Alternating Anion And Cation Selective Membranes Patents (Class 204/523)
  • Patent number: 6241866
    Abstract: Electrodeionization apparatus for purifying water that includes a cathode, an anode, and a plurality of alternating anion permeable membranes and cation permeable membranes between the cathode and anode that define concentrating and diluting flow channels between adjacent pairs of membranes. The diluting channels include cation exchange materials and anion exchange materials that are fixed in close contacting position with respect to each other and provide conductive paths for cations and anions to the adjacent membranes and provide flow passages for water between the materials. The anion exchange materials and cation exchange materials each have a characteristic dimension that is smaller than the characteristic dimensions of the flow passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Inventor: Leon Mir
  • Patent number: 6221225
    Abstract: An apparatus and process produces salts by an electrodialysis operation. The basic electrodialysis apparatus is a cell having a number of compartments separated by ion exchange membranes. A DC source is connected to drive a current through a feed stream passing through the cell which splits the salt stream into an acid and a base. The incoming feed may be nanofiltered to remove divalent metal. The base loop may be in communication with an ion exchange column packed with a material that removes multivalent cations. Monovalent selctive cation membranes may be used to effect preferential treatment of the monovalent cations to the base loop. Depending upon the material being processed and the desired end result either or both the nanofiltration and the ion exchanged column may be used in the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Archer Daniels Midland Company
    Inventor: K. N. Mani
  • Patent number: 5876579
    Abstract: A process for reducing the content of organic and inorganic halogen in an aqueous solution of a nitrogen-containing epihalohydrin-based resin, in which process the aqueous resin solution is subjected to an electrodialysis treatment. The aqueous resin solutions obtained by the process are used as additives in the production of paper, board and paper board, in particular as wet-strength agents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Eka Chemicals AB
    Inventor: Marek Gorzynski
  • Patent number: 5851372
    Abstract: A process of demineralizing a liquid containing organic matter and inorganic salts in solution, in which the treatment of the liquid comprises the following steps:the liquid is percolated over a strong cationic ion exchange resin for monovalent ions;both a batch of liquid from the preceding step and a brine for receiving ions from that liquid are caused to circulate in loops through at least one "two-compartment" electrodialyzer comprising a plurality of anionic membranes interposed between a plurality of cationic membranes; andthe brine whose salt concentration lies in the range 90 grams per liter (g/l) to 110 g/l is used to regenerate the ion exchange resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1998
    Assignee: Societe Anonyme Francaise D'Ingenierie et de Recherche
    Inventor: Roland Noel
  • Patent number: 5833832
    Abstract: A process is described for preparing onium hydroxides from the respective onium salts and for purifying onium hydroxides in an electrochemical cell. In one example, the present invention relates to a process for preparing onium hydroxides from the corresponding onium salts which comprises the steps of: (A) providing a cell comprising an anode, a cathode and one or more unit cells assembled for operational positioning between the anode and the cathode, each unit cell comprising: (A-1) four compartments defined by, in sequence beginning at the anode, a bipolar membrane, a first divider and a second divider, said bipolar membrane having an anion selective side facing the anode and a cation selective side facing the cathode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Sachem, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Shay, Hossein Sharifian
  • Patent number: 5772013
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing di- and more highly oxidized carboxylic acids from a compound selected from a first group consisting of carbohydrates, carbohydrate derivatives and carbohydrate derivatives having more than one primary alcohol group, comprising oxidizing, in an aqueous solution in a concentration between 0.1% and 60%, the compound selected from said first group and a compound selected from a second group consisting of monooxidized carbohydrates, monooxidized carbohydrate derivatives and monooxidized carbohydrate derivatives having more than one primary alcohol group, with one of oxygen and an oxygen-containing gas, on one of a noble metal catalyst and a mixed metal catalyst; electrodialyzing the oxidized compounds in at least one electrodialysis stage; and removing said di- and more highly oxidized carboxylic acids in said at least one electrodialysis stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Sudzucker Akiengesellschaft Mannheim/Ochsenfurt
    Inventors: Markwart Kunz, Andreas Schwarz, Jorg Kowalczyk
  • Patent number: 5753097
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention relates to a process for purifying solutions containing a hydroxide compound, including the steps of: (A) providing an electrochemical cell containing an anode, a cathode, a cation selective membrane and a bipolar membrane, the bipolar membrane having an anion selective side facing the anode and a cation selective side facing the cathode, wherein the cation selective membrane is positioned between the anode and the bipolar membrane, and the bipolar membrane is positioned between the cation selective membrane and the cathode, thereby defining a feed compartment between the cation selective membrane and the anode, a recovery compartment between the bipolar membrane and the cation selective membrane, and a water compartment between the bipolar membrane and the cathode; (B) charging a solution of an ionic compound at a first concentration to the water compartment, and water to the recovery compartment; (C) charging a solution containing the hydroxide compound at a second concentra
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1998
    Assignee: Sachem, Inc.
