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US 9,518,241 B2Granted
Method of separating and de-watering fine particles
AssigneeVirginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
InventorRoe-Hoan Yoon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for cleaning and dewatering hydrophobic particulate materials is presented. The process is performed in two steps: 1) agglomeration of the hydrophobic particles in a first hydrophobic liquid/aqueous mixture; followed by 2) dispersion of the agglomerates in a second hydrophobic liquid to release the water trapped within the agglomerates along with the entrained hydrophilic particles.
Claims18
A process for separating a hydrophobic particulate material and its hydrophilic contaminant dispersed in an aqueous slurry, the process comprising the steps of
- a. agitating the aqueous slurry under conditions of high-shear agitation in the presence of a first hydrophobic liquid to form agglomerates of the hydrophobic particulate material;
- b. separating the agglomerates from the aqueous liquid;
- c. dispersing the agglomerates in a second hydrophobic liquid, so that water trapped in between the hydrophobic particulate material constituting the agglomerates is liberated from the hydrophobic particulate material;
- and
- d. separating the hydrophobic particulate material from the second hydrophobic liquid and the water liberated from the agglomerates, thereby obtaining hydrophobic particles substantially free of hydrophilic contaminant and water, wherein the first hydrophobic liquid and the second hydrophobic liquid are the same or different.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.