# US 9,435,008 B2 · Indium recovery method

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- Number: US 9,435,008 B2
- Document ID: US9435008B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/126,835
- Filed: 2012-08-09
- Published: 2014-05-29
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2011-08-12
- Assignees: Osaka Prefecture University Public Corporation
- Applicants: Yasuhiro Konishi; Norizo Saito; Arumi Higashi
- Inventors: Yasuhiro Konishi; Norizo Saito; Arumi Higashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9435008B2

## 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)}
- C12N 1/20: Bacteria; Culture media therefor
- C12P 3/00: Preparation of elements or inorganic compounds except carbon dioxide {(recovery of carbon dioxides as by-products C12F3/02)}
- C22B 7/007: {by acid leaching}
- Y02P 10/20: Recycling
- C22B: PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS (electrolytic C25); PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

According to the present invention, there is provided an indium recovery method for recovering indium from an indium-containing product, including a leaching step of allowing indium to leach into an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution by hydrothermal leaching using the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution as a leaching agent from the indium-containing product to obtain a leachate composed of an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution containing indium, and a separating step of adding a microbe for adsorbing In ions to the leachate to separate indium from the leachate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An indium recovery method for recovering indium from an indium-containing product, comprising a leaching step of adding an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution having a concentration of 0.05 to 0.5 M to an indium-containing product to allow indium to leach into the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution by hydrothermal leaching using the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution as a leaching agent from the indium-containing product to obtain a leachate composed of an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution containing indium, and
a separating step of adding a microbe for adsorbing indium ions to the leachate to separate indium from the leachate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The indium recovery method according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of the aqueous hydrochloric acid solution is maintained at 110 to 130° C. in the leaching step.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The indium recovery method according to claim 1, wherein a pressure condition in the leaching step is 0.143 to 0.270 MPa.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The indium recovery method according to claim 1, wherein a treating time in the leaching step is 3 to 60 minutes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The indium recovery method according to claim 1, further comprising adding an alkaline material to the leachate before adding or after adding the microbe for adsorbing indium ions to thereby cause the pH of the leachate to be within the range of 2.2 to 3.0 in the separating step.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The indium recovery method according to claim 1, wherein the microbe for adsorbing indium ions is Shewanella algae or Shewanella oneidensis.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The indium recovery method according to claim 1, wherein the microbe for adsorbing indium ions is subjected to a drying treatment or is calcined after the separating step to recover indium.