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US 8,753,594B1 1. 2 SORBENT FOR LITHIUM EXTRACTION RELATED APPLICATIONS ThisaplicationclaimsprioritytoU.S.ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/261,114, filed on Nov. 13, 2009, whichisincorporatedhereinbyreferenceinitsentirety. (saltflat)brines,continentalbrines,includingSmackover brines,oilfieldbrines,andhighionicstrengthsolutionsare providedherein.Alsoprovidedaremethodsforpreparing sorbentcompositionsfortherecoveryoflithiumfromlithium containingsolutions. Inoneaspect,amethodforpreparingacompositionforthe recoveryoflithiumfromabrineisprovided.Themethod includesthestepsofpreparingalithiumaluminateintercalate Solidbycontactingalithiumsaltwithaluminaundercondi tions suficient to infuse the alumina with lithium salt, whereinthemoleratiooflithiumtoaluminaisuptoabout 0.5:1;andmixingthelithiumaluminateintercalatesolidwith apolymermaterialtoformamatrix.Thelithiumaluminate intercalatesolidispresentinanamountofatleast80%by weightandthepolymerispresentinanamountofbetween about1%and20%byweight.Incertainembodiments,the lithiumsaltislithiumchloride.Inotherembodiments,the lithiumsaltcanbeselectedfromthegroupconsistingof lithiumchloride,lithiumbromide,lithiumnitrate,orlithium hydroxide.Incertainembodiments,thepolymerisaSolidor apowder.Incertainembodiments,thealuminaisselected fromgibsite,aluminahydrate,bayerite,nordstandite,baux ite,amorphousaluminumtrihydroxideandactivatedalu mina. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.TechnicalFieldoftheInvention 10 Theinventiongeneralyrelatestothefieldofselectively removingandrecoveringlithiumfromSolution.Morepar ticularly,theinventionrelatestomethodsandmaterialsfor theselectiveremovalandrecoveryoflithiumionsfroma15 lithiumioncontainingbrine,preferablywithoutthesubstan tial removal of other ions from the brine. 2.DescriptionofthePriorArt Approximately75to80%oflithiumchlorideandlithium carbonate,andtheirderivatives,arecurentlyproducedfrom therecoveryoflithiumfrombrines,vianaturalevaporative proceses.Theinventiondescribedhereinisaplicableto theseandotherbrinesources. Geothermalbrinesareofparticularinterestforavarietyof reasons.First,somegeothermalbrineprovideasourceof electricalpowerduetothefactthathotgeothermalpoolsare25 storedathighpressureunderground,whichwhenreleasedto Inanotheraspect,acompositionfortherecoveryoflithium atmosphericpresure,canprovideaflash-steam.Theflash streamcanbeused,forexample,torunapowerplant.Insome geothermalwatersandbrines,asociatedbinaryprocesses canbeusedtoheatasecondfluid,whichcanprovidesteam30 forthegenerationofelectricitywithouttheflashingofthe geothermalbrine.Aditionaly,geothermalbrinescontain varioususefulelements,whichcanberecoveredandutilized forsecondaryproceses. Itisknownthatgeothermalbrinescanincludevarious35 metalions,particularlyalkaliandalkalineearthmetals,as wellastransitionmetalssuchaslead,silverandZinc,in varyingconcentrations,dependinguponthesourceofthe brine.Recoveryofthesemetalsispotentialyimportanttothe chemicalandpharmaceuticalindustries.Typicaly,theeco40 nomicrecoveryofmetalsfromnaturalbrines,whichmay varywidelyincomposition,dependsnotonlyonthespecific concentrationofthedesiredmetal,butalsoupontheconcen trationsofinterferingions,particularlysilica,calciumand magnesium,becausethepresenceoftheinterferingionswil45 increaserecoverycostsasaditionalstepsmustbetakento removetheinterferingions. Aslithiumhasgainedimportanceasanelementforusein variousaplications,suchasforuseinbateries,researchhas beenconductedtodevelopsimpleandinexpensivemethods50 for the recovery thereof. For example, Burba previously developedtwo-andthre-layerlithiumaluminatesforthe recoveryoflithiumfrombrines.