US 11,446,609 B2Granted

Systems and methods for concentrating fluid components via distillation and membrane filtration

AssigneeVia Separations, Inc.

InventorBrent Keller

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Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate generally to systems, apparatus, and methods for using graphene oxide-containing membranes for separation and concentration processes. In some embodiments, a fluid component having a first concentration in a fluid mixture can be concentrated using a first distillation process to a second concentration. In some embodiments, the fluid component can be concentrated from the second concentration to a third concentration using a graphene oxide-containing membrane. In some embodiments, the fluid component can be concentrated from the third concentration to a fourth concentration using a second distillation process. In some embodiments, the fluid component can have an azeotropic concentration between the second concentration and the third concentration.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of breaking an azeotrope comprising a first fluid component and a second fluid component, the first fluid component being hydrochloric acid and the second fluid component being water;

the azeotrope being characterized by an azeotropic concentration of the first fluid component, wherein the method comprises:
feeding a first fluid mixture through a membrane system comprising two graphene oxide-containing membranes, the two graphene oxide-containing membranes defining a fluid feed channel, the first fluid mixture comprising the first fluid component at a first concentration and the second fluid component,
subjecting each graphene oxide-containing membrane to a pumping pressure of 200 psi to 1000 psi,
wherein the first concentration is about 0.1 mol % to about 10 mol % less than the azeotropic concentration,
whereby at least a portion of the first fluid mixture moves from the fluid feed channel through the two graphene oxide-containing membranes to produce a second fluid mixture having a second concentration of the first fluid component greater than the azeotropic concentration.

2 more elements

A method of concentrating a first fluid component in a first fluid mixture, the first fluid mixture comprising the first fluid component at a first concentration and a second fluid component, wherein the first fluid component is hydrochloric acid, the second fluid component is water, and the method comprises:

distilling the first fluid mixture through a first distillation column to produce a second fluid mixture having the first fluid component at a second concentration, the second concentration being greater than the first concentration and less than an azeotropic concentration of the first fluid component in the second fluid mixture,
feeding the second fluid mixture through a membrane system comprising two graphene oxide-containing membranes, the two graphene oxide-containing membranes defining a fluid feed channel, and
subjecting each graphene oxide-containing membrane to a pumping pressure of 200 psi to 1000 psi,
whereby at least a portion of the second fluid mixture moves from the fluid feed channel through the two graphene oxide-containing membranes to produce a third fluid mixture having the first fluid component at a third concentration that is greater than the azeotropic concentration.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/567,423Filed 11 Sep 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 11 Sep 2018
Published: US 2020/0078735 A112 Mar 2020
Granted: 20 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

B01D 61/025
Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration ; Nanofiltration: reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration
B01D 61/3641
Membrane distillation: comprising multiple membrane distillation steps
B01D 3/36
With one or more auxiliary substances: azeotropic distillation
B01D 71/0211
Carbon: graphene or derivates thereof