Ion Exchanging Or Liquid-liquid Extracting Patents (Class 423/21.5)
  • Patent number: 11958754
    Abstract: A method for extracting a rare earth metal from a mixture of one or more rare earth metals, said method comprising contacting an acidic solution of the rare earth metal with a composition which comprises an ionic liquid to form an aqueous phase and a non-aqueous phase into which the rare earth metal has been selectively extracted, wherein the ionic liquid has the formula [Ca++][X?], where [X?] represents a phosphinate anion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Seren Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Peter Nockemann, Donnacha Brolly, Ena Bradley, Eadaoin Mccourt
  • Patent number: 11959894
    Abstract: LC techniques are disclosed. The LC technique includes providing a liquid chromatography system having a coated metallic fluid-contacting element, and transporting a fluid to contact the coated metallic fluid contacting element. Conditions for the transporting of the fluid are selected from the group consisting of the temperature of the fluid being greater than 150 degree Celsius, pressure urging the fluid being greater than 60 MPa, the fluid having a protein-containing analyte incompatible with one of titanium and polyether ether ketone, the fluid having a chelating agent incompatible with the one or both of the titanium or the polyether ether ketone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Silcotek Corp
    Inventors: Jesse Bischof, Lucas D. Patterson, Gary Barone, Min Yuan, David A. Smith
  • Patent number: 11875983
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to systems and methods for quantifying an analyte extracted from a sample. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods that involve introducing a solvent into a capillary, introducing the capillary into a vessel including a sample such that a portion of the sample is introduced into the capillary, moving the sample and the solvent within the capillary to induce circulation within the sample and the solvent, thereby causing the analyte to be extracted from the sample and into the solvent, analyzing the analyte that has been extracted from the sample, and quantifying the analyte. In certain embodiments, the quantifying step is performed without knowledge of a volume of the sample and/or solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Zheng Ouyang, Yue Ren, Ziqing Lin
  • Patent number: 11873541
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for determining a source sink term of an ionic type rare earth ore leaching process. The method includes the following four steps: (1) determining an ion exchange selection coefficient of a rare earth ore sample; (2) determining the rare earth grade of the rare earth ore sample; (3) building a source sink term model of the ore leaching process; and (4) determining parameters in the source sink term model. The present disclosure can simulate the ionic type rare earth ore leaching process by combining a convection-dispersion equation, and determine the optimal concentration of the ore leaching agent. When an ammonium sulfate solution at an optimal concentration of 12.0 g/L is used to perform a column leaching test, the obtained rare earth leaching rate is up to 96.3 percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: JIANGXI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Guanshi Wang, Ping Long, Shili Hu, Chenliang Peng, Lei Qin
  • Patent number: 11807544
    Abstract: Provided are a selective recovery method of vanadium and cesium from a waste sulfuric acid vanadium catalyst by a hydrometallurgical method including water leaching, solid-liquid separation, vanadium solvent extraction, vanadium selective stripping, and cesium alum production, and a high-quality vanadium aqueous solution and cesium alum produced thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF GEOSCIENCE AND MINERAL RESOURCES
    Inventors: Ho Seok Jeon, Shun Myung Shin, Dong Ju Shin, Dong Seok Lee, Sung Ho Joo
  • Patent number: 11772997
    Abstract: A temperature-regenerated hydrophobic liquid composition includes an extracting molecule of a non-alkaline cationic species, a solvating molecule of a complimentary anionic species and a fluidizing agent. The extracting molecule of a non-alkaline cationic species is a macrocycle of which the ring is formed from 24-32 carbon atoms and has the following formula (I) or (II): wherein -n is an integer ranging from 5 to 8, -p is 1 or 2, -m is 3 or 4, -q and t, which may be identical or different, are 0, 1 or 2, —R is a tert-butyl, tert-octyl, O-methyl, O-ethyl, O-propyl, O-isopropyl, O-butyl, O-isobutyl, O-pentyl, O-hexyl, O-heptyl, O-octyl, or OCH2Phenyl group or a hydrogen atom, and—R? and R?, which may be identical or different, are chosen from methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, heptyl and octyl groups or R? and R? together form a pyrrolidine, piperidine or morpholine ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: ADIONICS
    Inventors: Guillaume De Souza, Jacky Pouessel, Bastien Dautriche
  • Patent number: 11293077
