Patents Examined by Nikolas Takuya Pullen
  • Patent number: 12043874
    Abstract: A system for reducing ore includes a hydrogen supply unit configured to supply hydrogen, a furnace configured to reduce the ore using the supplied hydrogen, and a hydrogen recovery unit configured to recover hydrogen from an exhaust gas that is exhausted from the furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: Ohmium International, Inc.
    Inventors: Chockkalingam Karuppaiah, Arne Ballantine, Muralidhar Venkatraman
  • Patent number: 12031776
    Abstract: Disclosed are an unblocking apparatus for a furnace discharging pipe and a use method. The unblocking apparatus includes a rail, a rail car that may move along the rail, an unblocking drive mechanism arranged on the rail car, a heat-unblocking component, a cold-unblocking component, and a material receiving component that is used to receive a blocking material in the discharging pipe, and a drive end of the unblocking drive mechanism is detachably connected with one end of the heat-unblocking component and the cold-unblocking component respectively. The present application effectively handles different blockage situations of the furnace discharging pipe by connecting the unblocking drive mechanism with an unblocking rod capable of heat-unblocking and a drilling rod capable of cold-unblocking, thereby two modes of heat-unblocking and cold-unblocking are performed on the furnace discharging pipe; and the discharging pipe may be unblocked by a remote operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignees: China Nuclear Sichuan Environmental Protection Engineering Co., Ltd., China Building Materials Academy, China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Weidong Xu, Yu Chang, Yongchang Zhu, Hong Duan, Chunyu Tian, Wei Wu, Debo Yang, Qingbin Zhao, Shuaizhen Wu, Lin Wang, Zhu Cui, Heyi Guo, Maosong Fan, Yuancheng Sun, Jie Mei, Xiaoli An, Yongxiang Zhao, Qinda Liu
  • Patent number: 12027681
    Abstract: Provided is a more efficient dry refining process for improving the recovery rate of phosphorus-free valuable metals from waste lithium ion batteries. The present invention provides a method for recovering valuable metals from waste lithium ion batteries, said method comprises a melting step S4 for melting the waste lithium ion batteries and obtaining a molten substance and a slag separation step S5 for separating slag from the molten substance and recovering an alloy containing valuable metals, wherein in the melting step, flux containing a calcium compound is added to the waste lithium ion batteries such that the mass ratio between silicon dioxide and calcium oxide in the slag becomes 0.50 or less and the mass ratio between calcium oxide and aluminum oxide falls in the range of 0.30 to 2.00.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Yamashita, Ryo Togashi
  • Patent number: 12018350
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for recycling used lithium batteries containing the steps: (a) digestion of comminuted material (10), which contains comminuted components of electrodes of lithium batteries, using concentrated sulphuric acid (12) at a digestion temperature (TA) of at least 100° C., in particular at least 140° C., so that waste gas (14) and a digestion material (16) are produced, (b) discharge of the waste gas (14) and (c) wet chemical extraction of at least one metallic component of the digestion material (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: DUSENFELD GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Hanisch, Tobias Elwert, Lisa Brückner
  • Patent number: 12000011
    Abstract: A process for producing hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material and/or flux includes: providing a shaft furnace of a direct reduction plant to reduce iron oxide with reducing gas; providing a hot briquette machine to produce hot briquetted iron; coupling a chute between a) a discharge exit of the shaft furnace for discharge of hot direct reduced iron and b) an entrance of the hot briquette machine; adding solid carbonaceous material and/or flux to the discharged hot direct reduced iron from the shaft furnace to produce a mixture of the discharged hot direct reduced iron and the solid carbonaceous material and/or flux before feeding to the hot briquette machine; and processing in the hot briquette machine to produce a product of hot briquetted iron with increased solid carbonaceous material content greater than about 3 weight percent and/or an increased flux content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: Midrex Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Haruyasu Michishita, Taiji Hatakeyama, Todd Astoria
  • Patent number: 11965221
    Abstract: A method of heating direct reduced iron between a direct reduced iron source and processing equipment for the direct reduced iron, comprises providing a conduit heater assembly between the direct reduced iron source and the processing equipment, wherein the conduit heater assembly receives a flow of the direct reduced iron from the direct reduced iron source and heats the direct reduced iron as the direct reduced iron flows through the conduit heater assembly and to the processing equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Midrex Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Michael Astoria, James Lloyd Lewis, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11959152
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for clean metallurgy of molybdenum, including steps: 1) roasting molybdenite with calcium to obtain calcified molybdenum calcine, and leaching the calcified molybdenum calcine with an inorganic acid to obtain a molybdenum-containing inorganic acid leachate; 2) extracting molybdenum in the leachate with a cationic extractant to obtain an organic phase loaded with molybdyl cations and a raffinate; 3) using a hydrogen peroxide solution as a stripping agent to obtain a molybdenum stripping liquor; and 4) heating the molybdenum stripping liquor to dissociate peroxymolybdic acid therein so as to form a molybdic acid precipitate, and then calcining to obtain a molybdenum trioxide product. The method solves the problem of ammonia nitrogen wastewater production and can also be used for the enrichment and recovery of rhenium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: CENTRAL SOUTH UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Zhongwei Zhao, Yongli Li
