METHODS AND DEVICES FOR ENHANCING CONTAMINANT REMOVAL BY RARE EARTHS

• US 20110309017A1
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Molycorp Minerals LLC (Oaktree Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Molycorp Minerals LLC (Oaktree Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Hassler, Carl R., Burba, John L. III, Lupo, Joseph, Oriard, Timothy L., Whitehead, Charles F.
• Application Number:
  US13/086,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20110309017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/638
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/14 Base exchange silicates, e.g. zeolites
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 39/18 Macromolecular compounds B01J39/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 41/14 obtained by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 43/00 Amphoteric ion-exchange, i.e. using ion-exchangers having cationic and anionic groups; Use of material as amphoteric ion-exchangers; Treatment of material for improving their amphoteric ion-exchange properties ion-exchange chromatography processes B01D15/36
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 49/06 containing cationic exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 49/07 containing anionic exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/281 using inorganic sorbents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/42 by ion-exchange ion-exchange in general B01J
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/103 Arsenic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/20 Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/306 Pesticides
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/308 Dyes; Colorants; Fluorescent agents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/36 containing halogen

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for removing a variety of contaminants using both rare earth and non-rare earth-containing treatment elements.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a feed stream comprising a target material and an interferer, the target material and interferer being different;

(b) contacting the feed stream with an upstream treatment element to remove at least most of the interferer while leaving at least most of the target material in an intermediate feed stream; and

(c) thereafter contacting the feed stream with a downstream treatment element to remove at least most of the target material, wherein the interferer interferes with removal of the target material by the downstream treatment element, wherein the upstream treatment element is one of a rare earth-containing treatment element and a non-rare earth-containing treatment element, and wherein the downstream treatment element is the other of a rare earth-containing treatment element and a non-rare earth-containing treatment element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element is substantially free of a rare earth and wherein the interferer has a greater affinity for the downstream treatment element than does the target material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the downstream treatment element is the rare earth-containing treatment element, wherein the upstream treatment element is the non-rare earth-containing treatment element, wherein the interferer comprises one or more of the following:

PO₄³⁻

, CO₃²⁻

, SiO₃²⁻

, bicarbonate, vanadate, and a halogen, and wherein the target material is one or more of a chemical agent, a colorant, a dye intermediate, a biological material, an organic carbon, a microbe, an oxyanion, and mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material comprises an oxyanion of at least one of arsenic, aluminum, astatine, bromine, boron, fluorine, iodine, silicon, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, gallium, thallium, germanium, selenium, mercury, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, ruthenium, rhodium, indium, tin, antimony, tellurium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, iridium, platinum, lead, uranium, plutonium, americium, curium, and bismuth.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material is a chemical agent, the chemical agent comprising one or more of a pesticide, rodenticide, herbicide, insecticide, and fertilizer.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material is at least one of a colorant and dye intermediate.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material is a biological material.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material is an organic carbon.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material is an active microbe.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the target material is an oxyanion.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the downstream treatment element is the non-rare earth-containing treatment element, wherein the upstream treatment element is the rare earth-containing treatment element, and wherein the interferer and target material are each one or more of a chemical agent, a colorant, a dye intermediate, a biological material, an organic carbon, a microbe, an oxyanion, a halogen, a halide compound, and mixtures thereof.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element is a membrane and the interferer is one or more of a halogen and a halide compound.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises an oxidant and wherein the interferer is an oxidizable material.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the oxidant, relative to the target material, preferentially oxidizes the interferer.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises a reductant and wherein the interferer is a reducible material.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the reductant, relative to the target material, preferentially reduces the interferer.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises a precipitant and wherein the interferer is co-precipitated with the target material by the precipitant.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises an ion exchange medium and wherein the interferer is, relative to the target material, a competing ion for sites on the ion exchange medium.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises an ion exchange medium and wherein the interferer is at least one of a foulant, the at least one of a foulant detrimentally impacting operation of the non-rare earth-containing treatment element.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises an organic solvent in a solvent exchange circuit and wherein the interferer and the target material are, under the selected operating conditions of the solvent exchange circuit, soluble in the organic solvent.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein target material is a chemical agent, the chemical agent being one or more of acetaldehyde, acetone, acrolein, acrylamide, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, aldrin/dieldrin, ammonia, aniline, arsenic, atrazine, barium, benzidine, 2,3-benzofuran, beryllium, 1,1′

-biphenyl, bis(2-chloroethyl)ether, bis(chloromethyl)ether, bromodichloromethane, bromoform, bromomethane, 1,3-butadiene, 1-butanol, 2-butanone, 2-butoxyethanol, butraldehyde, carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, carbonyl sulfide, chlordane, chlorodecone and mirex, chlorfenvinphos, chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs), chlorine, chlorobenzene, chlorodibenzofurans (CDFs), chloroethane, chloroform, chloromethane, chlorophenols, chlorpyrifos, cobalt, copper, creosote, cresols, cyanide, cyclohexane, DDT, DDE, DDD, DEHP, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, diazinon, dibromochloropropane, 1,2-dibromoethane, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, 3,3′

