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US 7,972,580 B2Granted
Methods and compositions for the removal of impurities and water from the Bayer process
AssigneeCytec Technology Corp.
InventorsMatthew Taylor, Douglas J. Harris, Haunn-Lin Tony Chen, Violina Cocalia
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Abstract
A liquid phase that comprises an oxalate-extracting amount of an organic salt is useful as an extractant in a liquid/liquid extraction process for purifying Bayer process streams.
Claims53
A method of purifying a Bayer process stream, comprising:
- providing a liquid phase that comprises an organic salt, the liquid phase including at least 1 wt. % of the organic salt, based on the weight of the Bayer process stream, wherein the organic salt comprises a quaternary organic cation, and wherein the liquid phase is at least partially immiscible with the Bayer process stream;
- intermixing the Bayer process stream with the liquid phase in an amount effective to form a biphasic liquid/liquid mixture, wherein the biphasic liquid/liquid mixture comprises a primarily Bayer process phase and a primarily organic salt phase;
- and
- at least partially separating the primarily Bayer process phase from the primarily organic salt phase to form a separated primarily Bayer process phase having a reduced oxalate concentration and a separated primarily organic salt phase
- wherein the intermixing is effective to reduce the concentration of oxalate in the Bayer process stream by extraction from the Bayer process stream into the primarily organic salt phase.
2 more elements
A method of purifying a Bayer process stream, comprising:
- providing a liquid phase that comprises an organic salt, wherein the organic salt comprises a quaternary organic cation selected from the group consisting of phosphonium, ammonium, imidazolium, pyrrolidinium, quinolinium, pyrazolium, oxazolium, thiazolium, isoquinolinium, and piperidinium, the liquid phase at least partially immiscible with the Bayer process stream, and wherein the liquid phase includes at least 1% by weight of the organic salt, based on the weight of the Bayer process stream;
- intermixing the Bayer process stream with the liquid phase in an amount effective to form a biphasic liquid/liquid mixture, wherein the biphasic liquid/liquid mixture comprises a primarily Bayer process phase and a primarily organic salt phase;
- and
- at least partially separating the primarily Bayer process phase from the primarily organic salt phase to form a separated primarily Bayer process phase having a reduced oxalate concentration and a separated primarily organic salt phase
- wherein the intermixing is effective to reduce the concentration of oxalate in the Bayer process stream by extraction from the Bayer process stream into the primarily organic salt phase.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.