    Abstract: The present invention relates to rare earth metallurgy, in particular a method for recovering scandium from the red mud byproduct of alumina production. The method includes repulping red mud, sorption leaching scandium therefrom with the use of an ion-exchange sorbing agent to obtain a rich-in-scandium ion exchanger and depleted-in-scandium pulp, desorbing scandium with a solution of sodium hydrocarbonate to obtain a desorbed ion exchanger which is returned to the sorption leaching stage and a solution of industrial reclaim scandium which is transferred to obtain a deposited concentrated scandium, wherein scandium is continuously sorption-leached from red mud pulp in the phosphorous-containing ion exchanger in a countercurrent mode upon direct contact of the pulp with the ion exchanger, scandium is desorbed from the organic phase of the ion exchanger by a solution with a concentration of Na2CO3 of 200-450 g/dm3 to obtain industrial reclaim scandium, from which a scandium concentrate is recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: United Company RUSAL Eng. and Tech. Centre LLC
    Inventors: Aleksandr Borisovich Kozyrev, Ol'ga Viktorovna Petrakova, Aleksandr Gennadievich Suss, Sergej Nikolaevich Gorbachev, Andrej Vladimirovich Panov
  • Patent number: 11279988
    Abstract: Methods of recovering rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium from coal are described. The coal is dissolved in a first solvent to dissolve organic material in the coal and create a slurry containing coal ash enriched with rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium. The enriched coal ash is separated from the first solvent. Residual organic material is removed from the coal ash. The rare earth elements, vanadium, cobalt, or lithium can then be recovered from the coal ash. The coal ash is mixed with an acid stream that dissolves the rare earth elements, thereby creating (i) a leachate containing the rare earth elements and (ii) leached ash. The leachate is heated to obtain acid vapor and an acid-soluble rare earth concentrate. The acid-soluble rare earth concentrate can be fed to a hydrometallurgical process to separate and purify the rare earth elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Rick Peterson, Michael Heinrichs, Vinay V. Gadkari, Rachid Taha, Slawomir Winecki, Darwin Argumedo
  • Patent number: 11186895
    Abstract: A continuous solvent extract process is provided for concentrating rare earth elements from leachates generated from coal sources. The process involves solvent extraction which utilizes an organic extractant mixed into an organic solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
    Inventors: Joshua Michael Werner, Alind Chandra, Rick Q. Honaker
  • Patent number: 11183312
    Abstract: A method for treating a fluid waste, comprising adding one or more process additives to the fluid waste in an amount sufficient to change the wasteform chemistry is disclosed. The addition step may be chosen from adding a dispersant or a deflocculant an additive to decrease the reactive metal components, to bind fission products and decrease volatilization of toxic or radioactive elements or species during thermal treatment, or to target and react with the fine particle size component of the waste to decrease dusting and immobilize components in a durable phase. After mixing the fluid waste with the described additives the waste is eventually hot-isostatic pressing, to form a durable and stable waste form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: GEOROC INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Martin William Alexander Stewart, Paul Heath, Salvatore Moricca
  • Patent number: 11090579
    Abstract: A method is provided for separating and/or purifying different metal oxalates by mixing the different metal oxalates in an aqueous solution comprising oxalic acid and an organic base so that at least one metal oxalate is soluble and at least another metal oxalate is not soluble. Different rare earth metal oxalates and/or transition metal oxalates can be separated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Denis Prodius, Cajetan Ikenna Nlebedim, Anja-Verena Mudring
  • Patent number: 11091819
    Abstract: Methods for the extraction of metals such as rare earth metals and thorium from metal compounds and solutions. The methods may include the selective precipitation of rare earth elements from pregnant liquor solutions as rare earth oxalates. The rare earth oxalates are converted to rare earth carbonates in a metathesis reaction before being digested in an acid and treated for the extraction of thorium. A two-step extraction method may be applied to precipitate thorium as thorium hydroxide under controlled pH conditions such that pure thorium precipitate is recovered from a first step and a thorium-free rare earth solution is recovered at the subsequent step. The resulting rare earth solutions are of extremely high purity and may be processed directly in a solvent extraction circuit for the separation of rare earth elements, or may be processed for the direct production of a 99.9% bulk rare earth hydroxide/oxide concentrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Rare Element Resources Ltd.
