Recovery system of valuable metal and recovery method of valuable metal

Abstract

To provide a recovery system of a valuable metal using a functional material such as an adsorbent or an extractant that is capable of selective adsorption or concentration of an object valuable metal and circulation reuse of a valuable metal by a method such as elution reclamation and back extraction.SOLUTION: A valuable metal recovery system 1 is composed of a wastewater treatment apparatus 2 and a valuable metal recovery apparatus 3. The wastewater treatment apparatus 2 is composed of each water treatment unit including a tank 21, a flocculent settling tank 22, a membrane type filtration apparatus 23, and a valuable metal adsorption apparatus 24. This valuable metal adsorption apparatus 24 is attachably / detachably provided with an adsorbent column (functional material element). Each water treatment unit is unitized and can be mounted on one or more trailers T, transported to a discharge site of drainage water, and installed on the site. An adsorbent column after adsorption is conveyed to the valuable metal recovery apparatus 3, and at the valuable metal recovery apparatus 3, an object valuable metal is eluted or back-extracted from the functional material element filled with the adsorbent.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and method for recovering valuable metals in wastewater, and in particular to a system and method for recovering valuable metals that uses functional materials such as adsorbents and extractants that can selectively adsorb or concentrate target valuable metals and can be recycled and reused by methods such as elution regeneration and stripping. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, valuable metals that can be recovered with profit have been recovered, but valuable metals that cannot be recovered with profit have been discarded as industrial waste, etc. However, due to the recent increase in expectations for the creation of a circular economy and the rise in the value of valuable metals such as rare metals and precious metals, there is a demand for further reuse of valuable metals.

[0003] As a method for recovering such valuable metals, Patent Document 1 discloses a process that includes a step of contacting an adsorbent with a solution in which precious metals are dissolved, thereby allowing the adsorbent to adsorb the precious metal ions in the solution, and a step of contacting a reducing agent with the precious metal ions adsorbed on the adsorbent to reduce the precious metal ions and desorb them from the adsorbent, thereby forming them into particles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] WO2023 / 276710 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in order to recover the desired valuable metals from wastewater containing valuable metals, a valuable metal recovery device is required at each site where the wastewater is generated. This valuable metal recovery device requires a wastewater treatment device that adsorbs and concentrates the valuable metals contained in the wastewater, and a valuable metal recovery device that recovers the adsorbed and concentrated valuable metals. However, when the amount of wastewater is small or the wastewater is generated irregularly, such as at specific times, not only is the initial investment burden for the valuable metal recovery device large, but the operation and management of these devices are also required. Therefore, there is little business merit for users (dischargers) who discharge wastewater containing valuable metals to recover valuable metals, and this has been an obstacle to the progress of building a circular economy.

[0006] Therefore, a user who discharges wastewater containing valuable metals could consider entrusting the wastewater containing valuable metals to a company that can refine these valuable metals. However, if the wastewater containing valuable metals were to be transported from the site of the user who discharges the wastewater containing valuable metals to a refinery of the valuable metals without reducing its volume, the concentration of valuable metals in the wastewater would be very low, so the volume of the wastewater would be large and the transportation efficiency would decrease, resulting in very high transportation costs and making this an unrealistic approach.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a valuable metal recovery system that uses functional materials such as adsorbents and extractants that can selectively adsorb or concentrate target valuable metals and that can recycle and reuse valuable metals by methods such as elution regeneration and stripping, and a valuable metal recovery method that uses this system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, firstly, the present invention provides a valuable metal recovery system (Invention 1), which is a system for recovering valuable metals from wastewater containing valuable metals, comprising a wastewater treatment device having a functional material element capable of adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals as a water treatment unit, and a valuable metal recovery device that recovers the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metals from the functional material element, wherein the functional material element is detachable from the wastewater treatment device, and the valuable metals are recovered by the valuable metal recovery device after removing the functional material element from the wastewater treatment device.

[0009] According to the above invention (Invention 1), once the wastewater containing valuable metals has been sufficiently reduced in volume by adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals in the functional material element of the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached from the wastewater treatment device, and the valuable metals can be recovered in a valuable metal recovery device. In this case, by sufficiently reducing the volume of the wastewater containing valuable metals in the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached and easily transported, so it is suitable for the wastewater treatment device for the wastewater containing valuable metals and the valuable metal recovery device for recovering the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element to be located in different places. This allows the wastewater treatment of the wastewater containing valuable metals and the recovery of the valuable metals to be performed separately from the entity that discharges the wastewater containing valuable metals.

