Microfluidic process monitor for industrial solvent extraction system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9233859-B2
Application number	US-201314067560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2013
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides a system for solvent extraction utilizing a first electrode with a raised area formed on its surface, which defines a portion of a microfluidic channel; a second electrode with a flat surface, defining another portion of the microfluidic channel that opposes the raised area of the first electrode; a reversibly deformable substrate disposed between the first electrode and second electrode, adapted to accommodate the raised area of the first electrode and having a portion that extends beyond the raised area of the first electrode, that portion defining the remaining portions of the microfluidic channel; and an electrolyte of at least two immiscible liquids that flows through the microfluidic channel. Also provided is a system for performing multiple solvent extractions utilizing several microfluidic chips or unit operations connected in series.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for solvent extraction, said system comprising:
a. a first electrode with a first surface and a second surface, wherein a raised area is formed on the first surface of said first electrode such that the raised area of the first surface of the first electrode was not substantially etched during fabrication and wherein the raised area defines one surface of a four-sided microfluidic channel;
b. a second electrode with a first surface and a second surface, wherein the second surface is flat and wherein the second surface defines a surface of the microfluidic channel that opposes the raised area of the first electrode;
c. a reversibly deformable substrate disposed between the first surface of said first electrode and the second surface of said second electrode, wherein the substrate is adapted to accommodate the raised area on the first surface of the first electrode and wherein said substrate has a portion that extends beyond the raised area of the first surface of the first electrode, wherein the portion that extends beyond the raised area defines the remaining two sides of the microfluidic channel; and
d. a liquid electrolyte that flows through the microfluidic channel, wherein said liquid electrolyte is comprised of at least two immiscible liquids and wherein at least one immiscible liquid has at least two dissolved constituents.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a phase separator, wherein said phase separator separates the at least two immiscible liquids into separate streams upon exiting the microfluidic channel.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two immiscible liquids are an organic liquid and an aqueous liquid.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the at least two dissolved constituents are in the aqueous liquid.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the aqueous liquid is part of a nuclear fuel reprocessing stream.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein an electrical potential is applied across the first electrode and the second electrode so as to selectively oxidize a constituent so as to make the constituent more soluble in the organic liquid.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two dissolved constituents is a mixture of lanthanides.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two dissolved constituents is a mixture of actinides.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two dissolved constituents is a mixture of actinides and lanthanides.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two dissolved constituents are any electro-active species with a redox potential within the hydrogen/oxygen thermodynamic range for aqueous media.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two constituents are biological substances.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two constituents are pharmaceutical compounds.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two constituents are noble metals.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microfluidic channel has a width between 100 and 300 microns.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portion that extends beyond the raised area is between 1 and 150 microns.

16. A system for performing liquid-liquid extraction, said system comprising a number of devices enabling a plurality of unit operations, said devices comprising:
a. a first plate with a first surface and a second surface, wherein a raised area is formed on the first surface of said first plate such that the raised area of the first surface of the first plate was not substantially etched during fabrication and wherein the raised area defines one surface of a four-sided microfluidic channel;
b. a second plate with a first surface and a second surface, wherein the second surface is flat and wherein the second surface defines a surface of the microfluidic channel that opposes the raised area of the first plate;
c. a gasket disposed between the first surface of said first plate and the second surface of said second plate, wherein said gasket is adapted to accommodate the raised area on the first surface of the first plate and wherein said gasket has a portion that extends beyond the raised area of the first surface of the first plate, wherein the portion that extends beyond the raised area defines the remaining two sides of the microfluidic channel; and
d. a liquid that flows through the microfluidic channel, wherein said liquid is comprised of at least two immiscible liquids and wherein at least one immiscible liquid has at least two dissolved constituents; and
e. a phase separator, wherein the phase separator separates the at least two immiscible liquids into separate streams upon exiting the microfluidic channel.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the number of devices is three with the devices arranged in series to each other.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least two immiscible liquids of the first device are an aqueous nuclear fuel reprocessing stream and 30% tri-butyl-phosphate in dodecane.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the at least two immiscible liquids of a second microfluidic device are 3 M nitric acid, 0.01M nitrous acid, and the phase separated stream of 30% tri-butyl-phosphate in dodecane from the first microfluidic device in the series, and wherein the at least two immiscible liquids of the third microfluidic device are 0.3 M nitric acid, 0.5 M acetohydroxamic acid, and the phase separated stream of 30% tri-butyl-phosphate in dodecane from the second microfluidic device in the series.

20. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein the number of devices is one and the number of unit operations is more than one.

Assignees

• Gelis Artem
• Pereira Candido
• Nichols Kevin Paul Flood
• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Gelis Artem
• Pereira Candido
• Nichols Kevin Paul Flood

Classifications

• C02F2201/4611

  Fluid flow · CPC title

• C02F2201/46105

  Details relating to the electrolytic devices · CPC title

• C02F2101/20

  Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds · CPC title

• C02F2101/006

  Radioactive compounds · CPC title

• C02F1/4672

  by electrooxydation · CPC title