Membrane solvent extraction
AssigneeAllied Chemical Corporation
InventorsLester T. C. Lee, Win-Sow Ho, Kang-Jen Liu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A membrane solvent extraction system is utilized to separate two substantially immiscible liquids and extract a solute through a solvent swollen membrane from one solvent liquid phase to the extracting solvent liquid without direct contact between the liquid phases. The membrane extraction method has advantages over conventional solvent extraction and may be applied as the mechanism in separation, purification, pollutant removal and recovery processes.
Claims20
A solvent extraction process which comprises the steps of contacting one side of a polymeric substantially non-porous membrane with a first solvent liquid B containing a solute material A and contacting the other side of said membrane with an extracting second solvent liquid C which is substantially immiscible with liquid B, said membrane being swollen by the respective solvents thereby forming an intermediary zone and allowing the diffusion through the swollen membrane of the solute material A while preventing direct phase to phase contact between solvent liquids B and C, and wherein the diffusivity of A in the membrane from B and C is in the range of about 1 .times. 10.sup..sup.-9 to about 1 .times. 10.sup..sup.-4 cm.sup.2 /sec., and maintaning the separation of liquids B and C by said membrane until said solute A has been substantially extracted from liquid B through a solvent swollen membrane into liquid C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.