The Dow Chemical Company

Fmc Corporation

Other

William C Bauman

John M Lee

John L Burba, Iii

John D Watson

Richard A Wolcott

The present invention is a composition comprising pellets, each of said pellets consisting essentially of an integral mass of polycrystalline material of randomly disposed crystals of hydrated alumina infused with an amount of LiX to produce LiX/Al(OH),having up to a mol fraction of 0.33 of LiX in the so-produced LiX/Al(OH),, wherein LiX is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of Li hydroxide, Li halide, Li nitrate, Li sulfate, and Li bicarbonate. The present invention further includes methods of preparing the composition and methods of recovery lithium values from brine using the composition.

Composition for the recovery of lithium values from brine and process of making/using said composition

Pellets of a polycrystalline hydrated alumina, especially Gibbsite, are infused with LiOH to obtain loadings up to 0.33 mol fraction of LiOH in the LiOH/Al(OH).sub.3. The so-prepared material is useful for mixing with a LiX-containing brine solution, producing an interaction of the LiOH infused in the alumina pellets with the X ion (where X represents an acid salt moiety, especially halide) of the LiX-containing brine. The LiX interaction product is efficiently removed from the alumina pellets by water washing, leaving rejuvenated LiOH which can be used in yet another cycling of LiX formation/water removal. A plurality of loading and unloading cycles are achieved, yielding an appreciable amount of the lithium values derived from the brine.

Recovery of lithium values from brines

Morphologically altered pellets of a polycrystalline hydrated alumina, intercalated with LiX (where LiX is a lithium salt, preferably LiCl), is prepared by contacting the polycrystalline structure with LiX solution carried in NaCl brine, the LiX creating lithium-specific sites of intercalation in the crystalline structure, and the material is used in a LiX absorption process involving unloading LiX from the pellets, and then passing a LiX-containing brine through the pellets to capture more LiX in the Li-depleted active sites, and repeating the unloading and loading of the LiX a plurality of cycles. The unloaded LiX is collected as crude product which can be concentrated by evaporation and removing precipitated NaCl.

Useful compositions are prepared by incorporating into organic materials, crystalline lithium aluminates which conform substantially to the empirical formula

Intercalations of crystalline lithium aluminates

Alkaline earth metal ions, e.g., Mg.sup.++ and/or Ca.sup.++, are removed from alkali metal brines, e.g., NaCl, by use of a particulate, macroporous, anion exchange resin containing the in-situ reaction product of polymeric, amorphous, hydrous zirconium oxide and a source of PO.sub.4.sup.--- ions, e.g., H.sub.3 PO.sub.4.

Removal of Mg.sup.++ and Ca.sup.++ ions from NaCl brine

Macroporous cation exchange resins with sulfonic acid functional groups having polymeric hydrous zirconium oxide and polyacrylic acid contained therein are useful in substantially removing sulfate, borate, bicarbonate and/or phosphate ions from alkali metal salt solutions.

Removal of sulfate ions from brine

Macroporous ion exchange resins having increased apparent density are provided by incorporating into said resins a weighting agent which is of greater apparent density than the resin itself. Such weighted resins exhibit reduced bed expansion when used with upflow streams, with relatively dense liquids, and with relatively viscous liquids.

Higher density ion exchange resins of metal compound precipitated within

Crystalline transition metal aluminates conforming generally to the formula

Transition metal aluminates supported on a substrate

The density and capacity of macroporous ion exchange resins are increased by incorporating therein at least one of titania hydrate, zirconia hydrate, hydrated titanium phosphorous, and hydrated zirconium phosphate hydrates. Such resin composites are useful, e.g., in removing uranium values from aqueous solutions.

Ion exchange resins for uranium recovery

Formation of hydrous alumina in the reticules of a weak-base anion exchange resin, wherein AlCl.sub.3 has been precipitated as hydrous alumina by reaction with ammonia, is improved by employing a subsequent treatment with HCl or with NH.sub.4 Cl and HCl to convert the exchange resin to the chloride form, thereby increasing the reticular volume of the resin, thus permitting subsequent precipitation of additional hydrous alumina therein.

Alumina compounds in ion exchange resins

Preparation and use of novel cation exchange composites are described, said composites comprising polymers having sulfonic acid functional groups which have ionically attached thereto, in the resin phase, amorphous polymer hydrous zirconium oxide groups. These compositions are useful, e.g., for removing sulfate values from NaCl brine.

Removal of sulfate ions from brine using amorphous polymeric zirconium

Macroporous cation exchange resins with sulfonic acid functional groups having polymeric zirconium hydrous oxide contained therein are useful in substantially removing SO.sub.4.sup.= ions from metal salt solutions.

Removal of sulfate ions from brine using composite of polymeric

Alkaline earth metal ions, e.g., Mg.sup.++ and/or Ca.sup.++, are removed from alkali metal brines, e.g., NaCl, by use of a particulate, macroporous, anion exchange resin containing the in-situ reaction product of polymeric, amorphous, hydrous zirconium oxide and a source of PO.sub.4 ions, e.g., H.sub.3 PO.sub.4.

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Lake Jackson, TX, United States of America

William C Bauman