Patents Assigned to Aqua Metals Inc.
  • Publication number: 20230313400
    Abstract: Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous and electrochemical lead recovery process. In especially preferred aspects, lead paste is processed to remove residual sulfates, and the so treated lead paste is subjected to a thermal treatment step that removes residual moisture and reduces lead dioxide to lead oxide. Advantageously, such pretreatment will avoid lead dioxide accumulation and electrolyte dilution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Samaresh Mohanta, Joshua Hufford
  • Patent number: 11708640
    Abstract: Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous and electrochemical lead recovery process. In especially preferred aspects, lead paste is processed to remove residual sulfates, and the so treated lead paste is subjected to a thermal treatment step that removes residual moisture and reduces lead dioxide to lead oxide. Advantageously, such pretreatment will avoid lead dioxide accumulation and electrolyte dilution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Samaresh Mohanta, Joshua Hufford
  • Publication number: 20220341051
    Abstract: Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous and electrochemical lead recovery process. In especially preferred aspects, lead paste is processed to remove residual sulfates, and the so treated lead paste is subjected to a thermal treatment step that removes residual moisture and reduces lead dioxide to lead oxide. Advantageously, such pretreatment will avoid lead dioxide accumulation and electrolyte dilution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Samaresh Mohanta, Joshua Hufford
  • Publication number: 20220275527
    Abstract: Valuable metals, and especially copper and silver, are recovered from a lead containing electrolyte in a process in which the electrolyte is fed into an electrochemical polishing reactor that has a high-surface area cathode at which the electrode potential is controlled to so preferentially reduce copper and silver and to form a pre-treated lead-enriched electrolyte that can then be subjected electrochemical lead recovery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicant: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Samaresh Mohanta, Joshua Reill, Benjamin Sol Taecker, Jeffery Hoke, Brian James Dougherty, Jiaqi Liao
  • Patent number: 11239507
    Abstract: Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining. Spent electroprocessing solvent and/or base utilized to treat lead paste from the lead acid battery scrap can be recycled to the recovery process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: AQUA METALS INC.
    Inventors: Brian Dougherty, Michael John King, Robert Lewis Clarke, Stephen R. Clarke, Michael David Hurwitz
  • Patent number: 11072864
    Abstract: Lead is recycled from lead paste of lead acid batteries in a process that employs alkaline desulfurization followed by formation of plumbite that is then electrolytically converted to pure lead. Remaining insoluble lead dioxide is removed from the lead plumbite solution and reduced to produce lead oxide that can be fed back to the recovery system. Sulfate is recovered as sodium sulfate, while the so produced lead oxide can be added to lead paste for recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: AQUA METALS INC.
    Inventors: Robert Lewis Clarke, Samaresh Mohanta
  • Patent number: 11028460
    Abstract: Lead is recovered from lead paste of a lead acid battery in a continuous process. The lead paste is contacted with a base to generate a supernatant and a precipitate. The precipitate is separated from the supernatant, and is contacted with an alkane sulfonic acid to generate a mixture of lead ion solution and insoluble lead dioxide. The lead dioxide is reduced with a reducing agent to form lead oxide, and the lead oxide is combined with the lead ion solution to form a combined lead ion solution to so allow a continuous process without lead dioxide accumulation. Lead is recovered from the combined lead ion solution using electrolysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: AQUA METALS INC.
    Inventors: Robert Lewis Clarke, Brian Dougherty, Richard Clarke, Samaresh Mohanta
  • Patent number: 10793957
    Abstract: A closed loop electrochemical process of recovery of high-purity lead uses continuous formation of adherent lead on a cathode from an electrolyte that is used to dissolve desulfated lead paste.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: AQUA METALS INC.
    Inventors: Stephen R. Clarke, Robert Lewis Clarke, Brian Dougherty
  • Patent number: 10689769
    Abstract: The inventive subject matter is directed to continuous electrochemical production of highly pure micro- or nanostructured lead that at least partially encloses the electroprocessing solvent and molecular hydrogen and optional guest compounds to form a mixed matrix. Such compositions are particularly suitable for cold forming of various structures and/or for alloy and composite material production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen R. Clarke, Michael John King, Brian Dougherty, Michael David Hurwitz
  • Patent number: 10665907
    Abstract: Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining, and spent electroprocessing solvent can be recycled to the recovery process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen R. Clarke, Robert Lewis Clarke, Michael David Hurwitz, Michael John King, Selwyn Mould
  • Patent number: 10566665
    Abstract: Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining, and spent electroprocessing solvent can be recycled to the recovery process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen R. Clarke, Robert Lewis Clarke, Michael David Hurwitz, Michael John King, Selwyn Mould
  • Patent number: 10340561
    Abstract: Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining. Spent electroprocessing solvent and/or base utilized to treat lead paste from the lead acid battery scrap can be recycled to the recovery process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Dougherty, Michael John King, Robert Lewis Clarke, Stephen R. Clarke, Michael David Hurwitz
  • Patent number: 10316420
    Abstract: Lead is recycled from lead paste of lead acid batteries in a process that employs alkaline desulfurization followed by formation of plumbite that is then electrolytically converted to pure lead. Remaining insoluble lead dioxide is removed from the lead plumbite solution and reduced to produce lead oxide that can be fed back to the recovery system. Sulfate is recovered as sodium sulfate, while the so produced lead oxide can be added to lead paste for recovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Lewis Clarke, Samaresh Mohanta
  • Publication number: 20180355494
    Abstract: A closed loop electrochemical process of recovery of high-purity lead uses continuous formation of adherent lead on a cathode from an electrolyte that is used to dissolve desulfated lead paste.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Applicant: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen R. Clarke, Robert Lewis Clarke, Brian Dougherty
  • Patent number: 9837689
    Abstract: Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining and spent electroprocessing solvent can be recycled to the recovery process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Aqua Metals Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen R. Clarke, Robert Lewis Clarke, Michael David Hurwitz, Michael John King, Selwyn Mould