    Inventor: Henry Kasaini
  • Patent number: 10777402
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to systems and methods for quantifying an analyte extracted from a sample. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods that involve introducing a solvent into a capillary, introducing the capillary into a vessel including a sample such that a portion of the sample is introduced into the capillary, moving the sample and the solvent within the capillary to induce circulation within the sample and the solvent, thereby causing the analyte to be extracted from the sample and into the solvent, analyzing the analyte that has been extracted from the sample, and quantifying the analyte. In certain embodiments, the quantifying step is performed without knowledge of a volume of the sample and/or solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Zheng Ouyang, Yue Ren, Ziqing Lin
  • Patent number: 10712262
    Abstract: A method and device relate to rare earth solution image capturing, and further relate to the field of rare earth hydrometallurgical process detection technologies. According to an embodiment, a rare earth solution image capture device includes a mixer-settler, a support platform, a camera obscura, a solution collection vessel, a color camera, a light source, a computer, a programmable logic controller, a motor driver, a peristaltic pump, and a conduit pipe. According to another embodiment, the rare earth solution image capture device performs automatic sampling by using the programmable logic controller and may perform detection at any time. An image captured by the color camera may be transmitted to the computer in real time without manual intervention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: EAST CHINA JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Rongxiu Lu, Yunchun Rao, Hui Yang, Jianyong Zhu, Gang Yang
  • Patent number: 10697043
    Abstract: In separating scandium and thorium from a leachate obtained by adding sulfuric acid to a nickel oxide ore containing scandium and thorium, scandium is recovered from only one system. The method according to the invention comprises: an extraction step S1 for treating a nickel oxide ore containing scandium and thorium with sulfuric acid to give an acidic solution (a feed solution for extraction), and then solvent-extracting the feed solution with the use of a scandium extractant containing an amide derivative to thereby divide the feed solution into an organic extract (a first organic phase) containing scandium and thorium and a liquid extract (a first aqueous phase) containing impurities; and a washing step S2 for adding sulfuric acid to the organic extract (the first organic phase) and thus dividing the same into washed organic matters (a second organic phase) containing thorium and a washed liquid (a second aqueous phase) containing scandium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Senba, Itsumi Matsuoka, Hiroshi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10597751
    Abstract: Presented herein is a ligand-assisted elution chromatography process for the separation of metal ions using a sorbent. In particular, the present invention discloses a process of two sets of column system in combination with two sets of eluting ligand solutions to prepare substantially pure rare earth elements, wherein the first set of column comprises strong acid cation exchange resins and the second set of chromatographic columns comprises hydrous polyvalent metal oxide selected from the group consisting of TiO2, ZrO2, or SnO2 and wherein ligand of said second ligand solution coordinates with said hydrous polyvalent metal oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Nien-Hwa Linda Wang, Lei Ling
  • Patent number: 10450629
    Abstract: The invention relates to the use, as an extraction agent for extracting at least one rare earth from an aqueous phase including phosphoric acid, of at least one compound of the following general formula (I): where n is an integer equal to 0, 1 or 2, R1 and R2 are H or an aliphatic hydrocarbon group, one of R3 and R4 has the following formula (II): where R5 and R6 are a hydrocarbon, hydroxyl or alkoxyl group, and the other one of R3 and R4 has one of the following formulas (II?) and (III): where R5? and R6? are a hydrocarbon, hydroxyl or alkoxyl group, and R7 and R8 are H or an aliphatic hydrocarbon group. The invention also relates to a method for recovering at least one rare earth using said compound, as well as to specific compounds as such.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignees: COMMISSARIAT A L+ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES, CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, UNIVERSITE DE MONTPELLIER
    Inventors: Fanny Mary, Guilhem Arrachart, Stephane Pellet-Rostaing, Antoine Leydier, Veronique Dubois
  • Patent number: 10269550
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to systems and methods for quantifying an analyte extracted from a sample. In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods that involve introducing a solvent into a capillary, introducing the capillary into a vessel including a sample such that a portion of the sample is introduced into the capillary, moving the sample and the solvent within the capillary to induce circulation within the sample and the solvent, thereby causing the analyte to be extracted from the sample and into the solvent, analyzing the analyte that has been extracted from the sample, and quantifying the analyte. In certain embodiments, the quantifying step is performed without knowledge of a volume of the sample and/or solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: Zheng Ouyang, Yue Ren, Ziqing Lin
  • Patent number: 10227676
    Abstract: A process of solvent extraction for separation of rare earth elements (REEs) based on separation factor is provided. The method includes repeatedly contacting the REEs containing aqueous solution with a suitable solvent containing a diluent and/or a modifier and an REE as a partial reflux.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Indian Rare Earths Limited
