Abstract:
Electrically regenerable desalting apparatus having the desalting compartment packed with ion exchangers produced by utilizing radiation-initiated graft polymerization, in which said ion exchangers are nonwoven fabrics in the form of a fiber assembly and a cation exchanger and an anion exchanger are disposed in a face-to-face relationship, with a porous material being interposed between the two ion exchangers. Having the ability to reject ions from liquids, the apparatus is particularly suited to the production of pure water in the electrical power generating industries (including the nuclear industry), electronic industry and the pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry, as well as to the desalting of thick fluids encountered in food and chemical manufacturing processes.
Abstract:
Electrodeionization apparatus having a novel polarity reversal protocol designed to provide continuous, high-quality product fluid is described. The protocol involves substitution of a recirculating fluid stream established in an ion-concentrating compartment by a fluid stream having a lower ionic concentration, while maintaining fluid flow through an adjacent ion-depleting compartment. A method and protocol for modifying the ionic makeup of compartment ion exchange material and fluids are also provided. A flow reversal protocol is also provided, during which high-quality fluid product is recovered from the inventive apparatus. The polarity reversal protocol and flow reversal protocol may each be effected separately, or the flow reversal may be introduced into the sequence of the polarity reversal protocol. The inventive electrodeionization apparatus is arranged in a novel cell pair grouping configuration and oriented such that fluid flow through an ion-concentrating compartment is in a substantially upward direction, facilitating efficient removal of gas generated in the ion-concentrating compartment.
Abstract:
A membrane module in which non-porous membranes are bonded to spacer elements, which elements are in turn bonded to each other to create a membrane support zone as a result of contact with the surface of the membrane opposite the surface to which the membrane is bonded. The membrane is restrained from peeling from the membrane bond by the support zone under opposing pressure as may be caused by fluid flowing past the membrane. The preferred use of such a membrane module is for continuous electrodeionization processes.
Abstract:
A waste solution containing electroactive species, e.g., metal ions, can be remediated to very low levels of contaminant by an electrolysis method including the steps of introducing an electrolyte containing an electroactive species into an electrolytic cell having a cathode and an anode, producing a flow of the electrolyte past at least one of the electrodes at an electrolyte flow rate, and passing an electric current through the solution between the anode and the cathode whereby the electroactive species undergoes an electrochemical reaction at one of the electrodes at an electrochemical reaction rate, using an electric current pulsed at a frequency of 0.5 to 1000 Hertz and a duty cycle of not greater than 50%, and adjusting the electrolyte flow rate for the pulsed current electrolysis such that the electrochemical reaction rate for pulsed current electrolysis is greater than the electrochemical reaction rate for direct current electrolysis. The method is especially useful in increasing the efficiency of electrolytic remediation of metal-containing waste solutions to low levels of metal ion contaminants. The method is preferably conducted using electrodes having very high surface area, optionally coated with an ion exchange resin.
Abstract:
Electrodeionization apparatus having a novel polarity reversal protocol designed to provide continuous, high-quality product fluid is described. The protocol involves substitution of a recirculating fluid stream established in an ion-concentrating compartment by a fluid stream having a lower ionic concentration, while maintaining fluid flow through an adjacent ion-depleting compartment. A method and protocol for modifying the ionic makeup of compartment ion exchange material and fluids are also provided. A flow reversal protocol is also provided, during which high-quality fluid product is recovered from the inventive apparatus. The polarity reversal protocol and flow reversal protocol may each be effected separately, or the flow reversal may be introduced into the sequence of the polarity reversal protocol. The inventive electrodeionization apparatus is arranged in a novel cell pair grouping configuration and oriented such that fluid flow through an ion-concentrating compartment is in a substantially upward direction, facilitating efficient removal of gas generated in the ion-concentrating compartment.
Abstract:
A flow-through capacitor and a controlled charge chromatography column system using the capacitor for the purification of a fluid-containing material, which column comprises an inlet for a fluid to be purified and an outlet for the discharge of the purified fluid, and a flow-through capacitor disposed within the column. The flow-through capacitor comprises a plurality of spirally-wound, stacked washer or rods to include a first electrically conductive backing layer, such as of graphite, and a first high surface area conductive layer secured to one side of the backing layer, such as carbon fibers, and a second high surface area conductive layer secured to the opposite side of the backing layer, the high surface area material layers arranged to face each other and separated by a nonconductive, ion-permeable spacer layer to insulate electrically the backing and conductive layer. The system includes a DC power source to charge the respective conductive layers with different polarities whereby a fluid-containing material passing through the column is purified by the electrically conductive, high surface area stationary phase and the retention thereof onto the high surface area layer and permitting, for example, the purification of aqueous solutions of liquids, such as salt, and providing for the recovery of a purified liquid.
Abstract:
Electrodialysis ("ED") stacks are disclosed having components selected from the group:a) cation exchange ("CX") membranes and/or CX granules having in at least a surface a predominant amount of sulfonate exchange groups and a minor amount of weakly ionized exchange groups;b) anion exchange ("AX") membranes and/or AX granules having in at least a surface substantially only quaternary ammonium and/or phosphonium exchange groups which upon decomposition leave almost no amine or phosphine groups bound to the membranes or granules;c) AX and/or CX granules which are selective to monovalent ions at currents which are fractions of the limiting current of such granules;d) AX and/or CX membranes and granules, such membranes and granules selective to monovalent ions at currents which are fractions of the limiting current of such membranes and granules;e) ion exchange ("IX") granules in which the concentration of IX groups in the inner regions is a fraction (including zero) of the concentration in the outer regions;f) AX membranes and/or granules having in at least a surface AX groups having the formula ##STR1## where the R's represent substituents other than hydroxyethyl having at least two carbon atoms, at least one of the R's represents the polymeric structure of such membranes or granules, or a connection thereto, where two or more R's may represent ring structures and A represents nitrogen or phosphorus.Also disclosed are processes for softening, de-nitrating, de-silicizing or demineralizing water or for removing ash from milk products.
Abstract:
A novel electrodeionization apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a plurality of disk-shaped concentrating and diluting cell pairs which provide an apparatus which minimizes losses of ion exchange membrane efficiency due to membrane sealing to compartment spacers. In addition, a novel method for filling individual cells or cell pairs with ion exchange resins is disclosed.
Abstract:
A first metal, for example a transition metal such as cobalt, having an insoluble hydroxide is separated from a second metal such as lithium having a soluble hydroxide in an aqueous liquid containing dissolved cations of the metals. The cations are firstly absorbed onto a cation exchange material by electrochemical ion exchange and the second metal then selectively eluted by electrochemical ion exchange under sufficiently high pH conditions, e.g. to 10-13, in a closed loop. Finally, the transition metal is eluted by electrochemical ion exchange under sufficiently low pH conditions, e.g. acidic such as 1-2. The method is applicable to separating trace quantities of Co (e.g. as Co-60) from larger quantities of Li in aqueous solution.
Abstract:
A process is provided for removing ions from water which is passed through an ion depletion compartment of an electrodeionization apparatus. The electrodeionization apparatus contains an ion depletion compartment containing mixed ion exchange resin beads and an ion concentration compartment which may contain ion exchange resin beads in a given separation stage having an anode and a cathode. The anion resin beads and cation resin beads utilized each comprise beams of substantially uniform size. A second liquid is passed through the ion concentration compartment to collect ions under the influence of DC potential which pass from the depletion compartments into the concentration compartments through ion permeable membranes. The electrodeionization apparatus can be operated continuously since resin regeneration is not required.