Recovery of heavy metals from solution by extraction with cross-linked vegetable protein

• US 4,355,137 A
• Filed: 10/29/1980
• Issued: 10/19/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (Commonwealth Of Australia As Represented By Department Of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research And Tertiary Education)
• Original Assignee: Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (Commonwealth Of Australia As Represented By Department Of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research And Tertiary Education)
• Inventors: Winter, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Kight, III, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): NUTTER, NATHAN M
• Application Number:
  US06/202,006
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 260/6, 521/30, 210/688, 210/683, 210/731, 525/54.1, 527/205
• US Class Current: 525/54.1
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/286 using natural organic sorbents or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/5272 using specific organic precipitants
• CPC Class Codes: C08H 1/00 Macromolecular products derived from proteins food proteins A23; glue, gelatine C09H

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of abstracting heavy metal ions from solution by contacting the solution containing heavy metal ions with a cross-linked vegetable protein, or a mixture of cross-linked vegetable proteins. The method may be used to separate a mixture of heavy metal ions in solution by selectively abstracting a particular heavy metal ion by contacting the particular heavy metal ion with a selected cross-linked vegetable protein.

Preferred vegetable proteins are derived from wheat, rape seed, safflower seed, sun-flower seed or soya bean.

Claims

1. A method of abstracting heavy metal ions from solution in which a solution containing heavy metal ions is brought into contact with a cross-linked vegetable protein.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the vegetable protein is cross-linked with formaldehyde.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said vegetable protein is derived from wheat, rape seed, safflower seed, sun-flower seed or soya bean.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said vegetable protein is gluten.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein said vegetable protein is in the form of a seed meal.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the cross-linked vegetable protein is thiolated.

3. A method of separating a mixture of heavy metal ions whereby a solution containing at least two heavy metal ions is brought into contact with a cross-linked vegetable protein under conditions such that one of the said heavy metal ions is selectively adsorbed onto said cross-linked vegetable protein.