    Inventors: Chandru Kumar Asnani, Padmanabhan Narayanan, Surya Kumar Siddhani, Deependra Singh
  • Patent number: 10029920
    Abstract: Various embodiments relate to separation of terbium(III,IV) oxide. In various embodiments, present invention provides a method of separating terbium(III,IV) oxide from a composition. The method can include contacting a composition including terbium(III,IV) oxide and one or more other trivalent rare earth oxides with a liquid including acetic acid to form a mixture. The contacting can be effective to dissolve at least some of the one or more other trivalent rare earth oxides into the liquid. The method can include separating undissolved terbium(III,IV) oxide from the mixture, to provide separated terbium(III,IV) oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Anja-Verena Mudring, Denis Prodius
  • Patent number: 9797028
    Abstract: A method of purifying yttrium involves purifying element yttrium by high-temperature saturated dissolution, low-temperature recrystallization, high-temperature reduction and vaporization-based removal of impurities, in a simple manner, and at a low cost, such that yttrium element is unlikely to be contaminated by any raw material used in a manufacturing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHUNG SHAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Ming-Chin Cheng, Tung-Chun Wu, Ching-Yu Tso, Hsiou-Jeng Shy, Shien-Jen Yang
  • Patent number: 9752212
    Abstract: A method for extracting and separating a rare-earth element by extracting and separating the rare-earth element from an aqueous solution of rare-earth nitrate into n-heptane, with 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester trialkyl methyl ammonium or di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid trialkyl methyl ammonium as an extractant, and n-heptane as a diluent by contacting the aqueous solution of rare-earth nitrate with the extractant and the diluent to extract and separate the rare earth element into n-heptane from the aqueous solution of rare earth nitrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science
    Inventors: Ji Chen, Lin Guo, Lu Shen, Yuefeng Deng, Jingbo Lan
  • Patent number: 9725786
    Abstract: In the present invention, nickel is selectively extracted from an acidic solution that contains a high concentration of manganese. This valuable metal extraction agent is represented by the general formula. In the formula, R1 and R2 are alkyl groups that may be the same or different, R3 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, and R4 is a hydrogen atom or any group, other than an amino group, bonded to an ? carbon atom of an amino acid. The general formula preferably has a glycine unit, a histidine unit, a lysine unit, an aspartic acid unit or a n-methylglycine unit. When extracting nickel by using this extraction agent, it is preferable to adjust the pH of the acidic solution to 2.3 to 5.5 inclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignees: Kyushu University, National University Corporation, SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Goto, Fukiko Kubota, Yuzo Baba
  • Patent number: 9481638
    Abstract: Provided is a method for selectively extracting and inexpensively recovering scandium from an acidic solution containing calcium, magnesium, and scandium. The scandium extraction method according to the present invention involves subjecting an acidic solution containing calcium, magnesium, and scandium to solvent extraction using an extraction agent consisting of an amide derivative represented by the general formula below. In the formula, R1 and R2 represent the same or different alkyl groups, and R3 is a hydrogen atom or alkyl group. The amide derivative preferably consisting of one or more derivatives selected from glycine amide derivatives, histidine amide derivatives, lysine amide derivatives, and aspartic acid amide derivatives. The pH of the acidic solution is preferably pre-adjusted to between 1 and 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignees: Kyushu University, National University Corporation, SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Goto, Fukiko Kubota, Yuzo Baba
  • Patent number: 9404169
    Abstract: To efficiently and selectively recover scandium from an acid solution containing calcium, magnesium and scandium. In the present invention, an acid solution containing calcium, magnesium and scandium is brought into contact with a scandium recovering resin impregnated with an amide derivative represented by the following general formula for an hour or more. In the formula, R1 and R2 each represent the same or different alkyl groups. The alkyl group can be a straight chain or a branched chain. R3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group. R4 represents a hydrogen atom or any group other than an amino group, which is bound to the ? carbon as an amino acid. The amide derivative is preferably any one or more of glycinamide derivatives, histidinamide derivatives, lysinamide derivatives and aspartic acid amide derivatives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignees: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD., Kyushu University, National University Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Takano, Yoshitomo Ozaki, Satoshi Asano, Masahiro Goto, Fukiko Kubota, Yuzo Baba
  • Patent number: 9259719
    Abstract: A method of increasing an amount of zeolite contained in a zeolite-containing material, where the method includes the steps of: providing a sample of a zeolite-containing material having at least one rare earth element therein; increasing the amount of zeolite in the sample of the zeolite-containing material by reacting the sample of the zeolite-containing material with an extracting agent that extracts at least a portion of the at least one rare earth element from the sample of the zeolite-containing material; separating the reacted sample, from which has been extracted at least some of the at least one rare earth element previously associated therewith, from the extracting agent; and obtaining the reacted sample in which the amount of zeolite in the reacted sample has been increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Inventor: Albert A. Vierheilig
