System and methods for separation of electrolytic iron from iron-containing feedstock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025146155-A1
Application number	US-202418942097-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 8, 2024
Priority date	Nov 8, 2023
Publication date	May 8, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrochemical reactor system includes: an electrochemical cell, having: an anode; a cathode; an electrolyte stream including an electrolyte and an iron-containing feedstock containing feedstock particles; and a channel that contains the electrolyte stream; and a magnetic field source positioned to provide a magnetic field at the surface of the cathode. The electrochemical cell electrochemically reduces the iron-containing feedstock to form iron particles at a surface of the cathode and in the magnetic field. The feedstock particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 10 micrometers or less, and the iron particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 50 to 1,000 micrometers, or the feedstock particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 25 micrometers or greater, and the iron particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 0.1 to 20 micrometers.

First claim

1 . An electrochemical reactor system, comprising:
an electrochemical cell, comprising:
an anode;
a cathode disposed opposite the anode;
an electrolyte stream contacting the cathode, the electrolyte stream comprising an electrolyte and an iron-containing feedstock comprising feedstock particles; and
a channel that contains the electrolyte stream within the electrochemical cell; and
a magnetic field source positioned to provide a magnetic field of at least one gauss, preferably 25 to 10,000 gauss, more preferably 300 to 3,000 gauss to the cathode, or to provide a magnetic field of 0.0025 to 1 Tesla, preferably 0.03 to 1 Tesla, more preferably 0.03 to 0.3 Tesla at the surface of the cathode, or a combination thereof, and wherein the electrochemical cell is configured to electrochemically reduce at least a portion of the iron-containing feedstock to form iron particles comprising iron metal at a surface of the cathode and in the magnetic field, and wherein the feedstock particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 10 micrometers or less, preferably 0.1 to 10 micrometers, and the iron particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 50 to 1,000 micrometers, preferably 50 to 200 micrometers, or wherein the feedstock particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 25 micrometers or greater, preferably 25 to 500 micrometers, and the iron particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 0.1 to 20 micrometers, preferably 0.1 to 10 micrometers.

2 . (canceled)

3 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 1 , further comprising a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein
the channel comprises a catholyte channel and an anolyte channel, and the separator is disposed between the catholyte channel and the anolyte channel; the catholyte channel contains the electrolyte stream; the anolyte channel is configured to contain an anolyte stream; the cathode is positioned in the catholyte channel; and the anode is position in the anolyte channel.

4 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 3 , further comprising the anolyte stream in the anolyte channel, wherein the cathode contacts the electrolyte stream and the anode contacts the anolyte stream, wherein the analyte stream comprises an acid having a pKa of 2 or less; and optionally a supporting electrolyte compound.

5 . (canceled)

6 . (canceled)

7 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 1 , wherein the channel or the catholyte channel has an inlet for receiving the electrolyte stream and an outlet for discharging an electrolyte product stream after at least a portion of the iron-containing feedstock is reduced to form iron particles comprising iron metal at the surface of the cathode and in the magnetic field; and wherein the electrochemical rector system is configured to flow the electrolyte stream through the channel channel in a unidirectional flow from the inlet to the outlet of the channel.

8 . (canceled)

9 . (canceled)

10 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 1 , further comprising a separation unit disposed downstream of the channel or the catholyte channel, wherein the separation unit is configured to separate at least a portion of the iron particles from the electrolyte product stream, wherein the electrolyte product stream comprises the iron particles and a residual feedstock comprising the feedstock particles that are not reduced in the electrochemical cell, and the separation unit is configured to separate the iron particles from the residual feedstock in the electrolyte product stream based on a particle size difference between the iron particles and the residual feedstock to provide an iron product, and optionally wherein the iron product comprises less than 10 wt % of the residual feedstock based on a total weight of the iron product.

11 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 10 , wherein the separation unit comprises a sieve, a filter, a screen, a hydrocyclone, a centrifuge, or a combination thereof.

12 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 10 , wherein the separation unit has two subunits, the first subunit is configured to separate the iron particles from the electrolyte product stream, generating a first stream comprising the residual feedstock and a liquid, and a second stream comprising the iron particles, and the second subunit is configured to separate the residual feedstock from the liquid in the first stream, and optionally wherein the first subunit is a sieve, a filter, a screen, a hydrocyclone, or a centrifuge, and the second subunit is a magnetic separator or a physical separator.

13 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 10 , wherein the separation unit has two subunits, the first subunit is configured to separate the residual feedstock from the electrolyte product stream, generating a first stream comprising the iron particles and a liquid, and a second stream comprising the residual feedstock, and the second subunit is configured to separate the iron particles from the liquid in the first stream, and optionally wherein the first subunit is a sieve, a filter, a screen, a hydrocyclone, or a centrifuge, and the second subunit is a magnetic separator or a physical separator.

14 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 10 , wherein
the feedstock particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 10 micrometers or less, and the separation unit is configured to separate the residual feedstock in the electrolyte product stream from the iron particles having an average particle size in at least one dimension of 50 to 1000 micrometers.

15 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 14 , wherein the separation unit comprises a sieve or screening having openings with a diameter less than the average particle size of the iron particles in at least one dimension but greater than the average particle size of the feedstock particles in at least one dimension.

16 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 15 , wherein the sieve or screen has openings with a diameter of 15 micrometers to 45 micrometers.

17 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 10 , wherein
the feedstock particles have an average particle size in at least one dimension of 25 micrometers or greater, and the separation unit is configured to separate the residual feedstock in the electrolyte product stream from iron particles having an average particle size in at least one dimension of 0.1 to 20 micrometers.

18 . The electrochemical reactor system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrolyte stream contained within the electrochemical cell comprises from 0.1 to 30 wt % of the iron-containing feedstock, based on a total weight of the electrolyte stream contained within the electrochemical cell, wherein the iron-containing feedstock comprises hematite, maghemite, magnetite, goethite, limonite, or a combination thereof, wherein the iron particles comprise greater than 90 wt % of iron metal, or a combination thereof.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The electrochemical reactor system of claim 1 , wherein:
(i) the electrolyte stream comprises an aqueous solution of an alkali hydroxide, an organic hydroxide, or a combination thereof; or (ii) the electrolyte stream comprises an aqueous solution of an alkali hydroxide, an organic hydroxide, or a combination thereof, and the alkali hydroxide, the organic hydroxide, or the combination thereof is present in the aqueous solution in an amount from 20 to 50 we

Assignees

• Form Energy Inc

Inventors

• Rathert Janna
• Luyima Alex
• Manser Joseph Stephen

Classifications

• B22F2009/245

  Reduction reaction in an Ionic Liquid [IL] · CPC title

• B22F1/05

  Metallic powder characterised by the size or surface area of the particles · CPC title

• C22C33/02

  by powder metallurgy · CPC title

• B22F9/24

  starting from liquid metal compounds, e.g. solutions · CPC title

• C25C7/00

  Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells; Servicing or operating of cells (for the production of aluminium C25C3/06 - C25C3/22) · CPC title