from the group consisting of a silicon-containing polyethyleneimine, a vinyl triethoxysilane copolymer, a copolymer of acrylic acid and triethoxysilylpropylacrylamide, a copolymer of acrylic acid and triethoxyvinylsilane, a silicon-containing polysaccharide, a silicon-containing styrene/maleic anhydride copolymer, a silicon-containing maleic anhydride/alkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and mixtures thereof.

5 . A method according to claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 1,000 or greater.

6 . A water-in-oil emulsion composition comprising a silicon-containing polymer, the composition manufactured by intermixing an aqueous solution comprising the silicon-containing polymer with a surfactant and oil to obtain the water-in-oil emulsion composition.

7 . A composition according to claim 6 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer comprises an —Si(OR) 3 group, wherein R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 6-12 aryl, C 7-20 aralkyl, a group I metal ion, a group II metal ion, and NR′ 4 + ; wherein R′ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 6-12 aryl, and C 7-20 aralkyl; and wherein R and R′ are independently unsubstituted or hydroxy-substituted.

8 . A composition according to claim 7 , where R is independently selected from the group consisting of Na + , K + , and NH 4 + .

9 . A composition according to claim 6 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer is selected from the group consisting of a silicon-containing polyethyleneimine, a vinyl triethoxysilane copolymer, a copolymer of acrylic acid and triethoxysilylpropylacrylamide, a copolymer of acrylic acid and triethoxyvinylsilane, a silicon-containing polysaccharide, a silicon-containing styrene/maleic anhydride copolymer, a silicon-containing maleic anhydride/alkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and mixtures thereof.

10 . A composition according to claim 6 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer has a weight average molecular weight of about 1,000 or greater.

11 . A flocculation method comprising:
intermixing a polymeric flocculant provided by the water-in-oil emulsion composition according to claim 6 with a process stream in a process for producing alumina, the flocculant polymer intermixed in an amount effective to flocculate at least a portion of solids suspended therein, wherein the suspended solids are selected from a group consisting of red mud, sodium aluminosilicates, calcium silicates, calcium aluminosilicates, titanium oxides and mixtures thereof.

12 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the flocculant polymer is intermixed with the process stream in an amount in the range of from about 0.1 part per million to about 500 parts per million.

13 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the process stream comprises a suspended red mud.

14 . A method according to claim 13 , further comprising flocculating at least a portion of the suspended red mud.

15 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the process for producing alumina is a Bayer process.

16 . A method according to claim 11 , wherein the process for producing alumina is a Sinter process.

17 . A water-in-oil emulsion composition comprising:
a silicon-containing polymer having at least 8% of monomeric units of the silicon-containing polymer include an —Si(OR) 3 group

18 . A composition according to claim 17 wherein R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 6-12 aryl, C 7-20 aralkyl, a group I metal ion, a group II metal ion, and NR′ 4 + ; wherein R′ is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C 1-20 alkyl, C 2-20 alkenyl, C 6-12 aryl, and C 7-20 aralkyl; and wherein R and R′ are unsubstituted or hydroxy-substituted.

19 . A composition according to claim 18 , where R is independently selected from the group consisting of Na + , K + , and NH 4 + .

20 . A composition according to claim 17 , wherein the silicon-containing polymer is selected from the group consisting of a silicon-containing polyethyleneimine, a vinyl triethoxysilane copolymer, a copolymer of acrylic acid and triethoxysilylpropylacrylamide, a copolymer of acrylic acid and triethoxyvinylsilane, a silicon-containing polysaccharide, a silicon-containing styrene/maleic anhydride copolymer, a silicon-containing maleic anhydride/alkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and mixtures thereof.

Assignees

• Chen Haunn-Lin Tony
• Cywar Douglas A
• Davis Matthew J
• Lewellyn Morris
• Cytec Tech Corp

Inventors

• Chen Haunn-Lin Tony
• Cywar Douglas A
• Davis Matthew J
• Lewellyn Morris

Classifications

• C01F7/0653 Primary

  characterised by the flocculant added to the slurry (final clarification of the aluminate solution C01F7/47) · CPC title

• C08F212/08

  Styrene · CPC title

• C02F1/56

  Macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• B01F17/0071

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• C09K23/54

  Silicon compounds · CPC title