[0010] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that in the valuable metal recovery device, the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metal is recovered from the functional material element and the functional material is regenerated, and this regenerated functional material is reused as a functional material element again (Invention 2).

[0011] According to the above invention (Invention 2), valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element are eluted or stripped, thereby recovering the valuable metals, and the functional material is regenerated. This regenerated functional material can be reused as a functional material element, making it possible to provide a valuable metal recovery system that is excellent in terms of the circular economy.

[0012] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that the wastewater treatment device is composed of one or more water treatment units, and the water treatment units are portable (Invention 3).

[0013] According to the above invention (Invention 3), the wastewater of a specific user can be transported to the water treatment unit constituting the wastewater treatment device up to the discharge point thereof, so that the user does not need to construct the wastewater treatment device as a fixed structure, and a valuable metal recovery system can be provided that reduces the user's initial costs.

[0014] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that the wastewater treatment device and the valuable metal recovery device are provided in different locations (Invention 4).

[0015] According to the above invention (Invention 4), since the functional material element is detachable from the wastewater treatment device, the wastewater treatment device to be installed at the user's wastewater discharge point and the valuable metal recovery device are in different locations, and by removing the functional material element from the wastewater treatment device, the system installed at the user's wastewater discharge point can be used as the wastewater treatment device by transporting the functional material element to the installation location of the valuable metal recovery device, thereby reducing the space required on the user's side. Also, by selecting the recovery entity by the valuable metal recovery device depending on the valuable metal to be recovered, an appropriate recovery process can be performed.

[0016] In the above invention (Invention 1), it is preferable that the functional material constituting the functional material element is selected corresponding to the valuable metals in the wastewater containing the valuable metals (Invention 5).

[0017] According to the above invention (Invention 5), by selecting a functional material depending on the valuable metal to be recovered, the valuable metal to be recovered can be preferentially recovered.

[0018] In the above invention (Invention 3), it is preferable that the wastewater treatment device has a pretreatment device consisting of one or more water treatment units selected from sand filtration, activated carbon, coagulation filtration, coagulation sedimentation, coagulation pressure flotation, and membrane filtration as a water treatment unit upstream of the functional material element (Invention 6).

[0019] According to the above invention (Invention 6), the pretreatment device removes impurities, turbid components, and substances that inhibit the recovery of valuable metals, thereby making it possible to effectively adsorb or concentrate valuable metals in the functional material element, thereby improving the recovery efficiency of valuable metals in the valuable metal recovery device.

[0020] In the above invention (Invention 5), the functional material element is an adsorbent column filled with an adsorbent, and it is preferable that the entire adsorbent column is transported to a valuable metal recovery device and the adsorbent is recycled (Invention 7).

[0021] According to the above invention (Invention 7), the adsorbent column is transported to a valuable metal recovery device, where valuable metals are eluted and recovered from the adsorbent, and the adsorbent is then regenerated and can be reused as an adsorbent column.

[0022] In the above inventions (Inventions 1 to 7), it is preferable that the entity that discharges the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity that provides the wastewater treatment equipment, and that the entity that provides the wastewater treatment equipment calculates the wastewater treatment costs based on the market value and recovery amount of each type of valuable metal (Invention 8).

[0023] According to the above invention (Invention 8), by calculating wastewater treatment costs according to the type and amount of valuable metals desired to be recovered by the provider of the wastewater treatment equipment, a specific user can recover valuables without owning either the wastewater treatment equipment or the valuable metal recovery equipment.

[0024] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for recovering valuable metals from wastewater containing valuable metals, comprising a wastewater treatment process for treating wastewater containing valuable metals using a wastewater treatment device having, as a water treatment unit, a removable functional material element capable of adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals, and a valuable metal recovery process for recovering valuable metals from the functional material element, in which the functional material element is removed from the wastewater treatment device, and only the functional material element is treated in the valuable metal recovery process to recover the valuable metals (Invention 9).

