Process for Production of Potassium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate, and Calcium Carbonate from Syngenite
AssigneeUpcycle Minerals Inc.
InventorsRick Yakimishyn, Jonathon Franklin Phinney
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Abstract
Described herein is a process for the production of potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate from syngenite. Specifically, the syngenite is produced from waste liquors and low value minerals and is used to produce valuable secondary products. Specifically, instead of performing the decomposition reaction in one step at high temperature, this process performs the reaction in 2 steps at temperatures lower than the decomposition temperature of ammonium bicarbonate: a first step to reach the equilibrium and produce saturated potassium sulfate brine, and a second step to complete the syngenite decomposition reaction.
Claims23
A method for producing potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate comprising:
- (a) forming a syngenite cake and a liquor by reacting a source of sulfate ions and potassium chloride with calcium sulfate at a temperature of about 5 C to about 35 C for approximately 1-4 hrs;
- (b) separating the syngenite cake from the liquor;
- (c) mixing the syngenite cake with a reaction brine comprising dilute potassium sulfate, ammonium sulfate and ammonium bicarbonate at a temperature of about 5 C to about 70 C for 1-4 hours, thereby producing a syngenite-CaCO3 cake and a potassium sulfate/ammonium sulfate solution;
- (d) separating the syngenite-CaCO3 cake from the potassium sulfate/ammonium sulfate solution;
- (e) reslurrying the syngenite-CaCO3 cake in water and reacting the cake with 200-400% excess of ammonium bicarbonate at a temperature of about 5 C to about 70 C for a period of time, thereby forming a CaCO3 cake and a reacted brine comprising potassium sulfate, ammonium sulfate and ammonium bicarbonate;
- and
- (f) separating potassium sulfate from the potassium sulfate/ammonium sulfate solution produced in step (d).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.