Solvay Sa

Solvay Chemicals Gmbh

Solvay Minerals, Inc.

David M Hansen

Ronald O Hughes

Jean-Paul Detournay

Beatrice C Ortego

Larry C Refsdal

Joseph A Vendetti

Matteo Paperini

Todd Brichacek

Justin T Patterson

John Kolesar

Herve Cuche

Ryan Schmidt

Vladimir M Zolotoochin

James C Kisielewski

Jim P Metziner

Alain Vandendoren

James D Phillip

Jessica A Mote

Bryan M Mortimer

Todd Wilson

John T Fuller

Keith O Hayes

Mayra Muci-Castaneda

Hervé Cuche

Beatrice Ortego

Justin Patterson

A process for producing crystalline sodium bicarbonate, comprising: providing an aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor originating from a reactive crystallization step in which first sodium bicarbonate crystals are produced and recovered; feeding at least a portion of said aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor to a cooling crystallization unit to form second sodium bicarbonate crystals and produce a crystals slurry comprising the second sodium bicarbonate crystals; and withdrawing a portion of the crystals slurry from the cooling crystallization unit for the withdrawn second sodium bicarbonate crystals to be further processed. A portion of the second sodium bicarbonate crystals withdrawn from the cooling crystallization unit may be fed to a sodium bicarbonate reactive crystallization unit, to a caustic unit, or may be separated and dried. The reactive crystallization, separation and/or drying units where the second sodium bicarbonate crystals are further processed may be the same units where the first sodium bicarbonate crystals are processed.

Production of crystalline sodium bicarbonate

A method for in situ solution mining of a mineral from an underground evaporite stratum using a set of wells in fluid communication with at least one mineral cavity with some wells operated in solvent injection mode and other wells operated in brine production mode and optionally with some inactive wells, comprising switching the operation mode of one or more wells. The evaporite mineral preferably comprises trona. The at least one cavity may be formed by directionally drilled uncased boreholes or by lithological displacement of the evaporite stratum at a weak interface with an underlying insoluble stratum by application of a lifting hydraulic pressure to create an interfacial gap. The extracted brine can be processed to make valuable products such as soda ash and/or any derivatives thereof. This method can provide more uniform dissolution of mineral in the cavity, minimize flow channeling, minimize sodium bicarbonate blinding for solution mining of incongruent trona ore, and/or may avoid uneven deposit of insolubles.

Multi-well solution mining exploitation of an evaporite mineral stratum

Utilization of mine methane produced by mining a non-combustible ore, such as trona, as an energy source for heat, steam, and/or power generation. Such utilization is beneficial for a surface appliance which is close to surface outlet(s) of mine methane recovery system(s). A method for reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated during mining of a non-combustible ore uses the combustion of co-produced mine methane. The mine methane is recovered in a mine ventilation air exhaust with very low methane content, and may be additionally recovered in a drainage gas, such as gob gas, with much higher methane content. The surface appliance may be selected from the group consisting of calciner, dryer, boiler, kiln, furnace, engine, turbine, power generation unit, co-generation unit, and any combinations thereof. Benefits may include reduction in energy purchases, reduction in greenhouse emissions, and/or gain through sale of carbon credits to the carbon market by registering carbon reductions.

Use of ventilation air methane exhausted during mining of non-combustible ore in a surface appliance

Batch initiation and/or exploitation phases of in situ solution mining of a mineral from an underground evaporite mineral stratum. The initiation phase may comprise a lifting step which employs a lithological displacement (lifting) of this stratum from an underlying non-evaporite stratum with application at the strata interface of a lifting hydraulic pressure greater than overburden pressure by a solvent suitable to dissolve the mineral; a soaking step for dissolution of mineral upon contact with stationary solvent, and a brine extraction step. The method may further comprise one or more exploitation phases carried out after the initiation phase. The exploitation phase may comprise a partial filing or filling step with the same solvent or different solvent than during lifting, another soaking step, and another brine extraction step. The lifting, cavity partial filing/filling, and brine extraction steps are being discontinuous. The evaporite mineral stratum preferably comprises trona.

Batch solution mining using lithological displacement of an evaporite mineral stratum and mineral dissolution with stationary solvent

A process for the joint production of crystalline sodium bicarbonate and another alkali compound, in which the step for producing such alkali compound generates COas a byproduct, at least a portion of which is used as a feed to the sodium bicarbonate production step. The produced alkali compound is preferably crystalline sodium sulfite. The joint production process preferably employs as feedstock one or more sodium carbonate liquors derived from trona ore. A gas feed which contains CObyproduct is subjected to a gas treatment which may include water removal and/or compression before it is used to produce sodium bicarbonate crystals from a sodium carbonate liquor. Such gas feed may comprise a reactor offgas exiting a sulfite reactor; a vent gas exiting a feed or surge tank; a decarbonation gas exiting a decarbonation unit; a vent gas vented from a crystallizer heater; or combinations of two or more thereof.

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A particulate sodium bicarbonate product with an excellent flowability characterized by an angle of repose less than 30 degrees. An angle of repose of less than 27.5 is particularly good. The product is preferably in the form of ovoid or spherical particles, in that the particles have a mean axial ratio of at least 0.5. In some embodiments, the sodium bicarbonate product has a smooth particle surface in which less than 75% of the particle surface is covered with spikes. The particles may have a mean diameter Dof at least 75 microns but less than 300 microns. The particulate sodium bicarbonate product comprises inorganic and organic impurities embedded in its polycrystalline structure, for example at least 75 ppm TOC; or at least 30 ppm Ca; or from 1 to 18 ppm Mg; or more than 0.6 g/kg NaCl; and/or from 100 to less than 500 ppm Si. A process for manufacturing such product, and its use for the treatment of pollutants in gases such as removal of acid gas.

Sodium bicarbonate product with excellent flowability and its method of manufacture

A method of producing crystals of crystallizable mineral salt comprises introducing an effluent comprising a dissolved crystallizable mineral salt at a temperature higher than the mineral salt crystallization temperature to a crystallization pond area to provide a pond solution; cooling the pond solution to provide cooling crystallization promoting conditions effective to form a crystalline mineral salt deposit; stopping the flow of the effluent; draining remaining spent liquor to a liquor pond area; and recovering the deposit. Cooling the pond solution may comprise exposure to cool ambient temperatures which are lower than the crystallization temperature. Preferably, the mineral salt includes or is sodium carbonate decahydrate; the pond solution comprises less than 10% NaCl; and/or the decahydrate deposit is sent or recycled to a soda ash plant. The deposit thus formed by cooling crystallization has a higher purity, lower hardness, and/or lower density than a deposit formed by evaporative crystallization.

Method of producing sodium carbonate decahydrate

Sulfur dioxide is introduced into a solution of sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite to form sodium bisulfite in a solution having dissolved sulfur dioxide present with a pH between 3.5 and 4.2. The solution is drawn to a cooling crystallizer where an alkali such as soda ash, caustic soda, sodium sulfite, and mixtures thereof is added to produce additional sodium metabisulfite that increases the yield of sodium metabisulfite crystallizing per pass. The mother liquor is recycled.

Sodium metabisulfite process

Sulfur dioxide is introduced into a solution of sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite to form sodium bisulfite in a solution having dissolved sulfur dioxide present with a pH between 3.5 and 4.2. The solution is drawn to a cooling crystallizer where sodium hydroxide is added to produce additional sodium metabisulfite that increases the yield of sodium metabisulfite crystallizing per pass. The mother liquor is recycled.

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Green River, WY, United States of America

David M Hansen