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

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- Number: US 10,370,275 B2
- Document ID: US10370275B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/552,351
- Filed: 2014-11-24
- Published: 2015-05-28
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-11-25
- Assignees: Enviro Water Minerals Company, Inc.
- Applicants: Enviro Water Minerals Company, Inc.
- Inventors: Paul Steven Wallace
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370275B2

## CPC

- C02F 9/00: Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
- B01D 61/04: Feed pretreatment
- B01D 61/423: {comprising multiple electrodialysis steps}
- B01D 61/44: Ion-selective electrodialysis
- B01D 61/58: Multistep processes
- B01J 49/50: characterised by the regeneration reagents
- B01D 61/027: {Nanofiltration}
- B01D 2311/02: Specific process operations before starting the membrane separation process
- B01D 2311/04: Specific process operations in the feed stream; Feed pretreatment
- B01D 2311/12: Addition of chemical agents
- B01D 2311/2623: Ion-Exchange
- B01D 2311/2684: Electrochemical processes
- C02F 1/001: {Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance (C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00)}
- C02F 1/28: by sorption (using ion-exchange C02F1/42; sorbent compositions B01J)
- C02F 1/42: by ion-exchange (ion-exchange in general B01J)
- C02F 1/441: {by reverse osmosis}
- C02F 1/442: {by nanofiltration}
- C02F 1/4693: {electrodialysis}
- C02F 1/76: with halogens or compounds of halogens {(C02F1/4674 takes precedence)}
- C02F 5/00: Softening water; Preventing scale; Adding scale preventatives or scale removers to water, e.g. adding sequestering agents (softening using ion-exchange C02F1/42)
- C02F 2101/101: {Sulfur compounds}
- C02F 2101/103: {Arsenic compounds}
- C02F 2103/001: {Runoff or storm water}
- C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination
- C02F 2209/06: pH
- C02F 2209/44: Time
- C02F 2303/04: Disinfection
- C02F 2303/16: Regeneration of sorbents, filters
- C02F 2303/22: Eliminating or preventing deposits, scale removal, scale prevention (C02F1/042, C02F1/4602, C02F5/00 take precedence)
- Y02A 20/124: Water desalination
- Y02A 20/131: Reverse-osmosis
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising supplying the HCl and NaOH to the first ion exchange softener to regenerate the first ion exchange softener and to generate the first chloride brine stream, wherein the first ion exchange softener comprises an acid portion configured to remove the bicarbonate from the wastewater brine stream and a neutral portion configured to remove the first portion of the plurality of minerals from the wastewater brine stream, and wherein the HCl removes the first portion of the plurality of minerals from the neutral portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising supplying the HCl and NaOH to a second ion exchange softener disposed within the mineral removal system to regenerate the second ion exchange softener, wherein the second ion exchange softener is configured to receive a second chloride brine stream generated in the mineral removal system from the first brine stream and to remove a third portion of the plurality of minerals from the second chloride brine stream, and wherein the HCl is configured to remove the third portion of the plurality of minerals from a resin within the second ion exchange softener and the NaOH is configured to neutralize the resin.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising supplying the first chloride brine stream to the mineral removal system and recovering gypsum and magnesium hydroxide from the first chloride stream, wherein the first portion of the plurality of minerals comprises the gypsum and the magnesium.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising treating the first softened brine stream with an anti-scalant to generate a treated softened brine stream and directing the treated softened brine stream to a nanofiltration (NF) system disposed along the flow path upstream of the first ED system, wherein the NF system generates an NF non-permeate stream and an NF permeate stream, wherein the NF permeate stream is fed to the first ED system via the flow path to generate the second softened brine stream.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, comprising recovering the anti-scalant from the NF non-permeate stream in an anti-scalant recovery system disposed in the mineral removal system, wherein the anti-scalant recovery system comprises a second ED system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising converting the bicarbonate in the wastewater brine stream to carbon dioxide via the first ion exchange softener.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising generating a calcium chloride brine from the first chloride brine stream in the mineral removal system, wherein the first portion of the plurality of minerals comprises calcium, and wherein the calcium chloride brine is between approximately 20 weight percent (wt %) and 30 wt % calcium chloride.

### Claim 9

A method, comprising:
removing a plurality of minerals from a first brine stream comprising the plurality of minerals and bicarbonate via an ion exchange softener disposed upstream of a mineral removal system, wherein the first brine stream is output from a waste treatment system, the ion exchange softener comprises a resin, and the resin comprises an acid portion and a neutral portion;
reacting the bicarbonate in the first brine stream with the acid portion of the resin within the ion exchange softener to generate carbon dioxide;
generating a softened brine stream from the first brine stream via the ion exchange softener, wherein the softened brine stream comprises the carbon dioxide and is directed toward an electrodialysis (ED) system via a flow path extending between the 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 desalinated water;
supplying hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the ion exchange softener to regenerate the resin and to generate a second brine stream, wherein the second brine stream comprises the plurality of minerals removed from the first brine stream; and
directing the second brine stream toward the mineral removal system.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, comprising neutralizing a portion of the resin with sodium hydroxide generated via an acid and caustic production system disposed downstream from and fluidly coupled to the first ED system and the ion exchange softener, wherein at least a portion of the sodium hydroxide is generated from the softened brine stream output from the first ED system, and wherein the acid and caustic production system directs the sodium hydroxide to the ion exchange softener.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, comprising treating the softened brine steam with an anti-scalant upstream of the first ED system and recovering the anti-scalant in the mineral removal system.