Patents by Inventor Hirofumi Shoji
Hirofumi Shoji has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11718894Abstract: Provided is a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, which can efficiently and selectively separate copper from nickel and cobalt in a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt in a waste lithium ion battery, etc. In this method, a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is sulfurated to obtain a sulfide, the obtained sulfide that contains copper, nickel, and cobalt is brought into contact with an acid solution to obtain a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt. The sulfide preferably contains copper sulfide as a main component, and contains nickel metal and cobalt metal. In-addition, when bringing the sulfide into contact with the acid solution, the added amounts of the sulfide and the acid solution are preferably adjusted such that the oxidation-reduction potential of the obtained leachate is maintained at 150 mV or less where a silver/silver chloride electrode is a reference electrode.Type: GrantFiled: November 28, 2018Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroshi Takenouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hirofumi Shoji, Tatsuya Higaki
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Patent number: 11214849Abstract: A method for recovering scandium, by which scandium is able to be recovered from nickel oxide ore. The present invention comprises: a leaching step S1 for obtaining a leachate by leaching a nickel oxide ore containing scandium with use of sulfuric acid; a neutralization step by adding a neutralizing agent thereto; a sulfurization step by adding a sulfurizing agent to the post-neutralization solution; an ion exchange step by bringing the post-sulfurization solution into contact with a chelating resin; a dissolution step by obtaining a precipitate of scandium hydroxide by adding an alkali into the scandium eluent, and subsequently adding an acid solution to the scandium hydroxide; a solvent extraction step by bringing the scandium acid dissolution liquid into contact with a neutral extractant; and a scandium recovery step by adding oxalic acid to the extraction residue and subsequently roasting the salt of scandium oxalate.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2017Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hidemasa Nagai, Keiji Kudo, Itsumi Matsuoka, Yoshitomo Ozaki, Hirofumi Shoji, Shin-ya Matsumoto, Tatsuya Higaki
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Publication number: 20210254193Abstract: A method for recovering scandium, by which scandium is able to be recovered from nickel oxide ore. The present invention comprises: a leaching step S1 for obtaining a leachate by leaching a nickel oxide ore containing scandium with use of sulfuric acid; a neutralization step by adding a neutralizing agent thereto; a sulfurization step by adding a sulfurizing agent to the post-neutralization solution; an ion exchange step by bringing the post-sulfurization solution into contact with a chelating resin; a dissolution step by obtaining a precipitate of scandium hydroxide by adding an alkali into the scandium eluent, and subsequently adding an acid solution to the scandium hydroxide; a solvent extraction step by bringing the scandium acid dissolution liquid into contact with a neutral extractant; and a scandium recovery step by adding oxalic acid to the extraction residue and subsequently roasting the salt of scandium oxalate.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2017Publication date: August 19, 2021Inventors: Hidemasa Nagai, Keiji Kudo, Itsumi Matsuoka, Yoshitomo Ozaki, Hirofumi Shoji, Shin-ya Matsumoto, Tatsuya Higaki
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Publication number: 20210180154Abstract: Provided is a method for separating copper from nickel and cobalt, which can efficiently and selectively separate copper from nickel and cobalt in a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt in a waste lithium ion battery, etc. In this method, a substance containing copper, nickel, and cobalt is sulfurated to obtain a sulfide, the obtained sulfide that contains copper, nickel, and cobalt is brought into contact with an acid solution to obtain a solid containing copper and a leachate containing nickel and cobalt. The sulfide preferably contains copper sulfide as a main component, and contains nickel metal and cobalt metal. In-addition, when bringing the sulfide into contact with the acid solution, the added amounts of the sulfide and the acid solution are preferably adjusted such that the oxidation-reduction potential of the obtained leachate is maintained at 150 mV or less where a silver/silver chloride electrode is a reference electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 28, 2018Publication date: June 17, 2021Inventors: Hiroshi Takenouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hirofumi Shoji, Tatsuya Higaki
