# US 7,611,631 B2 · Indium adsorbent and indium fractioning method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,611,631 B2 - Document ID: US7611631B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/631,898 - Filed: 2005-07-07 - Published: 2008-02-14 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2004-07-09 - Assignees: Aquatech Co., Ltd.; Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Akifusai Ohnishi; Nobuaki Fujiwara; Hideki Doi; Toyokazu Matsunami; Hiroshi Tsubota; Toshiaki Muratani; Shoji Nishikawa; Shinichi Yamasaki; Takamichi Honma - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7611631B2 ## CPC - C22B 58/00: Obtaining gallium or indium {(treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction, by ion-exchange or by adsorption C22B3/20)} - B01J 20/26: Synthetic macromolecular compounds - B01J 20/261: {obtained by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds (macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds per se C08F)} - B01J 41/04: Processes using organic exchangers - B01J 41/14: obtained by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds - C22B 3/42: by ion-exchange extraction - Y02P 10/20: Recycling - C22B: PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS (electrolytic C25); PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract The invention provides an indium adsorbent that can cause indium to be adsorbed, and a simple and inexpensive indium fractioning method for isolating and recovering high-purity indium from an acid solution whose primary component is hydrochloric acid and that contains indium. A primary component of the indium adsorbent is an anion-exchange resin that has a crosslinked structure produced by the copolymerization of styrene or acrylamide and divinylbenzene, and at least one of a quaternary ammonium group and a tertiary ammonium group, and that is provided with an acid-adsorbing ability. An acid solution whose primary component is hydrochloric acid and that includes indium is brought into contact with the anion-exchange resin to cause indium to be adsorbed to the anion-exchange resin. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An indium fractioning method comprising: bringing an acid solution that has hydrochloric acid as a primary component and that contains indium into contact with an anion-exchange resin that has a crosslinked structure produced by copolymerization of styrene or acrylamide and divinylbenzene, and at least one of a quaternary ammonium group and a tertiary ammonium group, and that is provided with an acid-adsorbing ability, so as to cause indium to adsorb to the anion-exchange resin; and after indium has been adsorbed onto the anion-exchange resin, bringing the anion-exchange resin into contact with water so as to desorb the indium from the anion-exchange resin, yielding an indium recovery liquid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The indium fractioning method according to claim 1, wherein an acid concentration of the effluent after contact with the anion-exchange resin is measured, and an acid recovery liquid and the indium recovery liquid are fractioned off based on the change in its concentration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The indium fractioning method according to claim 1, wherein the pH of the indium recovery liquid is adjusted so as to recover the indium as indium hydroxide. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The indium fractioning method according to claim 2, wherein the pH of the indium recovery liquid is adjusted so as to recover the indium as indium hydroxide. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The indium fractioning method according to claim 3, wherein the indium hydroxide that has been recovered is dried or eluted with acid. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The indium fractioning method according to claim 4, wherein the indium hydroxide that has been recovered is dried or eluted with acid. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The indium fractioning method according to claim 1, wherein the acid solution is at least one of a solution obtained by eluting, with an acid whose primary component is hydrochloric acid, a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, an etching waste liquid of the conducting film, and a wash waste liquid of a chamber. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The indium fractioning method according to claim 2, wherein the acid solution is at least one of a solution obtained by eluting, with an acid whose primary component is hydrochloric acid, a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, an etching waste liquid of the conducting film, and a wash waste liquid of a chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The indium fractioning method according to claim 3, wherein the acid solution is at least one of a solution obtained by eluting, with an acid whose primary component is hydrochloric acid, a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, an etching waste liquid of the conducting film, and a wash waste liquid of a chamber. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The indium fractioning method according to claim 4, wherein the acid solution is at least one of a solution obtained by eluting, with an acid whose primary component is hydrochloric acid, a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, an etching waste liquid of the conducting film, and a wash waste liquid of a chamber. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The indium fractioning method according to claim 5, wherein the acid solution is at least one of a solution obtained by eluting, with an acid whose primary component is hydrochloric acid, a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, an etching waste liquid of the conducting film, and a wash waste liquid of a chamber. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The indium fractioning method according to claim 6, wherein the acid solution is at least one of a solution obtained by eluting, with an acid whose primary component is hydrochloric acid, a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, an etching waste liquid of the conducting film, and a wash waste liquid of a chamber. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The indium fractioning method according to claim 1, wherein the acid solution is a mixture acid solution that includes nitric acid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The indium fractioning method according to claim 2, wherein the acid recovery liquid is used for eluting at least one of a conducting film of a flat panel display, ITO attached matter or IZO attached matter that occur due to sputtering, or leadless solder that includes indium, or is used for washing a chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The indium fractioning method according to claim 7, wherein the acid solution is a mixture acid solution that includes nitric acid.