US 10,370,275 B2 · System for removing minerals from a brine

Abstract

A system includes an ion exchange softener fluidly coupled to a wastewater treatment system. The first ion exchange softener may receive a first brine stream from the wastewater treatment system and to remove a plurality of minerals from the first brine stream to generate a second brine stream including the plurality of minerals and a third brine stream. The system also includes a mineral removal system disposed downstream from the ion exchange softener and that may receive the second brine stream and to generate a sodium chloride (NaCl) brine stream and an acid and caustic production system disposed downstream from and fluidly coupled to the mineral removal system. The acid and caustic production system includes a first electrodialysis (ED) system that may receive the NaCl brine stream from the mineral removal system and to generate hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) from the NaCl brine stream. The system also includes a second ED system disposed downstream from the ion exchange softener and upstream of the acid and caustic production system. The second ED system is fluidly coupled to the ion exchange softener and to the acid and caustic production system, and the second ED may generate desalinated water from the third brine stream and an ED concentrate stream. The second ED system may direct the ED concentrate stream to the acid and caustic production system.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

directing a wastewater brine stream from a water treatment system to a first ion exchange softener disposed upstream of a mineral removal system, wherein the wastewater brine stream comprises a plurality of minerals and bicarbonate;
generating a first softened brine stream via the first ion exchange softener, wherein the first ion exchange softener is configured to remove a first portion of the plurality of minerals from the wastewater brine stream, and the first softened brine stream comprises a second portion of the plurality of minerals;
regenerating the first ion exchange softener to remove the first portion of the plurality of minerals to generate a first chloride brine stream, wherein the first chloride brine stream comprises the first portion of the plurality of minerals;
supplying the first chloride brine stream to the mineral removal system to recover the first portion of the plurality of minerals;
directing the first softened brine stream to a first electrodialysis (ED) system via a flow path extending between the first ion exchange softener and the ED system, wherein the flow path does not extend through the mineral removal system, and wherein the ED system is configured to generate a second softened brine stream;
and
generating hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) from the second softened brine stream via an acid and caustic production system downstream from and fluidly coupled to the first ED system.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for removing minerals from a brine

Life of this patent

System for removing minerals from a brine

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11