  • Patent number: 9187805
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for separating and refining scandium capable of efficiently separating and refining the scandium from a solution containing the scandium, with improved stripping, while securing separability (selectivity) of the scandium from impurity elements. The method of the present invention involves mixing a solution containing the scandium with an organic solvent containing a trioctylphosphine oxide to extract the scandium into the organic solvent; and mixing the organic solvent with a stripping starting solution containing any one or more of water, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and oxalic acid to strip the scandium from the organic solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Satoshi Asano
  • Patent number: 9102999
    Abstract: A method for selectively removing scandium from a scandium-containing feed solution includes contacting the scandium-containing feed solution with a solvent stream in plural stages using cross current extraction, in which the solvent is loaded with at least a portion of the scandium from the feed solution, and/or ion exchange, and separating the loaded solvent from remaining scandium-containing feed solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher Jeffrey Hartley, Wayne Werneke Hazen, David Ross Baughman, Christel Maria Angelina Bemelmans, Pavel Federovich Belits, Timothy James Lanyk, Brook Forest Porter, Lunzhi Liao, Justin McAllister, Michael Shang-Yu Yang
  • Patent number: 9068249
    Abstract: Provided is a method of recovering rare-earth elements, including causing rare-earth elements particularly including Nd and Dy to leach efficiently from a raw material for leaching which contains the rare-earth elements, and separating and recovering the rare-earth elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Sugita, Yuji Ota, Yoshihiro Taguchi, Satoshi Takeda
  • Publication number: 20150139871
    Abstract: The coal ash can be sorted into groups of substantially unburned carbon and substantially burned carbon. The substantially unburned carbon or the substantially burned carbon can be magnetically treated to cause separation into a substantially magnetic portion and a substantially non-magnetic portion. The substantially magnetic portion or the substantially non-magnetic portion can be filtered into a substantially course portion and a substantially fine portion. The substantially coarse portion or the substantially fine portion can be treated with a mineral acid to form an aqueous mineral acid solution. The aqueous mineral acid solution can be extracted to form an organic solution that includes the rare earth salts. The organic solution can be mixed with water to form an aqueous solution that includes the rare earth salts. The rare earth salts can be separated from the aqueous solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Prakash B. Joshi, Dorin V. Preda, David A. Skyler, Anait Scherer, B. David Green, William J. Marinelli
  • Publication number: 20150104361
    Abstract: There are provided processes for recovering at least one rare earth element. Such processes comprise obtaining an acidic composition comprising (i) at least one rare earth element and optionally at least one rare metal; and reacting the composition with a precipitating agent so as to substantially selectively precipitate a first rare earth element and optionally a first rare metal. For example, various rare earth elements (such as scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, etc) and various rare metals (such as indium, zirconium, lithium, gallium, etc.) can be extracted by using such processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventors: Richard Boudreault, Denis Primeau, Heinz Krivanec, Carsten Dittrich, Marie-Maxime Labrecque-Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8968698
    Abstract: Provided herein are processes for recovering molybdenum and/or other value metals (e.g., uranium) present in aqueous solutions from a large range of concentrations: from ppm to grams per liter via a solvent extraction process by extracting the molybdenum and/or other value metal from the aqueous solution by contacting it with an organic phase solution containing a phosphinic acid, stripping the molybdenum and/or other value metal from the organic phase solution by contacting it with an aqueous phase strip solution containing an inorganic compound and having a ?1.0 M concentration of free ammonia, and recovering the molybdenum and/or other value metal by separating it from the aqueous phase strip solution. When the molybdenum and/or other value metal are present only in low concentration, the processes can include an organic phase recycle step and/or an aqueous phase strip recycle step in order to concentrate the metal prior to recover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Cytec Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Troy Allan Bednarski, Violina Antoneta Cocalia, Matthew Dean Soderstrom, Eduardo Alberto Kamenetzky, Andrew Michael Cameron, Douglas Harris
  • Patent number: 8968688
    Abstract: Rare earth elements are recovered from coal ash. The coal ash with rare earth elements can be treated with a mineral acid to form an aqueous mineral acid solution. The aqueous mineral acid solution can be extracted to form an organic solution that includes the rare earth salts. The organic solution can be mixed with water to form an aqueous solution that includes the rare earth salts. The rare earth elements are separated from the aqueous solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Physical Sciences, Inc.
