Electrochemical cogeneration of iron and commodity chemicals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025051948-A1
Application number	US-202418795905-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 6, 2024
Priority date	Aug 7, 2023
Publication date	Feb 13, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrochemical reactor comprising a source of a magnetic field positioned in proximity to a cathode and configured to generate a magnetic field; and an electrochemical cell comprising an anode and the cathode, and further comprising a catholyte channel configured to direct a catholyte stream comprising an iron-containing feedstock to the cathode; an anolyte channel configured to direct an anolyte stream comprising a metal chloride to the anode, wherein the catholyte channel and the anolyte channel are disposed between the cathode and the anode; and a separator disposed between the catholyte channel and the anolyte channel, wherein the electrochemical reactor is configured to electrochemically oxidize chloride anions to chlorine gas at a surface of the anode, and wherein the electrochemical reactor is further configured to electrochemically reduce the iron-containing feedstock to an iron particle comprising iron metal at the surface of the cathode and in the magnetic field.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrochemical reactor, comprising:
a source of a magnetic field positioned in proximity to a cathode and configured to generate a magnetic field at a surface of the cathode; and an electrochemical cell comprising an anode and the cathode, wherein the electrochemical cell further comprises:
a catholyte channel configured to direct a catholyte stream comprising an iron-containing feedstock to the cathode;
an anolyte channel configured to direct an anolyte stream comprising a metal chloride to the anode, wherein the catholyte channel and the anolyte channel are disposed between the cathode and the anode; and
a separator disposed between the catholyte channel and the anolyte channel,
wherein the electrochemical reactor is configured to electrochemically oxidize chloride anions to chlorine gas at a surface of the anode, and wherein the electrochemical reactor is further configured to electrochemically reduce the iron-containing feedstock to an iron particle comprising iron metal at the surface of the cathode and in the magnetic field.

2 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical reactor is configured to electrochemically reduce the iron-containing feedstock to the iron particle at a current efficiency ratio of at least 0.75, wherein the current efficiency ratio is a ratio of charge used for the reduction of the iron-containing feedstock to a total charge provided to the cathode.

3 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the iron particle comprises an iron metal powder.

4 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the iron-containing feedstock comprises hematite, maghemite, magnetite, goethite, limonite, pyrite, red mud, or a combination thereof; preferably magnetite or hematite.

5 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte stream comprises from 0.1 to 30 weight percent of the iron-containing feedstock, preferably 0.1 to 15 weight percent of the iron-containing feedstock, more preferably 0.1 to 5 weight percent of the iron-containing feedstock, each based on a total weight of the catholyte stream.

6 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the catholyte stream further comprises an aqueous solution comprising a metal hydroxide, wherein the metal hydroxide comprises an alkali metal hydroxide, an alkaline earth metal hydroxide, or a combination thereof.

7 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 6 , wherein the metal of the metal hydroxide is derived from the metal of the metal chloride of the anolyte stream.

8 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 6 , wherein the metal hydroxide is present in the aqueous solution in an amount from 20 to 50 weight percent, preferably from 25 to 45 weight percent, based on a total weight of the catholyte stream.

9 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein
the anolyte stream comprises an aqueous solution comprising the metal chloride, and wherein the metal chloride comprises an alkali metal chloride, an alkaline earth metal chloride, or a combination thereof.

10 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 8 , wherein the anolyte stream has a pH of less than 7, preferably from 0 to 5.

11 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 9 , wherein the metal chloride is present in the aqueous solution in an amount from 1 to 60 weight percent, preferably 5 to 50 weight percent, more preferably 10 to 40 weight percent, based on a total weight of the anolyte stream.

12 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the anolyte stream further comprises an acid having a pKa of 2 or less.

13 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the separator comprises an anion exchange membrane, a cation exchange membrane, an anion selective membrane, a cation selective membrane, a zwitterionic membrane, a nanoporous membrane, a polybenzimidazole-containing membrane, a polysulfone-containing membrane, a polycarboxylic-containing membrane, a polyetherketone-containing membrane, a membrane comprising a polymer of intrinsic microporosity, or a combination thereof,
preferably wherein the separator is a cation selective membrane.

14 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the separator comprises a cation-selective membrane that is permeable to an alkali metal cation, an alkaline earth metal cation, or a combination thereof.

15 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the cathode comprises aluminum, carbon, molybdenum, copper, nickel, titanium, iron, chromium, an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof, preferably carbon, nickel, iron, chromium, an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof.

16 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the anode comprises carbon, titanium, lead, nickel, iron, platinum, iridium, ruthenium, tantalum, niobium, zirconium, vanadium, hafnium, aluminum, tin, cobalt, antimony, tungsten, copper, an alloy thereof, an oxide thereof, or a combination thereof.

17 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , further comprising a gas separation unit in fluid communication with the anolyte channel, wherein the gas separation unit is configured to separate at least a portion of the chlorine gas from the anolyte stream.

18 . The electrochemical reactor of any of claim 1 , further comprising an iron metal separation unit in fluid communication with the catholyte channel, wherein the iron metal separation unit is configured to separate the iron particle from the catholyte stream.

19 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical reactor is configured to operate at a temperature of 50° C. to 140° C., preferably 70° C. to 110° C., more preferably 85° C. to 110° C.

20 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage source electrically connected to the anode and the cathode, wherein the voltage source is configured to apply a voltage to the electrochemical cell to provide the chlorine gas and the iron particle.

21 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the source of the magnetic field comprises a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, an electropermanent magnet, or a combination thereof.

22 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the source of the magnetic field is positioned in proximity to the cathode and configured to provide a magnetic field at the surface of the cathode that is at least 0.025 Tesla, preferably 0.05 to 10 Tesla, more preferably 0.05 to 1 Tesla.

23 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein the source of the magnetic field is configured to provide a modulated magnetic field.

24 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein
the source of the magnetic field comprises an electromagnet, and the electromagnet is positioned adjacent to the cathode and opposite to the catholyte stream.

25 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 1 , further comprising an additional source of a magnetic field positioned in proximity to the anode, wherein the electrochemical cell is disposed between the source and the additional source, and
wherein the electrochemical reactor is configured to electrochemically reduce at least a portion of the iron-containing feedstock to the iron particle at the surface of the cathode in a magnetic field provided by the source and the additional source.

26 . The electrochemical reactor of claim 25 , wherein the additional source is a field generating device or a field propagating device.

Assignees

• Form Energy Inc

Inventors

• Manser Joseph S
• Rathert Janna
• Luyima Alex
• Sokol Julia

Classifications

• C25C7/02

  Electrodes (consumable anodes for the refining the metals C25C1/00 - C25C5/00); Connections thereof · CPC title

• C25C7/06

  Operating or servicing · CPC title

• C25C7/04

  Diaphragms; Spacing elements · CPC title

• C25C1/06 Primary

  or iron group metals, refractory metals or manganese · CPC title