Platinum recovery
AssigneeUnion Oil Company of California
InventorsDarrell L. Gallup, G. Todd Ririe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Geothermal brine and other platinum-containing solutions are passed through a carbon-containing zone to recover platinum from the aqueous medium.
Claims22
A method for removing platinum from a platinum-containing brine comprising the step of contacting the brine with carbon.
A method for removing platinum and at least one additional metal selected from the group consisting of copper and metals below copper in the electromotive series from a metal-containing brine comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting the brine with at least one metal higher in the electromotive series than copper;
- and
- (b) contacting the brine with carbon.
A method of removing metal from a geothermal brine comprising the sequential steps of:
- (a) producing brine having an elevated temperature and pressure from a subterranean formation;
- (b) passing the produced brine through a flashing means for flashing the brine to a lower pressure to release steam;
- and
- (c) contacting the flashed brine with carbon.
A system for removing platinum from a platinum-containing geothermal brine, the system comprising:
- (a) means for producing the geothermal brine from a subterranean formation;
- (b) means for flashing the produced geothermal brine to a lower pressure to release steam;
- (c) means for transporting the produced geothermal brine from the brine production means to the brine flashing means;
- (d) means for contacting the geothermal brine with carbon;
- (e) carbon particles present in the carbon-contacting means;
- and
- (f) means for transporting the flashed geothermal brine to the carbon-contacting means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.