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Patent number: 10415584Abstract: An impeller for a centrifugal fan includes a base plate, a ring-shaped shroud, a tubular inlet port connecting the circular inlet of the shroud and the base plate, and a plurality of blades annularly disposed around the tubular inlet port at regular intervals. Each of the blades includes a pressurized surface, a suction surface, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. When viewed in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the impeller, a distance between the pressurized surface and the suction surface of each of the blades becomes increasingly larger starting from the leading edge of the pressurized surface and extending toward the trailing edge of each of the blades at a predetermined height.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2017Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: MINEBEA MITSUMI INC.Inventor: Hirofumi Shoji
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Patent number: 10344354Abstract: A nickel recovery process capable of decreasing nickel remaining in a byproduct by recovering nickel from the byproduct of electrolytic nickel manufacturing process by chlorine-leaching, and also, capable of simplifying a cementation step simultaneously, is provided. In a nickel recovery step S60, a nickel recovery step S70 and a nickel recovery step S80, nickel is recovered in each step from S0 slurry, residue flaker and chlorine-leached residue, which are byproducts of electrolytic nickel manufacturing process by chlorine-leaching, by using an aqueous solution containing 80 g/L to 390 g/L of chlorine and 30 g/L to 70 g/L of copper.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2015Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi Shoji, Jiro Hayata, Keiji Kudou, Tatsuya Higaki
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Publication number: 20190120244Abstract: An impeller for a centrifugal fan includes a base plate, a ring-shaped shroud, a tubular inlet port connecting the circular inlet of the shroud and the base plate, and a plurality of blades annularly disposed around the tubular inlet port at regular intervals. Each of the blades includes a pressurized surface, a suction surface, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. When viewed in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the impeller, a distance between the pressurized surface and the suction surface of each of the blades becomes increasingly larger starting from the leading edge of the pressurized surface and extending toward the trailing edge of each of the blades at a predetermined height.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 20, 2017Publication date: April 25, 2019Inventor: Hirofumi SHOJI
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Patent number: 9751783Abstract: The wastewater treatment method is to obtain demanganized wastewater, through a step wherein an acid or an alkali is added to sulfuric acid acidified wastewater to adjust pH to not less than 4.0 and not more than 6.0, whereby the sulfuric acid acidified wastewater is separated into a dealuminized solution and an aluminum precipitate; a step wherein a slurrying solution is added to the aluminum precipitate to form a slurry, then an alkali is added to adjust pH to not less than 9.0 and not more than 9.5, whereby an pH-adjusted aluminum precipitate slurry is formed; a step wherein an alkali is added to the dealuminized solution to adjust pH to not less than 8.0 and not more than 9.0; and others.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2011Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: Sumitomo Mental Mining Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Kobayashi, Tatsuya Higaki, Hirofumi Shoji, Norihisa Toki, Keiji Kudo, Hiroyuki Mitsui, Osamu Nakai
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Publication number: 20170240994Abstract: A nickel recovery process capable of decreasing nickel remaining in a byproduct by recovering nickel from the byproduct of electrolytic nickel manufacturing process by chlorine-leaching, and also, capable of simplifying a cementation step simultaneously, is provided. In a nickel recovery step S60, a nickel recovery step S70 and a nickel recovery step S80, nickel is recovered in each step from S0 slurry, residue flaker and chlorine-leached residue, which are byproducts of electrolytic nickel manufacturing process by chlorine-leaching, by using an aqueous solution containing 80 g/L to 390 g/L of chlorine and 30 g/L to 70 g/L of copper.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2015Publication date: August 24, 2017Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi SHOJI, Jiro HAYATA, Keiji KUDOU, Tatsuya HIGAKI
