초록 ▼

Ions (e.g. lithium) can be removed or recovered from brines containing those ions and optionally one or more other ions (e.g. other alkali metal ions) by the use of a temperature-swing, ion-exchange process and apparatus employing an ion-exchange material. The process and apparatus depends on a chan

Ions (e.g. lithium) can be removed or recovered from brines containing those ions and optionally one or more other ions (e.g. other alkali metal ions) by the use of a temperature-swing, ion-exchange process and apparatus employing an ion-exchange material. The process and apparatus depends on a change in the selectivity coefficient of an ion exchange material for the ions desired to be recovered with a change in temperature, resulting in desirable ions being relatively selectively released at one temperature and undesirable ions being relatively selectively released at another temperature. The process of the invention can be used to effect the separation of any ion (or set of ions) from another ion or from a set of ions wherein the selectivity coefficient for one ion (or set of ions) has a substantial temperature dependence, compared to that for the other ion (or set of ions).

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] Apparatus for producing, in a cycle comprising at least two phases and from a feed solution containing at least one desirable ion (DI) and at least one undesirable ion (UI), a solution enriched in said at least one DI and a solution impoverished in the said at least one D

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] Apparatus for producing, in a cycle comprising at least two phases and from a feed solution containing at least one desirable ion (DI) and at least one undesirable ion (UI), a solution enriched in said at least one DI and a solution impoverished in the said at least one DI, said apparatus comprising:a source of said feed solution;a first and a second train through which solution can flow, each said train having an inlet and an outlet, and including at least one bed of an ion-exchange material having a higher temperature dependent selectivity for said at least one DI in the solution flowing therethrough at a first temperature different from a second temperature;means for introducing said feed solution to at least one of said trains;temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the solution flowing through each of said trains to selectively obtain a different one of said first and second temperatures for the solution flowing through each of said trains, wherein upon initiation of a phase said temperature control means changes the temperature in each of said trains from one of the first and second temperatures to the other of said first and second temperatures;the solution flowing through one of said trains at said first temperature reaching the outlet of said one train being impoverished in said at least one DI and enriched of said at least one UI and the solution flowing through the other train at said second temperature reaching the outlet of said other train being enriched of said at least one DI and impoverished in said at least one UI, wherein said DI includes lithium ion, said UI comprises at least one other alkali metal ion and said ion exchange material comprises zeolite X.