    Inventors: Hossein Sharifian, John E. Mooney
  • Patent number: 5709790
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention relates to a process for purifying solutions containing a hydroxide compound, including the steps of: (A) providing an electrochemical cell containing an anode, a cathode, a cation selective membrane and an anion selective membrane, wherein the cation selective membrane is positioned between the cathode and the anion selective membrane, and the anion selective membrane is positioned between the cation selective membrane and the anode, thereby defining a feed compartment between the cation selective membrane and the anion selective membrane, a recovery compartment between the cathode and the cation selective membrane, and a water compartment between the anion selective membrane and the anode; (B) charging a solution of an ionic compound at a first concentration to the water compartment, and water to the recovery compartment; (C) charging a solution of the hydroxide compound at a second concentration to the feed compartment; (D) passing a current through the cell to produce the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Sachem, Inc.
    Inventors: Hossein Sharifian, John E. Mooney
  • Patent number: 5705046
    Abstract: A process for treating effluent from a flue-gas desulfurization system wherein the resulting gypsum is removed, comprises filtering the gypsum and fly ash free effluent by a filter, transferring the filtrate to an electrodialyzer wherein cation-exchange membranes and univalent anion-exchange membranes are alternately set up, concentrating chlorine ions in the solution therein by dialysis, further concentrating the solution by evaporation in an evaporator, kneading the concentrated solution with cement or a mixture of cement and coal ash to a solid matter with no harm, and thereafter abandoning for landfill; and an apparatus for treating effluent from a flue-gas desulfurization system, comprising a filter for filtering the effluent to a turbidity low enough for treatment by an electrodialyzer wherein the effluent is to be separated into concentrated and dilute solutions, the electrodialyzer equipped with an alternate arrangement of cation- and anion-exchange membranes, with concentration and dilution compartme
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignees: Chubu Electric Power Company, Incorporated, Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatunori Miwata, Tsumoru Nakamura, Shinichiro Kotake, Yoshiharu Aoki
  • Patent number: 5643430
    Abstract: A process for reducing the content of organic and inorganic halogen in an aqueous solution of a nitrogen-containing epihalohydrin-based resin, in which process the aqueous resin solution is subjected to an electrodialysis treatment. The aqueous resin solutions obtained by the process are used as additives in the production of paper, board and paper board, in particular as wet-strength agents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1997
    Assignee: Eka Nobel AB
    Inventor: Marek Gorzynski
  • Patent number: 5578181
    Abstract: In order to reduce releasing of neutral salts comprising monovalent ions contained in industrial waste effluent to the environment, the waste effluent to be treated is supplied into a prepositive electrodialysis cell comprising ion exchange membranes which transfer monovalent ions selectively for concentrating the salts, concentrated stream is supplied into an electrolytic dialysis cell for separating and recovering acids and bases, subsequently diluted stream is circulated as supplying stream to the prepositive electrodialysis cell, the diluted stream in said prepositive electrodialysis cell is subsequently supplied to and desalted by one or plural electrodialysis cells combined in series, the diluted stream after the desalination is released to the environment, and the concentrated stream is merged to the supplying stream to the prepositive electrodialysis cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Japan Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Hirose, Yoshinori Ishii
  • Patent number: 5575901
