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US 2023/0416872 A1Published application
Precious metals recovery
AssigneeStillwater Mining Company
InventorsDave SHUCK, Jerry KOLSTAD, Mark RAPKOCH, Grenvil Marquis DUNN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Discloses a hydrometallurgical process and system for the recovery of precious metals; specifically palladium, rhodium, and platinum metals, at high purity and with limited waste and environmental fouling.
Claims62
A method comprising:
- receiving a metals-containing stream containing at least one of silver, gold, copper, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, sodium, bismuth, zinc, iron, nickel, ruthenium, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and arsenic and at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium;
- and
- separating at least a portion of the metals-containing stream into:
- a first fraction comprising the at least one of silver, gold, copper, iron, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, sodium, bismuth, zinc, iron, nickel, ruthenium, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and arsenic;
- and
- a second fraction comprising the at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium and being substantially free of silver, gold, copper, iron, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, sodium, bismuth, zinc, iron, nickel, ruthenium, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and arsenic.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- separating at least a portion of a metals-containing stream containing at least one of silver, gold, copper, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, sodium, bismuth, zinc, iron, nickel, ruthenium, sulfur, selenium, tellurium and arsenic and at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium into:
- a fraction comprising at least one of silver, gold, lead, ruthenium, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and arsenic;
- and
- a liquid stream comprising at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium;
- contacting the liquid stream with an ion exchange resin to extract at least one of copper, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, sodium, bismuth, zinc, iron, and nickel;
- eluting, from the ion exchange resin, at least one of copper, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, sodium, bismuth, zinc, iron, and nickel to produce a base metal or impurity-containing stream.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- receiving a concentrate containing a basic metal impurity other than a precious metal and at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium;
- removing the impurity from the concentrate or a stream derived therefrom to form a precious metal-containing stream containing the at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium and containing less than about 1 mg/L of the basic metal impurity;
- and
- thereafter recovering the at least one of rhodium, platinum, and palladium from the precious metal-containing stream.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- contacting a stream comprising at least one of palladium, rhodium, and platinum and being substantially free of copper, iron, nickel, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, bismuth zinc, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, arsenic, ruthenium, silver and gold, with a substituted quaternary amine and alkali metal chloride to form a solids-containing stream and a liquid stream;
- recovering at least one of the palladium, rhodium and platinum;
- recovering the substituted quaternary amine and alkali metal chloride from the solids-containing and liquid streams;
- recycling the recovered substituted quaternary amine and the alkali metal chloride to the contacting step.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- evaporating a liquid stream comprising an alkali metal chloride and a substituted quaternary amine to form a crystal slurry;
- contacting the crystal slurry with a stream comprising at least one of palladium, rhodium, and platinum and being substantially free of copper, iron, nickel, lead, cobalt, aluminum, calcium, bismuth zinc, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, arsenic, ruthenium, silver and gold.
A method, comprising:
- contacting a precious metal-containing stream comprising at least one of rhodium, palladium, and platinum with a substituted quaternary amine to form a complex between the at least one of rhodium, palladium, and platinum and the substituted quaternary amine;
- recovering the at least one of rhodium, palladium, and platinum;
- recovering the substituted quaternary amine to form a solid fraction comprising the at least one of rhodium and platinum complexed with the substituted quaternary amine and a liquid fraction;
- and
- recycling the recovered substituted quaternary amine to the contacting step.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.