Method for separation of monovalent metals from multivalent metals
View Patent ↗The present invention is directed to a new more environmentally friendly method for the separation of metals from concentrated solution or more specifically to separate monovalent metals from a solutions that comprise high levels of multivalent metals by using a sulfonic functionalized resin.
1. A method for the separation of monovalent metal from a multivalent metal concentrated solution comprising:
i) providing a sulfonic functionalized resin media;
ii) providing a concentrated solution comprising at least one monovalent metal and magnesium;
iii) passing the concentrated solution over the sulfonic functionalized resin media to separate the monovalent metal from the magnesium; and
iv) eluting the monovalent metal,
wherein the magnesium is present in the concentrated solution in an amount from 5 to 175 g/L,
and wherein the method is performed using a simulated moving bed.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the monovalent metal is lithium.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the concentrated solution comprises sodium.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the concentrated solution comprises potassium.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the functionalized resin media is in sodium form.
6. The method of claim 1 further wherein at least 25% of the amount of monovalent metal from the concentrated solution is eluted.
7. The method of claim 1 further wherein at least 90% of the amount of the monovalent metal from the concentrated solution is eluted.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the concentrated solution has a pH of from 0 to 11.
9. The method of claim 2 wherein the concentrated solution comprises from 25 to 20000 mg/L lithium.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous mobile phase is aqueous sodium chloride solution.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the magnesium is present in an amount from 50 to 175 g/L.