  • Patent number: 11952288
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing battery-grade nickel sulfate by using laterite nickel ore comprising the following steps: sorting the laterite nickel ore to obtain lump ore and sediment ore; crushing the lump ore, and then performing heap leaching, to obtain a crude nickel sulfate solution A; separating the sediment ore to obtain high chromium ore, low iron, high magnesium ore, and high iron, low magnesium ore, and drying, roasting, reducing, and sulfurating the low iron, high magnesium ore to obtain low nickel matte; blowing and performing water extraction on the low nickel matte, and then performing oxygen pressure leaching, to obtain a crude nickel sulfate solution B; performing pressure leaching on the high iron, low magnesium ore to obtain a crude nickel sulfate solution C; and performing extraction on the crude nickel sulfate solutions A, B, and C, and then evaporating and crystallizing, to obtain battery-grade nickel sulfate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignees: GUANGDONG BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUNAN BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., HUNAN BRUNP VEHICLES RECYCLING CO., LTD., NINGDE BRUNP RECYCLING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Changdong Li, Honghui Tang, Chunyi Wang, Xinan Pei, Xingdui Li
  • Patent number: 11946116
    Abstract: Providing a method of recovering Cu from copper ore containing Hg. A method for recovering Cu from copper ore, the method comprising: (A) providing copper ore containing Hg with an amount of 0.2 ppm or more; (B) treating the copper ore to leach Cu and Hg with use of solution containing iodide ions and Fe (3+); and (C) treating post-leaching solution with activated carbon to absorb the iodide ions and Hg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: JX METALS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuken Fukano
  • Patent number: 11920204
    Abstract: A direct reduction plant is disclosed. The direct reduction plant includes an oxygen injection system, a reformer, and a shaft furnace. The oxygen injection system includes an oxygen injection reactor and a main oxygen burner. The oxygen injection reactor is adapted to receive a gas mixture. The main oxygen burner is adapted to increase a temperature of the gas mixture by burning a mixture of fuel and oxygen fed to the main oxygen burner. The reformer is adapted to reform the gas mixture with the increased temperature. The shaft furnace is adapted to reduce iron ore using the reformed gas mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Midrex Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Haruyasu Michishita
  • Patent number: 11898220
    Abstract: A method for recovery of platinum group metals from a spent catalyst is described. The method includes crushing the spent catalyst to obtain a catalyst particulate material including particles having a predetermined grain size. The method includes subjecting the catalyst particulate material to a chlorinating treatment in the reaction zone at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time period by putting the catalyst particulate material in contact with the chlorine containing gas. The method also includes applying an electromagnetic field to the chlorine-containing gas in the reaction zone to provide ionization of chlorine; thereby to cause a chemical reaction between platinum group metals and chlorine ions and provide a volatile platinum group metal-containing chloride product in the reaction zone. Following this, the volatile platinum group metal-containing chloride product is cooled to convert the product into solid phase platinum group metal-containing materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: YEDA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Igor Lubomirsky, Valery Kaplan
  • Patent number: 11884992
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for processing a composite waste source, such as e-waste, is disclosed. The composite waste source may comprise low-, moderate and high-melting point constituents, such as plastics, metals and ceramics. The composite waste source is heated to a first temperature zone, causing at least some of the low-melting point constituents to at least partially thermally transform. The composite waste source is subsequently heated to a second, higher, temperature zone, causing at least some of the moderate-melting point constituents to at least partially thermally transform. At least some of the at least partially thermally transformed constituents may be recovered. The method, apparatus and system disclosed may provide for the recovery and reuse of materials which would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited
    Inventor: Veena Sahajwalla
  • Patent number: 11851725
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ironmaking feedstock comprising a solid CaFe3O5 phase. The ironmaking feedstock may be produced by a process comprising reacting a combination of a calcium source and magnetite at elevated temperature under reducing conditions sufficient to produce the solid CaFe3O5 phase. The product may be in the form of agglomerates such as pellets, with a compressive strength such that the product is suitable for transportation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: Swinburne University of Technology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
    Inventors: Suneeti Purohit, Geoffrey Brooks, Muhammad Akbar Rhamdhani, Mark Pownceby
  • Patent number: 11851729