[0025] According to the above invention (Invention 9), once the wastewater containing valuable metals has been sufficiently reduced in volume by adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals in the functional material element of the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached from the wastewater treatment device, and the valuable metals can be recovered in a valuable metal recovery device. In this case, by sufficiently reducing the volume of the wastewater containing valuable metals in the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached and easily transported, so it is suitable to have the wastewater treatment device for the wastewater containing valuable metals and the valuable metal recovery device for recovering the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element in different locations. This allows the wastewater treatment of the wastewater containing valuable metals and the recovery of the valuable metals to be performed separately from the entity that discharges the wastewater containing valuable metals.

[0026] In the above invention (Invention 9), in the valuable metal recovery process, it is preferable to recover the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metal from the functional material element and regenerate the functional material, and reuse the regenerated functional material as a functional material element again (Invention 10).

[0027] According to the above invention (Invention 10), valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element are eluted or stripped, thereby recovering the valuable metals, and the functional material is regenerated. This regenerated functional material can be reused as a functional material element, making it possible to provide a valuable metal recovery system that is excellent in terms of the circular economy.

[0028] In the above invention (Invention 9), it is preferable that the wastewater treatment device is composed of one or more water treatment units, the water treatment units are portable, and the wastewater treatment device is transported to the source of the wastewater containing the valuable metals to carry out the valuable metal recovery process (Invention 11).

[0029] According to the above invention (Invention 11), the wastewater of a specific user can be transported to the water treatment unit constituting the wastewater treatment device up to the discharge point thereof, so that the user does not need to construct the wastewater treatment device as a fixed structure, and a valuable metal recovery system can be provided which reduces the user's initial costs.

[0030] In the above invention (Invention 9), it is preferable that the wastewater treatment step and the valuable metal recovery step are carried out at different locations (Invention 12).

[0031] According to the above invention (Invention 12), since the functional material element is detachable from the wastewater treatment device, the wastewater treatment device to be installed at the user's wastewater discharge point and the valuable metal recovery device are in different locations, and by removing the functional material element from the wastewater treatment device, the system installed at the user's wastewater discharge point can be used as the wastewater treatment device by transporting the functional material element to the installation location of the valuable metal recovery device, thereby reducing the space required on the user's side. Also, by selecting the recovery entity by the valuable metal recovery device depending on the valuable metal to be recovered, suitable recovery processing can be performed.

[0032] In the above invention (Invention 9), it is preferable to select the functional material of the functional material element depending on the valuable metals in the wastewater containing the valuable metals (Invention 13).

[0033] According to the above invention (Invention 13), by selecting a functional material depending on the valuable metal to be recovered, the valuable metal to be recovered can be preferentially recovered.

[0034] In the above inventions (Inventions 9 to 13), it is preferable that the entity that discharges the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity that provides the wastewater treatment equipment, and that the entity that provides the wastewater treatment equipment calculates the wastewater treatment costs according to the market value and recovery amount of each type of valuable metal (Invention 14).

[0035] According to the above invention (Invention 14), once the wastewater containing valuable metals has been sufficiently reduced in volume by adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals in the functional material element of the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached from the wastewater treatment device, and the valuable metals can be recovered in a valuable metal recovery device. In this case, by sufficiently reducing the volume of the wastewater containing valuable metals in the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached and easily transported, so it is suitable for the wastewater treatment device for the wastewater containing valuable metals and the valuable metal recovery device for recovering the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element to be located in different places. This allows the wastewater treatment of the wastewater containing valuable metals and the recovery of the valuable metals to be performed separately from the entity that discharges the wastewater containing valuable metals. Effect of the Invention

[0036] According to the valuable metal recovery system of the present invention, when valuable metals are adsorbed or concentrated by the functional material element in the wastewater treatment device, the functional material element can be detached from the wastewater treatment device and recovered, so that the wastewater treatment containing valuable metals and the recovery treatment of recovering the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element can be performed separately. This makes it possible to efficiently recover valuable metals. In particular, in the valuable metal recovery device, the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metals are recovered and the functional material is regenerated, and the regenerated functional material can be reused as a functional material element, so that the functional material can be regenerated by eluting or back-extracting the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated in the functional material element, and the regenerated functional material can be reused as a functional material element, thereby making it possible to provide a valuable metal recovery system that is excellent in terms of circular economy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a valuable metal recovery system according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the valuable metal recovery system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] [Valuable metal recovery system] The valuable metal recovery system of this embodiment may have the configuration shown in FIG.

