# US 12,006,233 B2 · Methods for water extraction

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,006,233 B2
- Document ID: US12006233B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/140,390
- Filed: 2021-01-04
- Published: 2022-07-07
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2021-01-04
- Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Inventors: Seung-Hak Choi; Halah A. Shaikh Sulaiman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006233B2

## CPC

- C02F 1/265: {Desalination}
- B01D 11/0415: {in combination with membranes}
- B01D 11/0488: {Flow sheets}
- B01D 11/0492: {Applications, solvents used}
- B01D 63/031: {Two or more types of hollow fibres within one bundle or within one potting or tube-sheet}
- B01D 69/02: characterised by their properties
- C02F 1/44: by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis {(general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268)}
- B01D 2311/103: Heating
- B01D 2315/22: Membrane contactor
- B01D 2325/0283: Pore size
- B01D 2325/38: Hydrophobic membranes
- C02F 1/02: by heating (methods of steam generation F22B; preheating boiler feed-water or accumulating preheated boiler feed-water F22D)
- C02F 2101/327: {Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons [PAH's]}
- C02F 2103/08: Seawater, e.g. for desalination
- C02F 2103/365: {from petrochemical industry (e.g. refineries)}
- 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

The present application provides a method for extracting an extractable component from a feed liquid using a porous membrane. One embodiment of the method includes temperature-swing solvent extraction of water from saline water using a porous membrane.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of extracting water from saline water, the method comprising:
contacting saline water with a solvent liquid using a porous membrane, wherein the saline water comprises a solvent phase and a solute dissolved in the solvent phase, wherein the solvent liquid comprises hydrophilic moieties in a mainly hydrophobic chemical structure, wherein the saline water and the solvent liquid are immiscible, and the solvent phase of the saline water is soluble in the solvent liquid due to the presence of the hydrophilic moieties, wherein the porous membrane is configured to create and maintain a contact between saline water and the solvent liquid, wherein the saline water is contacted with the solvent liquid using the porous membrane for an amount of time sufficient to allow for a dissolution of water into the solvent liquid, wherein the amount of time is in a range of from about 1 second to about 1 hour, wherein the porous membrane comprises a first surface, a second surface, and a plurality of open pores defined between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the saline water is contacted with the first surface, the solvent liquid is contacted with the second surface, and the saline water is contacted with the solvent liquid through the plurality of open pores defined between the first surface and the second surface to create a contact area between the saline water and the solvent liquid at one of the first surface or the second surface of the porous membrane, wherein the saline water is contacted with the solvent liquid using the porous membrane at a first temperature;
producing a raffinate comprising brine and an extract comprising the solvent liquid enriched in water, wherein solubility of water in the solvent liquid is temperature-dependent; and
recovering water from the solvent liquid, wherein recovering water from the solvent liquid consists essentially of bringing the extract to a second temperature different from the first temperature to produce water and the solvent liquid depleted in water as separate, immiscible phases.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein saline water is selected from ocean water, seawater, salt-lake water, salt marsh water, brackish water, and briny water.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the porous membrane is prepared from a hydrophobic material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising preparing the porous membrane from a hydrophobic material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the hydrophobic material is selected from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polymethylpentene, poly(vinyltrimethylsilane), hexafluoropropylene, polysulfone (PSU), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU), and poly(vinylidene fluoride-cohexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP), or a mixture or a copolymer thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein porosity of the porous membrane is in a range from about 10% to about 85%.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein mean pore size of the porous membrane is in a range from about 10 nm to about 100 μm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solvent liquid comprises an alkylamine solvent selected from diisopropylamine (DIPA), N-ethylcyclohexylamine (ECHA), N,N,-dimethylcyclohexylamine (DMCHA), N-methylbutyl amine, diethylmethylamine, and N-ethylpropylamine.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the solvent liquid comprises a fatty acid solvent selected from decanoic acid and octanoic acid.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein water produced from the extract is potable water.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the second temperature is greater than the first temperature.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the alkylamine solvent is selected as N-methylbutyl amine, the first temperature is in a range of from about 40 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 45° C., and the second temperature is in a range of from about 85° C. to about 95° C.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the alkylamine solvent is selected as diethylmethylamine, the first temperature is in a range of from about 50 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 55° C., and the second temperature is in a range of from about 60° C. to about 65° C.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the alkylamine solvent is selected as N-ethylpropylamine, the first temperature is in a range of from about 45 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 55° C., and the second temperature is in a range of from about 75° C. to about 85° C.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the second temperature is less than the first temperature.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the fatty acid solvent is selected as decanoic acid, the first temperature is in a range of from about 75 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 85° C., and the second temperature is in a range of from about 30° C. to about 40° C.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the fatty acid solvent is selected as octanoic acid, the first temperature is in a range of from about 55 degrees Celsius (° C.) to about 65° C., and the second temperature is in a range of from about 20° C. to about 30° C.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the porous membrane is a hollow fiber membrane, the first surface is a shell surface of the hollow fiber membrane, the second surface is a lumen surface of the hollow fiber membrane, a ratio of shell diameter to lumen diameter for the hollow fiber membrane is in a range of from about 1.1 to about 2.5, and the shell diameter of the hollow fiber membrane is in a range of from about 300 lam to about 4 mm.