Removal of organic solvents from aqueous process streams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018369718-A1
Application number	US-201816120727-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 4, 2018
Priority date	Mar 10, 2016
Publication date	Dec 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for separating organic solvent(s) from an aqueous process stream including organic solvent(s), includes passing the aqueous stream including organic solvent(s) through a granular bed including glass granules, wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 1.0 mm.

First claim

1 . A method for separating organic solvent(s) from an aqueous process stream comprising organic solvent(s), the method comprising:
passing said aqueous process stream comprising organic solvent(s) through a granular bed comprising glass granules, wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 1.0 mm, and wherein said aqueous process stream comprises organic solvent(s) is an electrolyte solution resulting from a metal leaching process.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cross section filtration velocity is from 10 to 80 m/h.

3 . (canceled)

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 0.85 mm.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter greater than 0.1 mm.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter greater than 0.2 mm.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least 80% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 0.7 mm.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 0.6 mm.

9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter from 0.3 to 0.7 mm.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said glass granules are spherical.

11 . A filter for separating organic solvent(s) from an aqueous process stream comprising said organic solvent(s), comprising:
(a) a vessel; (b) a granular bed in said vessel comprising:
(i) glass granules, wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 1.0 mm; and
(c) means for passing the aqueous process stream comprising organic solvent(s) that is an electrolyte solution resulting from a metal leaching process into said vessel, down through said granular bed and then out of said vessel.

12 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said filter is a dual media filter.

13 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said filter further comprises a coalescing device in said vessel above said granular bed.

14 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the granular bed further comprises a layer of garnet.

15 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the granular bed further comprises a layer of sand.

16 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 0.85 mm.

17 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter greater than 0.2 mm.

18 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter from 0.3 to 0.7 mm.

19 . The filter as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said glass granules are spherical.

20 . A method of using glass particles for separating organic solvent(s) from an aqueous process stream comprising organic solvent(s), comprising:
utilizing glass granules wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 1.0 mm, and wherein the aqueous process stream comprising organic solvent(s) is an electrolyte solution resulting from a metal leaching process.

21 . (canceled)

22 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein at least 90% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter smaller than 0.85 mm.

23 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter greater than 0.2 mm.

24 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein at least 50% of said glass granules have a maximum particle diameter from 0.3 to 0.7 mm.

25 . The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein said glass granules are spherical.

26 . A method for recovering metal(s) from a starting material comprising said metal(s), comprising:
(i) leaching the starting material in a leaching solution to obtain a pregnant leaching solution; (ii) extracting the metal(s) from the pregnant leaching solution by a extraction solution comprising organic solvent(s) to obtain an organic solution comprising the metal(s); (iii) stripping metals(s) from the organic solution comprising the metal(s) with an aqueous solution to obtain an electrolyte solution comprising said metal(s); (iv) removing any remaining organic solvent(s) from the electrolyte solution by the method claimed in claim 1 to obtain a purified electrolyte solution; and (v) recovering metal(s) from the purified electrolyte solution.

Assignees

• Outotec Finland Oy

Inventors

• Kuosa Markku
• Häkkinen Antti
• Tanttu Leena
• Jauhiainen Timo
• Ekberg Bjarne

Classifications

• B01D2239/1241

  Particle diameter · CPC title

• B01D24/105

  downward filtration without specifications about the filter material supporting means · CPC title

• C02F2103/16

  from metallurgical processes, i.e. from the production, refining or treatment of metals, e.g. galvanic wastes · CPC title

• B01D17/10 Primary

  with stationary filtering elements · CPC title

• B01D17/045

  with coalescers · CPC title