    Abstract: A process is described for preparing organic and inorganic hydroxides or alkoxides, or ammonia or organic amines from the corresponding salts in an electrolysis cell which comprises an anolyte compartment containing an anode and an electrolyte solution, a catholyte compartment containing a cathode, and an intermediate compartment containing a liquid wherein said intermediate compartment is separated from the catholyte compartment by an anion selective membrane and from the anolyte compartment by a cation selective membrane, said process comprising the steps of:(A) charging to the catholyte compartment, a mixture comprising an organic or inorganic salt or an amine salt, and a liquid selected from water or organic liquids provided that sufficient water is present in the catholyte mixture to form the desired hydroxide or amine, or sufficient alcohol is present in the catholyte mixture to form the desired alkoxide;(B) passing a current through the electrolysis cell to produce the desired hydroxide, alkoxide or am
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: Sachem, Inc.
    Inventors: David R. Hulme, Hossein Sharifian
  • Patent number: 5567293
    Abstract: A process for the recovery of alkali metal hydroxide and acid from the alkali metal salts of monovalent anions which are mixed with the alkali metal salts of multivalent anions employs a water-splitting system composed of bipolar membranes in conjunction with ion-selective membranes; a two-compartment cell employs monovalent anion-selective membranes to define salt/base and acid compartments with the bipolar membranes, and a three-compartment cell employs, monovalent anion-selective and cation-selective membranes to define with the bipolar membranes, acid, salt and base compartments; the process has particular applicability to the conversion of the sodium/potassium chloride portion of the Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) Catch of the recovery boiler of coastal and/or closed-cycle kraft pulp mills, a mixture of mostly sodium/potassium sulphate and chloride, into sodium/potassium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid; the remaining sodium/potassium sulphate solution, depleted in chloride, can thus be used as sodium/s
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
    Inventors: Michael Paleologou, Richard M. Berry, Rokhsareh Thompson, James T. Wearing
  • Patent number: 5536385
    Abstract: The present invention, in certain embodiments, teaches a process for treating ammonia or ammonium-sulfate-containing waste effluent from an acrylonitrile, caprolactam or acetonitrile manufacturing facility. In one such process the effluent is fed to a deep well oxidizer, e.g. a water oxidizer vertical tube reactor (super critical or subcritical), to degrade organic contaminants. Certain embodiments of the deep well oxidizer have, according to this invention, an oxygen inlet tube movable by a coil tubing system. The output stream from the vertical tube reactor is, preferably, filtered, and then it is fed to an electrodialysis unit. In one aspect the electrodialysis unit produces an output stream at a pH of about 5 with a concentration of ammonium sulfate at least, preferably, of about 15% by weight, and most preferably between about 20% and about 26% by weight. This output stream may be neutralized and then further treated to remove ammonia and/or ammonium sulfate solids, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Envirocorp Services & Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph P. Sheldon, Walter H. Stanton, Edward Malachosky, Fred Applegath
  • Patent number: 5536384
    Abstract: A process using an electrodialysis system employing cation-selective membranes and anion-selective membranes, particularly monovalent anion-selective membranes is used to separate kraft pulping liquors into two streams; one that is rich in sulphides (to be used in the initial stage of pulping), and another that is poor in sulphides (to be used in the final stage of pulping). By separating pulping liquors in this way, the sulphur balance in the kraft process can be maintained while obtaining the benefits of modified pulping. The same electrodialytic system can be used to separate green and polysulphide liquors into sulphide-rich and sulphide-poor components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1996
    Assignee: Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada
    Inventors: Rokhsareh Thompson, Michael Paleologou, Richard M. Berry