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US 12,172,129 B2Granted
Modular extraction apparatus
AssigneeInternational Battery Metals, Ltd.
InventorJohn L. Burba
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatuses and methods for extracting desired chemical species including, without limitation, lithium, specific lithium species, and/or other chemical compounds from input flows in a modular unit. The input flows may be raw materials in which lithium metal and/or lithium species are dissolved and/or extracted. The apparatuses and methods may include daisy chain flow through separate tanks, a column array, and/or combinations thereof.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- accessing a brine input stream and a dilute stream;
- selectively directing the brine input stream to a tank of a modular extraction system;
- extracting, by a sorbent material contained within the tank, a constituent from the brine input stream;
- selectively directing the dilute stream through at least a portion of a length of the tank to expose the dilute stream to the sorbent material, wherein the tank is configured to provide a substantially sharp concentration profile between the brine input stream and the dilute stream that is flowed through the at least a portion of the length the tank;
- and
- processing, by a concentration membrane of the modular extraction system, the extracted constituent into an output stream, wherein the tank and the concentration membrane are sized such that the modular extraction system is mobile.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- at least one computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- control access to a brine input stream and a dilute stream;
- control flow of the brine input stream and the dilute stream through a tank of a modular extraction system, wherein the tank comprises a sorbent material configured to extract a constituent from the brine input stream;
- and
- selectively direct the dilute stream through at least a portion of a length of the tank to expose the dilute stream to the sorbent material, wherein:
- the tank is configured to provide a substantially sharp concentration profile between the brine input stream and the dilute stream that is flowed through the at least a portion of the length the tank;
- the modular extraction system comprises a concentration membrane that is configured to extract the constituent into an output stream;
- and
- the tank and the concentration membrane are sized such that the modular extraction system is mobile.
8 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to:
- control access to a brine input stream and a dilute stream;
- control flow of the brine input stream and the dilute stream through a tank of a modular extraction system, wherein the tank comprises a sorbent material configured to extract a constituent from the brine input stream;
- and
- selectively direct the dilute stream through at least a portion of a length of the tank to expose the dilute stream to the sorbent material, wherein:
- the tank is configured to provide a substantially sharp concentration profile between the brine input stream and the dilute stream that is flowed through the at least a portion of the length the tank;
- the modular extraction system comprises a concentration membrane that is configured to extract the constituent into an output stream;
- and
- the tank and the concentration membrane are sized such that the modular extraction system is mobile.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.