    Inventors: Prakash B. Joshi, Dorin V. Preda, David A. Skyler, Anait Tsinberg, B. David Green, William J. Marinelli
  • Patent number: 8951486
    Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to selectively extract light rare earth metals, and by extension, europium, from an acidic solution containing a plurality of types of rare earth metal. This valuable metal extraction agent is represented by the general formula. In the formula: R1 and R2 each indicate the same or different alkyl group; R3 indicates a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and R4 indicates a hydrogen atom or any given group other than an amino group bonded to the ? carbon as an amino acid. Preferably, the general formula has a glycine unit, a histidine unit, a lysine unit, an aspartic acid unit, or an N-methylglycine unit. Preferably, when extracting europium using the extraction agent, the pH is adjusted into the range of 2.0-3.0 inclusive, and when selectively extracting light rare earth metals, the pH is adjusted to 1.7-2.7 inclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignees: Kyushu University, National University Corporation, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Goto, Fukiko Kubota, Yuzo Baba
  • Patent number: 8940256
    Abstract: A method is presented for recovery, in reusable form, of rare earth minerals and zirconia from waste materials containing them. The method includes: mixing an ammonium sulfate powder and a powder containing the oxide waste material; heating the mixture to decompose the waste into a residue; dissolving the residue in water; separating rare earth constituents from the solution; and subsequently using the separated rare earth constituent (salt or solution) as a raw material. Moreover, the reactants used in the recovery may be recovered by appropriate precipitation and concentration operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Xylon Technical Ceramics, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas H. Burlingame, Samuel Burlingame
  • Publication number: 20140377150
    Abstract: Provided is a method for selectively extracting and inexpensively recovering scandium from an acidic solution containing calcium, magnesium, and scandium. The scandium extraction method according to the present invention involves subjecting an acidic solution containing calcium, magnesium, and scandium to solvent extraction using an extraction agent consisting of an amide derivative represented by the general formula below. In the formula, R1 and R2 represent the same or different alkyl groups, and R3 is a hydrogen atom or alkyl group. The amide derivative preferably consisting of one or more derivatives selected from glycine amide derivatives, histidine amide derivatives, lysine amide derivatives, and aspartic acid amide derivatives. The pH of the acidic solution is preferably pre-adjusted to between 1 and 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Masahiro Goto, Fukiko Kubota, Yuzo Baba
  • Publication number: 20140356259
    Abstract: An integrated recovery process for rare earth recovery includes bringing the acid solution containing rare earth elements into contact with an organic phase containing an extraction agent to extract the rare earth elements into the organic phase. The organic phase is separated from the aqueous phase. The rare earth elements are either collected from the aqueous phase of the extraction process or the rare earth elements are stripped from the organic phase to an aqueous solution. Rare earth powders are collected from the aqueous solution by partly removing the aqueous solvent. Alternatively, the aqueous solvent can be completely removed, the collected rare earth powders are dissolved in an acidic solution, and the mixture is equilibrated for crystallization of the target rare earth element. In both cases, the crystals and a mother liquor are separated by solid/liquid separation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: NANO AND ADVANCED MATERIALS INSTITUTE LIMITED
    Inventors: Yeuk Tin LAU, Ka Yip FUNG, Ka Ming NG
  • Patent number: 8828353
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a process for controlled leaching and sequential recovery of two or more metals from metal-bearing materials. In one exemplary embodiment, recovery of metals from a leached metal-bearing material is controlled and improved by providing a high grade pregnant leach solution (“HGPLS”) and a low grade pregnant leach solution (“LGPLS”) to a single solution extraction plant comprising at least two solution extractor units, at least two stripping units, and, optionally, at least one wash stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Freeport Minerals Corporation
    Inventors: Barbara J. Savage, David G. Meadows, Wayne W. Hazen
  • Patent number: 8821817
    Abstract: A method is described to produce high purity rare earth oxides of the elements La, Ce, Tb, Eu and Y from phosphor, such as waste phosphor powders originating in various consumer products. One approach involves leaching the powder in two stages and converting to two groups of relatively high purity mixed rare earth oxides. The first group containing Eu and Y is initially separated by solvent extraction. Once separated, Eu is purified using Zn reduction with custom apparatus. Y is purified by running another solvent extraction process using tricaprylmethylammonium chloride. Ce is separated from the second group of oxides, containing La, Ce and Tb by using solvent extraction. Subsequently, La and Tb are separated from each other and converted to pure oxides by using solvent extraction processes. A one-stage leaching process, wherein all rare earths get leached into the solution and subsequently processed, is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: REEnewal Corporation
