Heavy metal remediation via sulfur-modified bio-oils

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9540264-B2
Application number	US-201514816429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2015
Priority date	Dec 6, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

We have now discovered a novel process for the removal or extraction of metal species from a variety of solid, liquid or gas phase materials. Metal species may be removed by contacting the material suspected of containing one or more metals with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective far the sequestration of the metal species by the thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof. The thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species may then be separated and recovered from the treated material. Moreover, following the treatment of aqueous liquids or mixtures, or suspensions or dispersions of solids in aqueous liquids, the resultant thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising the sequestered metal species is insoluble in water and forms a separate layer from the aqueous liquid phase, which layer may be readily removed.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process for the treatment of materials to remove metal species therefrom, said process comprising: contacting a material suspected of containing one or more metal species with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective for sequestering metal species by binding said metal species to sulfur in said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof, and separating said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species from said material wherein said sequestered metal species are bound to sulfur in said thiolated fatty acid or ester.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said material comprises an aqueous liquid phase.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said separating comprises allowing said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species to form a separate layer from said aqueous liquid phase and removing said separate layer.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein said thiolated fatly acid or ester thereof are insoluble in water.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said material comprises a solid phase material and said contacting comprises mixing said material and said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said material comprises soil.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said soil has been treated prior to said contacting to release said metal species in the soil.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein said material comprises a gas phase material.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein said material comprises a flue gas.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising recovering said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species separated from said material.

11. The process of claim 10 further comprising converting said sequestered metal species in the recovered thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof to a solid phase, and separating said solid phase from said thiolated fatty acid or ester.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein said converting comprises reduction or oxidation.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein said metal species are selected from the group consisting of B, Be, Ba, Mn, Sb, Se, Sr, Tl, V, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cr, Hg, Fe, Al, Co, Bi, Sn, Ca, Mg, Ag, As, Mo, Au, Rh, Ir, Os, Re, Pd, Pt, Ru and combinations thereof.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein said metal species are selected from the group consisting of Cu, Al, Pb, Cd, Bi, Bi Hg, Ag and combinations thereof.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein said metal species are selected from the group consisting of Hg, Ag and combinations thereof.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprise one or more —SH, —SR or (—S) n —R moieties wherein n is an integer greater than 1 and R is selected from the group consisting of (1) an aliphatic hydrocarbon which may be a straight or branched chain, substituted or unsubstituted, and saturated or unsaturated, (2) a carbon ring which may be substituted or unsubstituted, and saturated or unsaturated, and (3) and a heterocyclic ring which may be substituted Or unsubstituted, and saturated or unsaturated.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprises a C4 to C30 fatty acid comprising one or more of said —SR, —SR or (—S) n —R moieties.

18. The process of claim 1 wherein said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprises a thiolated glyceride of the formula:

wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independently selected from (a) —OH, (b) a C4 to C30 aliphatic fatty acid moiety, and (c) a C4 to C30 aliphatic fatty acid moiety comprising one or more —SH, —SR or (—S) n —R moieties linked thereto wherein n is an integer greater than 1 and R is selected from the group consisting of (1) an aliphatic hydrocarbon which may be a straight or branched chain, substituted or unsubstituted, and saturated or unsaturated, (2) a carbon ring which may be substituted or unsubstituted, and saturated or unsaturated, and (3) and a heterocyclic ring which may be substituted or unsubstituted, and saturated or unsaturated; with the proviso that at least one of said R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 comprise said C4 to C30 aliphatic fatty acid moiety comprising one or more of said —SH, —SR or (—S) n —R moieties.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein said aliphatic fatty acid moiety of (b) and (c) are of the formula R 4 —C(O)O—, wherein R 4 is a C3 to C29 straight or branched chain hydrocarbon which may be saturated or unsaturated, and substituted or unsubstituted.

20. The process of claim 18 wherein at least two of said R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 comprise said C4 to C30 aliphatic fatty acid moiety comprising one or more of said —SH, —SR or (—S) n —R moieties.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein all of said R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 comprise said C4 to C30 aliphatic fatty acid moiety comprising one or more of said —SH, —SR or (—S) n —R moieties.

22. The process of claim 1 , wherein between 70 to 99% of said metal species are sequestered by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

23. The process of claim 1 , wherein over 95% of said metal species are sequestered by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

24. The process of claim 1 , wherein 99% or more of said metal species are sequestered by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

25. A process for the treatment of materials to remove metal species therefrom, said process comprising: contacting a material suspected of containing one or more metal species with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective for sequestering metal species by binding said metal species to sulfur in said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof, separating said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species from said material wherein said sequestered metal species are bound to sulfur in said thiolated fatty acid or ester, and removing said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species from said material thereby removing said metal species from said material and the environment.

26. The process of claim 25 , wherein between 70 to 99% of said metal species are sequestered by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

27. The process of claim 25 , wherein over 95% of said metal species are sequestered by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

28. The process of claim 25 , wherein 99% or more of said metal species are sequestered by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof.

29. A process for the treatment of materials to remove metal species therefrom, said process comprising: contacting a material suspected of containing one or more metal species with a thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof for a period of time and under conditions effective for sequestering metal species by said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof, and separating said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species from said material; wherein said material comprises a gas phase material.

30. The process of claim 29 wherein said material comprises a flue gas.

31. The process of claim 29 further comprising recovering said thiolated fatty acid or ester thereof comprising sequestered metal species se

Assignees

• Us Agriculture

Inventors

• Murray Rex E
• Bantchev Grigor B
• Doll Kenneth M
• Dunn Robert O
• Ascherl Kim L

Classifications

• B01D2252/205

  Other organic compounds not covered by B01D2252/00 - B01D2252/20494 · CPC title

• C02F2101/108

  Boron compounds · CPC title

• B01D2252/2056

  Sulfur compounds, e.g. Sulfolane, thiols · CPC title

• C02F1/54

  using organic material · CPC title

• C02F2101/103

  Arsenic compounds · CPC title