-dichlorobenzidine, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,3-dichloropropene, dichlorvos, diethyl phthalate, diisopropyl methylphosphonate, di-n-butylphtalate, dimethoate, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, dinitrocresols, dinitrophenols, 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluene, 1,2-diphenylhydrazine, di-n-octylphthalate (DNOP), 1,4-dioxane, dioxins, disulfoton, endosulfan, endrin, ethion, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, ethylparathion, fenthions, formaldehyde, freon 113, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide, hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorocyclopentadiene, hexachloroethane, hexamethylene diisocyanate, hexane, 2-hexanone, HMX (octogen), hydraulic fluids, hydrazines, hydrogen sulfide, isophorone, malathion, MBOCA, methamidophos, methanol, methoxychlor, 2-methoxyethanol, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl mercaptan, methylparathion, methyl t-butyl ether, methylchloroform, methylene chloride, methylenedianiline, methyl methacrylate, methyl-tert-butyl ether, mirex and chlordecone, monocrotophos, N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiphenyl amine, N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine, naphthalene, nitrobenzene, nitrophenols, perchloroethylene, pentachlorophenol, phenol, phosphamidon, phosphorus, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), propylene glycol, phthalic anhydride, pyrethrins and pyrethroids, pyridine, RDX (cyclonite), selenium, styrene, sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide, sulfuric acid, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, tetryl, thallium, tetrachloride, trichlorobenzene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,2,3-trichloropropane, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), vinyl acetate, and vinyl chloride.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein the target material comprises one or more of a carbonyl and carboxyl group.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises a copper/silver ionization treatment element and the interferer comprises an oxyanion.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein a preference and/or removal capacity of the downstream treatment element for removing the interferer is more than about 1.5 times the preference and/or removal capacity of the downstream treatment element for removing the interferer.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein a removal capacity and/or preference of the upstream treatment element for the interferer is more than about 1.5 times the removal capacity and/or preference for the target material.

26. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-rare earth-containing treatment element is a peroxide process and wherein the interferer reacts with peroxide to substantially generate molecular oxygen.

27. The method of claim 11, wherein the interferer is one or more of a phosphorus-containing composition, a carbon- and oxygen-containing compound, a halogen, a halogen-containing composition, and a silicon-containing composition.

28. A system, comprising:

(a) in input to receive a feed stream comprising a target material and an interferer, the target material and interferer being different;

(b) an upstream treatment element to remove from the feed stream at least most of the interferer while leaving at least most of the target material in an intermediate feed stream; and

(c) a downstream treatment element to remove from the intermediate feed stream at least most of the target material, wherein the interferer interferes with removal of the target material by the downstream treatment element, wherein the upstream treatment element is one of a rare earth-containing treatment element and a non-rare earth-containing treatment element, and wherein the downstream treatment element is the other of a rare earth-containing treatment element and a non-rare earth-containing treatment element.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the upstream treatment element is a rare earth-containing treatment element and the downstream treatment element is a non-rare earth-containing treatment element.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the upstream treatment element is a non-rare earth-containing treatment element and the downstream treatment element is a rare earth-containing treatment element.

31. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a feed stream comprising a target material, the target material being at a first pH and first temperature;

(b) contacting the feed stream with a non-rare earth-containing treatment element to remove at least a first portion of the target material to form an intermediate feed stream having a lower target material concentration than the feed stream; and

(c) contacting the intermediate feed stream with a rare earth-containing treatment element to remove at least a second portion of the target material to form a treated feed stream.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, in a first mode, the non-rare earth-containing treatment element removes at least most of the target material when the first pH and/or first temperature is within a first set of values and, in a second mode, the non-rare earth-containing treatment element does not remove at least most of the target material when the first pH and/or first temperature is within a second set of values, the first and second set of values being non-overlapping.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein, in the first mode, the rare earth-containing treatment element does not remove at least most of the target material and, in the second mode, the rare earth-containing treatment element removes at least most of the target material.

34. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a feed stream comprising a target material;

(b) contacting the feed stream with a rare earth-containing treatment element to remove at least a first portion of the target material to form an intermediate feed stream having a lower target material concentration than the feed stream;

(b) contacting the intermediate feed stream with a non-rare earth-containing treatment element to remove at least a second portion of the target material to form a treated feed stream.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the target material is a microbe and the non-rare earth-containing treatment element comprises an anti-microbial agent.

36. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a feed stream comprising first and second target materials, the first and second target materials being at least one of a biological material and a microbe;

(b) treating, by a chlorine dioxide process, the feed stream to remove at least most of the first target material and form an intermediate stream; and

(c) treating, by a rare earth-containing treatment element, the intermediate stream to remove at least most of the second target material, the first and second target materials being different and the second target material being one or both of Escherichia coli and a rotovirus.

37. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving a feed stream comprising at least one of a carbonate and bicarbonate;

(b) contacting the feed stream with a cerium(IV) compound to remove at least a portion of the at least one of the carbonate and bicarbonate and form a treated stream.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the cerium(IV) compound is cerium(IV) oxide and wherein the at least one of a carbonate and bicarbonate is carbonate.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the cerium(IV) compound is cerium(IV) oxide and wherein the at least one of a carbonate and bicarbonate is bicarbonate.