# US 11,306,008 B2 · Working medium and water treatment system

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- Number: US 11,306,008 B2
- Document ID: US11306008B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/007,573
- Filed: 2020-08-31
- Published: 2021-09-23
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-19
- Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
- Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
- Inventors: Akiko Suzuki; Toshihiro Imada; Kenji Sano
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306008B2

## CPC

- C02F 1/445: {by forward osmosis}
- B01D 61/0021: {comprising multiple forward osmosis steps}
- B01D 61/0023: {Accessories; Auxiliary operations}
- B01D 61/005: {Osmotic agents; Draw solutions}
- B01D 61/58: Multistep processes
- B01D 61/025: {Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration}
- B01D 2311/2626: Absorption or adsorption
- B01D 2311/2661: Addition of gas
- C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination
- C02F 2201/002: Construction details of the apparatus
- 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)

## Abstract

A working medium includes a first amine compound and a second amine compound. The first amine compound is a heterocyclic tertiary amine compound including a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom, and in which a ratio (C/N ratio) of a carbon atom number to a nitrogen atom number included in one molecule is from 7 to 9. The second amine compound is a heterocyclic tertiary amine compound including a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom. and in which a ratio (C/N ratio) of a carbon atom number to a nitrogen atom number included in one molecule is in a range of 5 or more to less than 7.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A working medium comprising:
a first amine compound; and
a second amine compound,
wherein the first amine compound is a heterocyclic tertiary amine compound which consists of a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom, and in which a ratio (C/N ratio) of a carbon atom number to a nitrogen atom number included in one molecule is from 7 to 9, the heterocyclic tertiary amine compound comprising a plurality of heterocycles,
the first amine compound comprises at least two tertiary amino groups comprising heterocycles, and
the second amine compound is a heterocyclic tertiary amine compound which consists of a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom, and in which a ratio (C/N ratio) of a carbon atom number to a nitrogen atom number included in one molecule is in a range of 5 to less than 7, the heterocyclic tertiary amine compound comprising a plurality of heterocycles.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The working medium according to claim 1, wherein the second amine compound comprises at least two tertiary amino groups comprising heterocycles.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The working medium according to claim 1, wherein a ratio (M1/M2) of a mass (M1) of the first amine compound to a mass (M2) of the second amine compound is in a range of 0.5 to 10.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The working medium according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a total mass of the first amine compound and the second amine compound to the working medium is in a range of 10% by mass to 70% by mass.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The working medium according to claim 1, wherein
the first amine compound is expressed by any one of Formulae 1 to 4 below,
wherein
in Formula 1, two of R1 to R8 are methyl groups and the others are hydrogen, or four of R1 to R8 are methyl groups and the others are hydrogen, or two of R1 to R8 are ethyl groups and the others are hydrogen,
in Formula 2, two of R9 to R18 are methyl groups and the others are hydrogen, or two of R9 to R18 are ethyl groups and the others are hydrogen, or four of R9 to R18 are methyl groups and the others are hydrogen, or all of R9 to R18 are hydrogen,
in Formula 3, two of R19 to R30 are methyl groups and the others are hydrogen, or all of R19 to R30 are hydrogen, and
in Formulae 1 to 4, X is a linear alkyl chain having a carbon number of 1 to b 5;

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The working medium according to claim 1, wherein
the second amine compound is expressed by Formula 5 or 6 below,
wherein
in Formula 5, two of R31 to R38 are methyl groups and the others are hydrogen, and
in Formulae 5 and 6, X is a linear alkyl chain having a carbon number of 1 to 5;

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The working, medium according to claim 1, wherein the first amine compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of 2-methyl-1- [4-(2-methylpyrrolidine-1-yl)butyl]pyrrolidine, 2-methyl-1-[5-(2-methylpyrrolidine-1-yl)pentyl]pyrrolidine, 1-[2-(2,3-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)ethyl]-2,3-dimethylpyrrolidine, 1-[3-(2,3-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)propyl]-2,3-dimethylpyrrolidine, 1-[4-(2,3-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)butyl]-2,3-dimethylpyrrolidine, 1-[2-(2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)ethyl]-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine, 1[3-(2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)propyl]-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine, 1-[4-(2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)butyl]-2,5-dimethylpyrrolidine, 2-ethyl-1-[4-(2-ethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)butyl]pyrrolidine, 2-ethyl-1-[3-(2-ethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)propyl]pyrrolidine, 2-ethyl-1-[2-(2-ethylpyrrolidine-1-yl)ethyl]pyrrolidine, 1-[4-(piperidine-1-yl)butyl]piperidine, 1-[5-(piperidine-1-yl)pentyl]piperidine, 4-methyl-1-[3-(4-methylpiperidine-1-yl)propyl]piperidine, 2-methyl-1-[3-(2-methylpiperidine-1-yl)propyl]piperidine, 1-[3-(2,6-dimethylpiperidine-1-yl)propyl]-2,6-dimetylpiperidine, 4-ethyl-1-[3-(4-ethylpiperidine-1-yl)propyl]piperidine, 1-[3-(2,4-dimethylpiperidine-1-yl)propyl]-2,4-dimetylpiperidine, 1-[3-(azepane-1-yl)propyl]azepane, 1-[2-(azepane-1-yl)ethyl]azepane, and 2-methyl-1-[2-(2-methylazepane-1-yl)ethyl]azepane.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The working medium according to claim 1, wherein the second amine compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of 3-methyl-1-[3-(3-methylpyrrolidine-1-yl)propyl]pyrrolidine, 2-methyl-1-[3-(2-methylpyrrolidine-1-yl)propyl]pyrrolidine, 1-[4-(pyrrolidine-1-yl)butyl]pyrrolidine, 1-[5-(pyrrolidine-1-yl)pentyl]pyrrolidine, 1-[3-(piperidine-1-yl)propyl]piperidine, and 1-[2-(piperidine-1-yl)ethyl]piperidine.

### Claim 9

A water treatment system comprising:
an osmotic pressure generator; and
a concentrator,
the osmotic pressure generator comprising:
a first chamber configured to accommodate water to be treated;
a second chamber configured to accommodate a working medium and comprising the working medium;
an osmosis membrane configured to partition the first chamber and the second chamber;
a treatment container configured to accommodate the first chamber, the second chamber and the osmosis membrane, and
the concentrator comprising:
a carbon dioxide releasing unit configured to release carbon dioxide from the working medium;
a phase separating unit configured to phase-separate the working medium; and
carbon dioxide introducing unit configured to cause the working medium to absorb carbon dioxide,
wherein the water treatment system further comprises:
first inlet pipeline configured to introduce water to the first chamber;
a second inlet pipeline configured to introduce the working medium to the second chamber;
an outlet pipeline configured to deliver diluted working medium from the second chamber of the osmotic pressure generator to the concentrator,
and wherein the working medium comprises:
a first amine compound; and
a second amine compound,
wherein the first amine compound is a heterocyclic tertiary amine compound which consists of a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom, and in which a ratio (C/N ratio) of a carbon atom number to a nitrogen atom number included in one molecule is from 7 to 9, the heterocyclic tertiary amine compound comprising a plurality of heterocycles,
the first amine compound comprises at least two tertiary amino groups comprising heterocycles, and
the second amine compound is a heterocyclic tertiary amine compound which consists of a carbon atom. a nitrogen atom and a hydrogen atom, and in which a ratio (C/N ratio) of a carbon atom number to a nitrogen atom number included in one molecule is in a range of 5 or more to less than 7, the heterocyclic tertiary amine compound comprising a plurality of heterocycles.