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method which is capable of more strictly controlling the oxygen partial pressure required during the melting of a starting material, thereby being capable of recovering a valuable metal more efficiently. A method for recovering valuable metals (Cu, Ni, Co), said method comprising the following steps: a step for preparing, as a starting material, a charge that contains at least phosphorus (P), manganese (Mn) and valuable metals; a step for heating and melting the starting material into a melt, and subsequently forming the melt into a molten material that contains an alloy and slag; and a step for recovering the alloy that contains valuable metals by separating the slag from the molten material. With respect to this method for recovering valuable metals, the oxygen partial pressure in the melt is directly measured with use of an oxygen analyzer when the starting material is heated and melted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yu Yamashita
  • Patent number: 11834729
    Abstract: A method for extracting rare earth elements (REEs) from a REE hyperaccumulator, including: subjecting the REE hyperaccumulator to microwave-assisted digestion to obtain a REE extract; subjecting the REE extract to absorption with a chelating resin and elution to obtain a purified REE solution; and subjecting the purified REE solution to precipitation and calcination to obtain high-purity rare earth compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Inventors: Jianxi Zhu, Hongping He, Gaofeng Wang, Yuanyuan Wang, Mingqi Sun, Liuqing He, Xiaoliang Liang, Jingming Wei, Qingze Chen, Runliang Zhu
  • Patent number: 11814699
    Abstract: A method for recovery of precious metals from copper anode slime may include leaching a leach liquor out of the copper anode slime by mixing the copper anode slime with a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid, separating silver from the leach liquor by forming a silver chloride precipitate in the leach liquor by mixing a supersaturated sodium chloride solution with the leach liquor at room temperature and obtaining a first filtrate by filtering the silver chloride precipitate out of the leach liquor. Copper may be separated from the first filtrate by forming a copper hydroxide precipitate in the first filtrate by adjusting pH of the first filtrate at 9 and obtaining a second filtrate by filtering the copper hydroxide precipitate out of the first filtrate. Metallic selenium may be recovered from the second filtrate by reducing the metallic selenium via a chemical reduction utilizing L-ascorbic acid (LAA) as a reducing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignees: AMIRKABIR UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOG
    Inventors: Malek Naderi, Arash Ghazitabar
  • Patent number: 11697862
    Abstract: A mineral processing method capable of efficiently separating a copper mineral from a molybdenum mineral is provided. The mineral processing method includes: a conditioning step of adding sulfite as a surface treatment agent to a mineral slurry containing a copper mineral and a molybdenum mineral; and a flotation step of performing flotation using the mineral slurry after the conditioning step. The hydrophilicity of the copper mineral can be selectively enhanced by sulfite, so as to be able to produce a difference in hydrophilicity between the copper mineral and the molybdenum mineral. Therefore, the molybdenum mineral can be selectively caused to float, and the copper mineral and the molybdenum mineral can be efficiently separated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignees: KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION, SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Hirajima, Hajime Miki, Gde Pandhe Wisnu Suyantara, Yuji Imaizumi, Yuji Aoki, Eri Takida
  • Patent number: 11692239
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for selectively and continuously extracting a series of desired species from a matrix, comprising the steps of:—injecting a plasma (310) in an extraction chamber by means of a plasma torch,—continuously monitoring (320) the excited elements extracted from the matrix and contained in the plasma by optical emission spectroscopy, and for each species of the series,—setting a distance (330) between the support and the plasma torch, and the composition of the injected plasma as a function of the monitored excited elements so that only one desired species of the series of species is being extracted from the matrix under molecular form, and—providing (400) a plate in the extraction chamber, exterior to the plasma, causing collection of molecules comprising said desired species by deposition onto the surface of the plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Inventors: Frédéric Rousseau, Olivier Lesage, Jonathan Cramer, Frédéric Prima, Daniel Morvan
  • Patent number: 11634788
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for recovering metals from aqueous solutions or solid feedstocks such as ores and waste. In particular, the invention relates to a method of recovering a target metal using a microorganism and recycling depleted growth media or depleted lixiviant back through the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: MINT INNOVATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Will Barker, Oliver Crush
  • Patent number: 11578385
    Abstract: Provided is a device for continuously decomposing a rare earth concentrate ore. The device includes a body, a bidirectional propeller and a driving assembly. The body has a material inlet, two liquid inlets and two exhaust gas outlets disposed at the top of the body, two material outlets disposed at the bottom of the body and a heat preservation chamber provided inside a side wall of the body. The bidirectional propeller is provided in the body and extends along a length direction of the body. The driving assembly is connected to the rotating shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: CHINA ENFI ENGINEERING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jianwen Tang, Guoshan Du, Pengfei Xian, Shuang Qiu, Wenlong Zhou, Bo Qin