METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS MONITORING AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS

Claims

Methods and apparatus for recovering an element of interest from an aqueous source are described herein. The methods described herein include measuring a first conductivity of a first aqueous material using a conductivity sensor; performing an operation on the first aqueous material to change the concentration of an element of interest and produce a second aqueous material; measuring a second conductivity of the second aqueous material using a conductivity sensor; comparing the first conductivity, or a first value of a variable derived from the first conductivity, with the second conductivity, or with a second value of the variable derived from the second conductivity; and modifying a parameter of the operation based on the comparison. Methods for recovering elements of interest from aqueous sources using simulated moving bed processes are also described herein.