    Inventor: Narayan V. Thakur
  • Publication number: 20140234187
    Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to selectively extract light rare earth metals, and by extension, europium, from an acidic solution containing a plurality of types of rare earth metal. This valuable metal extraction agent is represented by the general formula. In the formula: R1 and R2 each indicate the same or different alkyl group; R3 indicates a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and R4 indicates a hydrogen atom or any given group other than an amino group bonded to the ? carbon as an amino acid. Preferably, the general formula has a glycine unit, a histidine unit, a lysine unit, an aspartic acid unit, or an N-methylglycine unit. Preferably, when extracting europium using the extraction agent, the pH is adjusted into the range of 2.0-3.0 inclusive, and when selectively extracting light rare earth metals, the pH is adjusted to 1.7-2.7 inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicants: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD., Kyushu University, National University Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Goto, Fukiko Kubota, Yuzo Baba
  • Patent number: 8802040
    Abstract: A target light rare earth element is separated from an aqueous solution containing two or more of La, Ce, Pr and Nd by contacting an organic phase containing an extractant with the aqueous solution in a counter-current flow multistage mixer-settler while adding an alkaline solution thereto, and contacting the organic phase with an acid aqueous solution for back-extracting the target element. The extractant is a dialkyl diglycol amic acid having formula: R1R2NCOCH2OCH2COOH wherein R1 and R2 are alkyl, at least one having at least 6 carbon atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroto Sugahara, Kazuaki Sakaki, Takehisa Minowa
  • Publication number: 20140193317
    Abstract: A method for selectively removing scandium from a scandium-containing feed solution includes contacting the scandium-containing feed solution with a solvent stream in plural stages using cross current extraction, in which the solvent is loaded with at least a portion of the scandium from the feed solution, and/or ion exchange, and separating the loaded solvent from remaining scandium-containing feed solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: Bloom Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Jeffrey Hartley, Wayne Werneke Hazen, David Ross Baughman, Christel Maria Angelina Bemelmans, Pavel Federovich Belits, Timothy James Lanyk, Brook Forest Porter, Lunzhi Liao, Justin McAllister, Michael Shang-Yu Yang
  • Patent number: 8721893
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for the separation of rare earth elements from aqueous solutions and, more particularly, to the separation of lanthanides (e.g., neodymium(III)) from aqueous solutions using an organo phosphorus functionalized adsorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Syracuse University
    Inventors: Lawrence Tavlarides, Hyung-Jun Park
  • Patent number: 8721998
    Abstract: The application of aqueous solution of magnesium bicarbonate and/or calcium bicarbonate in the process of extraction separation and purification of metals is disclosed, wherein the aqueous solution of magnesium bicarbonate and/or calcium bicarbonate is used as an acidity balancing agent, in order to adjust the balancing pH value of the extraction separation process which uses an acidic organic extractant, improve the extraction capacity of organic phase, and increase the concentration of metal ions in the loaded organic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Grirem Advanced Materials Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiaowei Huang, Zhiqi Long, Xinlin Peng, Hongwei Li, Guilin Yang, Dali Cui, Chunmei Wang, Na Zhao, Liangshi Wang, Ying Yu
  • Publication number: 20140127095
    Abstract: Provided herein are processes for recovering molybdenum and/or other value metals (e.g., uranium) present in aqueous solutions from a large range of concentrations: from ppm to grams per liter via a solvent extraction process by extracting the molybdenum and/or other value metal from the aqueous solution by contacting it with an organic phase solution containing a phosphinic acid, stripping the molybdenum and/or other value metal from the organic phase solution by contacting it with an aqueous phase strip solution containing an inorganic compound and having a ?1.0 M concentration of free ammonia, and recovering the molybdenum and/or other value metal by separating it from the aqueous phase strip solution. When the molybdenum and/or other value metal are present only in low concentration, the processes can include an organic phase recycle step and/or an aqueous phase strip recycle step in order to concentrate the metal prior to recover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: CYTEC TECHNOLOGY CORP.