(Se,forexample,U.S.Pat. Nos.4.348,295and4,461.714).Thepriorartmethodsthat employpackedcolumnsfortherecovery,however,sufer55 frommanydrawbacks,suchasshortenedlifetimesduetothe slowdeteriorationanddisintegrationoftheparticles. Thus,thereexiststheneedforthedevelopmentof improvedmethodsfortheselectiverecoveryoflithiumfrom lithiumcontainingbrinesthatareeasytouse,haveahigh60 capacityfortherecoveryoflithium,andhavealongservice life. fromabrineisprovided.Thecompositionincludesparticu latematerialthatincludesalithiumaluminateintercalateand apolymer.Thelithiumaluminateintercalateisproducedby infusingaluminawithalithiumsalttoproduceaLiX/Al (OH)solidhavingamolefractionoflithiumtoaluminumof upto0.3,whereinXistheanionofthelithiumsalt.The lithiumaluminateintercalateispresentinanamountofat leastabout80%byweightandthepolymerispresentinan amountofbetweenabout1%and20%byweight.Incertain embodiments,thelithiumsaltislithiumchloride.Incertain embodiments,thepolymerisselectedfromthegroupcon sistingofpolyethylene,ultrahighmolecularweightpolyeth ylene,highdensitypolyethylene,polypropylene,polyvinyl alcohol,polyacrylicacid,polyvinylidinedifluoride,polytet rafluoroethylene,andepoxythermosets.Incertainembodi ments,thepolymercomprisesanemulsifiedwaterinsoluble polymer.Incertainembodiments,thewaterinsolublepoly mercomprisesafluoropolymer. Inanotheraspect,amethodfortheremovalandrecoveryof lithiumfromgeothermalbrinesisprovidedwhereinthe method includes the steps of providing an extraction and recoveryapparatuscomprisingalithiumaluminateinterca latematrix,whereinthematrixispreparedbythestepsof contactingalithiumsaltwithaluminaandhydrochloricacid under conditions sufficient to infuse the alumina with the lithiumsalt,whereinthemoleratiooflithiumtoaluminaisup toabout0.5:1;andmixingthelithiumaluminateintercalate Solidwithapolymermaterialtoformamatrix,whereinsaid lithiumaluminateintercalateSolidispresentinanamountof atleastabout80%byweightandsaidpolymerispresentinan amount of between about 1% and 20% by weight. The methodfurtherincludesthestepofwashingthematrixwithat least1bedVolumeofawashSolutioncomprisingatleast about50ppmlithiumandSupplyingageothermalbrinetothe extractionandrecoveryapparatusandcontactingsaidgeo thermalbrinewiththelithiumaluminateintercalatematrix, whereinthecontactingstepisSuficienttoextractlithium chloride from the geothermal brine. The method further includesmonitoringtheoutputoftheextractionandrecovery apparatustodeterminetheSaturationofthelithiumaluminate intercalatematrix;andrecoveringextractedlithiumchloride SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Methodsfortheselectiveremovaloflithiumfromlithium containingsolutions,suchasbrines,geothermalbrines,salar 65PDF Image | Patent SORBENT FOR LITHIUM EXTRACTION
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ORC Waste Heat Turbine and ORC System Build Plans: All turbine plans are $10,000 each. This allows you to build a system and then consider licensing for production after you have completed and tested a unit.Redox Flow Battery Technology: With the advent of the new USA tax credits for producing and selling batteries ($35/kW) we are focussing on a simple flow battery using shipping containers as the modular electrolyte storage units with tax credits up to $140,000 per system. Our main focus is on the salt battery. This battery can be used for both thermal and electrical storage applications. We call it the Cogeneration Battery or Cogen Battery. One project is converting salt (brine) based water conditioners to simultaneously produce power. In addition, there are many opportunities to extract Lithium from brine (salt lakes, groundwater, and producer water).Salt water or brine are huge sources for lithium. Most of the worlds lithium is acquired from a brine source. It's even in seawater in a low concentration. Brine is also a byproduct of huge powerplants, which can now use that as an electrolyte and a huge flow battery (which allows storage at the source).We welcome any business and equipment inquiries, as well as licensing our turbines for manufacturing.| CONTACT TEL: 608-238-6001 Email: greg@infinityturbine.com | RSS | AMP |