Materials and methods for the separation of copper ions and ferric iron in liquid solutions
AssigneeThe University of Montana
InventorsEdward Rosenberg, Robert J. Fischer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A silica-polyamine based extraction material removes selected transition metal ions from solution in the presence of iron ions. The silica-polyamine base is a reaction product of a polyamine and a covalently anchored trifunctional hydrocarbylsilyl that yields non-crosslinked amino groups to which pyridine function group is attached. The extraction material is particularly useful in selectively removing copper from low concentration, low pH leach solutions separating copper from ferric iron or chloride ions. The product is a durable, high capacity extraction material that selectively captures copper at high flow rates and releases that copper into highly concentrated solutions.
Claims77
An extraction material for separating at least one transition metal ion species from iron (III) in a solution, said extraction material comprising a matrix-polyamine base and a pyridine functional group, said matrix-polyamine base comprising the reaction product of a polyamine with a short chain hydrocarbylsilyl formed from first silanizing a matrix surface by hydrating said surface and reacting said hydrated surface with a short chain trifunctional silane having (a) hydrocarbon substituents containing 1-6 carbon atoms, (b) trifunctional leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding said hydrocarbylsilyl to said matrix surface through Si—O bonds, and (c) terminal leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding said polyamine to said hydrocarbylsilyl through N-hydrocarbyl bonds;
- and secondly reacting said polyamine with said hydrocarbylsilyl formed from the silanization of said hydrated surface so as to form an aminohydrocarbyl polymer covalently bound to said matrix surface, said aminohydrocarbyl polymer having non-crosslinked amino groups multisite bound to said hydrocarbylsilyl.
A method of making an extraction material for separating at least one transition metal ion species from iron (III) ions in a solution comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a matrix having a surface that is silanizable;
- b) hydrating said surface of said matrix with a monolayer of water;
- c) silanizing said hydrated surface of said matrix with a silane having short chain hydrocarbyl substituents containing 1-6 carbon atoms and terminal leaving groups so as to hydrocarbylate said matrix surface, said terminal leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding a polyamine to the hydrocarbylsilyil through N-hydrocarbyl bonds;
- d) reacting said polyamine with said hydrocarbylated matrix surface after silanization is complete to form an aminohydrocarbyl polymer covalently bound to the hydrocarbylated extraction material surface with said aminohydrocarbyl polymer having non-crosslinked amino groups multisite bound to said hydrocarbylsilyl;
- and
- e) reacting a pyridine functional group with said aminohydrocarbyl polymer.
A process for separating at least one transition metal ion species from iron (III) ions in a solution comprising at least one transition metal ion species, iron (III) ions and chloride ions said process comprising the steps of:
- a) applying said solution to an extraction material comprising a matrix-polyamine base and a pyridine functional group, said matrix-polyamine base comprising the reaction product of a polyamine with a short chain hydrocarbylsilyl formed from first silanizing a matrix surface by hydrating said surface and reacting said hydrated surface with a short chain trifunctional silane having (a) hydrocarbon substituents containing 1-6 carbon atoms, (b) trifunctional leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding said hydrocarbylsilyl to the extraction material surface through Si—O bonds, and (c) terminal leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding said polyamine to said hydrocarbylsilyl through N-hydrocarbyl bonds;
- and secondly reacting said polyamine with said hydrocarbylsilyl formed from the silanization of said hydrated surface so as to form an aminohydrocarbyl polymer covalently bound to said matrix surface, said aminohydrocarbyl polymer having non-crosslinked amine groups multisite bound to said hydrocarbylsilyl, wherein said amino/imino pyridine functional group binds and selectively extracts said transition metal ions from said solution;
- b) purging said transition metal ions bound to said extraction material of cholide ions;
- and
- c) stripping said bound transition metal ions from said extraction material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.