    Inventors: Troy Allan Bednarski, Violina Antoneta Cocalia, Matthew Dean Soderstrom, Eduardo Alberto Kamenetzky, Andrew Michael Cameron, Douglas HARRIS
  • Publication number: 20140110626
    Abstract: Methods for removing, reducing or treating the trace metal contaminants and the smaller fine sized cerium oxide particles from cerium oxide particles, cerium oxide slurry or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) compositions for Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) process are applied. The treated chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) compositions, or the CMP polishing compositions prepared by using the treated cerium oxide particles or the treated cerium oxide slurry are used to polish substrate that contains at lease a surface comprising silicon dioxide film for STI (Shallow trench isolation) processing and applications. The reduced nano-sized particle related defects have been observed due to the reduced trace metal ion contaminants and reduced very smaller fine cerium oxide particles in the Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) CMP polishing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC.
    Inventors: Xiaobo Shi, John Edward Quincy Hughes, Hongjun Zhou, Daniel Hernandez Castillo, II, Jae Ouk Choo, James Allen Schlueter, Jo-Ann Teresa Schwartz, Laura Ledenbach, Steven Charles Winchester, Saifi Usmani, John Anthony Marsella
  • Patent number: 8679344
    Abstract: A process for replacing the continuous phase of a nanoparticle dispersion with a less polar phase, includes filtering the dispersion through a semi-permeable membrane filter to remove the continuous phase, and introducing a less polar phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Cerion Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas D. Allston, Laura M. Herder, Andreas Langner, Kenneth J. Reed
  • Patent number: 8628734
    Abstract: Method of recovery of rare earths from fluorescent lamps. The method comprises six steps. The individual process steps are: Mechanical separation of coarse components. Separation of the halophosphate. Extraction in acids of easily soluble rare-earth fluorescent substances (mainly Y, Eu-oxide) Extraction in acids of rare earth fluorescent substances which dissolve with difficulty (for example rare-earth phosphates) Breakdown of the remaining components which contain rare earths (for example rare-earth-aluminates) Final treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung
    Inventors: Robert Otto, Agnieszka Wojtalewicz-Kasprzak
  • Publication number: 20130343969
    Abstract: Extraction method for recovering metals. Phosphoric acid is contacted with an extractant suspension of solid particulate material comprising a para- or ferromagnetic material core surrounded by an outer shell of a chelating polymer whereby a metal is the solution is adsorbed on the chelating polymer, thereby removing it from the phosphoric acid solution. The metal-containing solid particulate material is magnetically separated from the solution and the metal is stripped from the solid particulate material for reuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventors: Lev E. Bromberg, Yaroslav Klichko, T. Alan Hatton
  • Patent number: RE48165
    Abstract: The invention relates to alkenyl(perfluoroalkyl)phosphinic acids, to the preparation and intermediates thereof, to the use thereof as monomers for the preparation of oligomers and/or polymers, to the corresponding oligomers/polymers, to the corresponding support materials comprising the oligomers/polymers, and to the use thereof as ion exchangers, as catalysts or extraction medium and corresponding salts thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Nikolai (Mykola) Ignatyev, Michael Schulte, Karsten Koppe, Vural Bilir, Walter Frank