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Patent number: 9657370Abstract: A removal method of manganese in which manganese is removed by precipitating manganese selectively from sulfuric acid waste water containing aluminum, magnesium and manganese with inhibiting the precipitation of magnesium. The removal method of manganese from waste water in which manganese is removed by precipitating manganese selectively from the sulfuric acid waste water containing aluminum, magnesium and manganese with inhibiting the precipitation of magnesium, characterized in that said waste water is subjected to the following steps (1) and (2). (1) First, aluminum in said waste water is removed. (2) Subsequently, neutralizing agent is added into the wastewater after removing aluminum, then pH of the waste water is adjusted at 8.0 to 9.0, and oxygen gas is blown.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2010Date of Patent: May 23, 2017Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroshi Kobayashi, Norihisa Toki, Hirofumi Shoji, Keiji Kudo, Tatsuya Higaki
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Patent number: 9410226Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an ore slurry that can suppress a rise in the viscosity of the ore slurry and consequently prevent a failure in transporting the slurry, and also to provide a metal refining method utilizing such a slurry producing method. The present invention includes: a pulverizing/classifying step of pulverizing raw material ores and classifying the resulting ores at a predetermined classifying point so that oversized ore particles are removed so as to obtain a coarse ore slurry composed of undersized ore particles; a grain size measuring step of measuring the grain size of the resulting coarse ore slurry; and an ore slurry condensing step of loading the coarse ore slurry to a solid-liquid separation device and separating and removing moisture contained in the coarse ore slurry therefrom so as to condense ore components.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2012Date of Patent: August 9, 2016Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroyuki Mitsui, Keisuke Shibayama, Hirofumi Shoji, Tatsuya Higaki, Yoji Kyoda, Osamu Nakai
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Patent number: 9234524Abstract: An impeller structure for a centrifugal fan apparatus includes a circular back plate, a ring-shaped shroud, and a tubular hub. The ring-shaped shroud and the tubular hub are respectively located a predetermined distance above and at the center of said circular back plate. The impeller structure further includes a plurality of blades which are annularly disposed around the tubular hub between the circular back plate and the ring-shaped shroud. Each of the plurality of blades includes a chord with a logarithmic spiral shape, and a mean camber line with an angle of return against the chord.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2011Date of Patent: January 12, 2016Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.Inventor: Hirofumi Shoji
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Publication number: 20150315671Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a settling separation process for a neutralized slurry in which a neutralization step is efficiently performed for a leachate obtained by the leaching of nickel and cobalt from a nickel oxide ore, and further a neutralized precipitate obtained by precipitation of impurity components can effectively be separated and removed while inhibiting the filtration failure; and to provide a hydrometallurgical process for a nickel oxide ore, in which the above process is applied. In the present invention, a neutralization step is performed by using a magnesium oxide for a leachate obtained by the leaching of nickel and cobalt from a nickel oxide ore to obtain a neutralized slurry, and a neutralized precipitate is separated and removed by the addition of a cationic flocculant into the neutralized slurry.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 29, 2013Publication date: November 5, 2015Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi SHOJI, Tatsuya HIGAKI, Yoshitomo OZAKI, Manabu ENOMOTO
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Publication number: 20140151472Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an ore slurry that can suppress a rise in the viscosity of the ore slurry and consequently prevent a failure in transporting the slurry, and also to provide a metal refining method utilizing such a slurry producing method. The present invention includes: a pulverizing/classifying step of pulverizing raw material ores and classifying the resulting ores at a predetermined classifying point so that oversized ore particles are removed so as to obtain a coarse ore slurry composed of undersized ore particles; a grain size measuring step of measuring the grain size of the resulting coarse ore slurry; and an ore slurry condensing step of loading the coarse ore slurry to a solid-liquid separation device and separating and removing moisture contained in the coarse ore slurry therefrom so as to condense ore components.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2012Publication date: June 5, 2014Applicant: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTDInventors: Hiroyuki Mitsui, Keisuke Shibayama, Hirofumi Shoji, Tatsuya Higaki, Yoji Kyoda, Osamu Nakai
