Bromine and lithium extraction from aqueous sources
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsDominic Vincent Perroni, Florence Binet
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Abstract
Methods comprise generating chlorine gas in a conversion process that converts metal chloride from an aqueous medium derived from a metal containing aqueous source into a hydroxide material; recovering the chlorine gas; and recovering bromine by reacting the chlorine gas with a bromide containing aqueous source. The methods and apparatus described herein also provide for removing sulfide species and/or organic species and/or transition metals, among others. The methods may be applicable for instance to lithium conversion and may be coupled to a direct extraction process for lithium extraction.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- generating chlorine gas in a conversion process that converts metal chloride from an aqueous medium obtained from a metal containing aqueous source into a hydroxide material;
- recovering the chlorine gas;
- and
- recovering bromine by reacting the chlorine gas with a bromide containing aqueous source.
A method, comprising:
- withdrawing lithium ions from an aqueous medium comprising lithium ions using a direct extraction process to form an aqueous lithium extract;
- converting lithium ions of a stream derived from the lithium extract to lithium hydroxide using an electrochemical process;
- converting chloride ions of the stream derived from the lithium extract to chlorine gas using the electrochemical process;
- and
- reacting the chlorine gas with an aqueous source comprising bromide ions to form bromine gas from the bromide ions.
A method, comprising:
- reducing a concentration of at least one or more of sulfide species, transition metal ions, organic species, from an aqueous source comprising lithium ions and bromide ions;
- reacting a stream derived from the aqueous source with a chlorine gas stream to form bromine and a bromide depleted aqueous stream;
- extracting lithium ions from a stream derived from the bromide depleted using a direct extraction process to a lithium extract;
- converting lithium of the lithium extract to lithium hydroxide in an electrochemical process that uses a lithium selective barrier to form the chlorine gas stream.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.