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Patent number: 8580213Abstract: A method for recovering nickel from sulfuric acid aqueous solution, for recovering nickel in an effectively utilizable form as a raw material of nickel industry material, by separating efficiently impurity elements of iron, aluminum, manganese, etc., from the sulfuric acid aqueous solution containing nickel and cobalt, and the impurity elements, iron, aluminum, manganese, etc.Type: GrantFiled: February 2, 2010Date of Patent: November 12, 2013Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hirofumi Shoji, Norihisa Toki, Keiji Kudo, Tatsuya Higaki
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Publication number: 20130149157Abstract: An impeller structure for a centrifugal fan apparatus includes a circular back plate, a ring-shaped shroud, and a tubular hub. The ring-shaped shroud and the tubular hub are respectively located a predetermined distance above and at the center of said circular back plate. The impeller structure further includes a plurality of blades which are annularly disposed around the tubular hub between the circular back plate and the ring-shaped shroud. Each of the plurality of blades includes a chord with a logarithmic spiral shape, and a mean camber line with an angle of return against the chord.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2011Publication date: June 13, 2013Applicant: Minebea Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hirofumi Shoji
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Publication number: 20130001173Abstract: The wastewater treatment method is to obtain demanganized wastewater, through a step wherein an acid or an alkali is added to sulfuric acid acidified wastewater to adjust pH to not less than 4.0 and not more than 6.0, whereby the sulfuric acid acidified wastewater is separated into a dealuminized solution and an aluminum precipitate; a step wherein a slurrying solution is added to the aluminum precipitate to form a slurry, then an alkali is added to adjust pH to not less than 9.0 and not more than 9.5, whereby an pH-adjusted aluminum precipitate slurry is formed; a step wherein an alkali is added to the dealuminized solution to adjust pH to not less than 8.0 and not more than 9.0; and others.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2011Publication date: January 3, 2013Applicant: Sumitomo Mental Mining Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Kobayashi, Tatsuya Higaki, Hirofumi Shoji, Norihisa Toki, Keiji Kudo, Hiroyuki Mitsui, Osamu Nakai
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Patent number: 8313282Abstract: Disclosed is a compact and integrated fan, pump, and heat exchanger system where air-cooling is performed via the fan, liquid cooling is performed via a pump, and heat exchange fins in thermal contact with a fluid channel act as a heat exchanger. Heated fluid is carried inside the fluid channel, where heat therein is conducted to the fins. The air flows around the outside surfaces of the fins so that the heat transfers from the heated fluid into the air stream.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2009Date of Patent: November 20, 2012Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yousef Jarrah, Gregory M Chrysler, Patrick Harper, Shen Zhao, Glen Meadows, Christopher Best, Hirofumi Shoji, Thang Ngugen
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Publication number: 20120034083Abstract: An axial-flow fan structure is disclosed, having a localized area expansion between the rotor (i.e. front rotating impeller) and stator blades (i.e. rear stationary or fixed blades, sometimes called de-swirl vanes). The area expansion is provided by utilizing an impeller having a (slightly) falling tip contour (FTC).Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2011Publication date: February 9, 2012Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD. (MINEBEA)Inventors: Hirofumi Shoji, Yousef Jarrah, Kevin Wackerly
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Patent number: 8003066Abstract: A method for scrubbing an amine extractant (A) containing an amine added with hydrochloric acid, and an amine binding a metal chloro complex ion, in a scrubbing stage constituting a solvent extraction step, characterized by substituting a chloride ion of the amine, which is added with hydrochloric acid, with sulfuric acid ion, by bringing the amine extractant (A) into contact with a sulfuric acid solution with a concentration of 3 to 10 N, and subsequently, by eliminating a metal by bringing the substituted amine extractant (B) into contact with water.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2008Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Minning Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Kobayashi, Hirofumi Shoji