[0040] In FIG. 1, a valuable metal recovery system 1 comprises a wastewater treatment device 2 and a valuable metal recovery device 3 .

[0041] <Wastewater treatment equipment> The wastewater treatment device 2 is composed of water treatment units, namely, a tank 21 for storing wastewater W containing valuable metals, a coagulation and sedimentation tank 22 as a pretreatment means, a membrane filtration device 23 such as MF or UF, and a valuable metal adsorption device 24. This valuable metal adsorption device 24 is provided with a detachable adsorbent column (functional material element) which is a functional material capable of adsorbing valuable metals. Each of these water treatment units is unitized by installing the necessary equipment and piping on a pallet which can be loaded onto a transport means such as a trailer T, and can be loaded onto one or more trailers T and transported to the customer's discharge site of wastewater containing valuable metals, and can be installed at the site by unloading from the trailer T or by keeping the trailer T loaded.

[0042] (Wastewater containing valuable metals) In this embodiment, examples of valuable metals to be recovered include, but are not limited to, Li, Rb, Cs, Ti, Mo, Ni, In, Cu, Co, Ga, and V. When two or more types of valuable metals are present in the wastewater W, only one type may be recovered, two or more types may be recovered separately, or two or more types may be recovered simultaneously. The valuable metals in the wastewater may be dissolved by immersing in water, acid, or alkali. Furthermore, the eluted water from the waste may be used as the wastewater W. In this case, the wastewater 25 may be immersed and washed in pure water to remove dirt and impurities, and then the valuable metals may be eluted from the wastewater using chemicals such as acid or alkali, and this eluted water may be used as the wastewater W, or the eluted water may be merged with the wastewater W. In this wastewater W, the valuable metals exist in the form of ions, and the method can be suitably applied to wastewater W having a concentration of 10 to 10,000 mg / L.

[0043] (Pretreatment Means) In the coagulation settling tank 22 and membrane filtration device 23, pretreatment such as removal of suspended solid matter by solid-liquid separation and removal (rough removal) of coexisting substances that inhibit adsorption / extraction are carried out. In addition to these, one or more pretreatment means may be selected from sand filtration, activated carbon, coagulation filtration, coagulation pressure flotation, etc.

[0044] (Valuable metal adsorption device) The valuable metal adsorption device 24 is configured by detachably housing one or more functional material elements arranged in series or in parallel, each of which is a column filled with a functional material (adsorbent) capable of adsorbing valuable metals contained in the wastewater W containing valuable metals as described above. The shape and size of the column as the functional material element may be appropriately selected depending on the amount of wastewater W to be treated.

[0045] Examples of adsorbents that can be used include, but are not limited to, ion exchange resins (cation exchange resins, anion exchange resins), chelating resins, various composite oxides including zeolites, activated carbon, porous silica, and porous titania.

[0046] Cation exchange resins adsorb ionic substances in wastewater by exchanging cations in the resin with cations in the wastewater. For example, they are suitable for adsorbing valuable metals such as Li, Rb, Cs, Ni, Cu, and Co that exist as cations in the solution. Anion exchange resins adsorb ionic substances in wastewater by exchanging anions in the resin with anions in the wastewater. For example, they are suitable for adsorbing metal ions that exist as oxoanions.

[0047] A chelating resin is a resin that has been introduced with a functional group that forms a chelate (complex) with a specific metal ion, and can adsorb metal ions by forming a chelate with the specific metal. The most commonly used chelating resin, which has iminodiacetic acid as a functional group, is suitable for adsorbing Cu, Ni, and Co.

[0048] Zeolite can selectively adsorb cations by ion exchange in aqueous solutions. The selectivity of cations depends on the crystal structure of the zeolite, but it is suitable for adsorbing Cs and Rb. In addition to these, lithium manganate, lithium titanate, layered double hydroxides, etc. can also be used as Li adsorbents.

[0049] Such an adsorbent may be appropriately selected depending on the valuable metal to be recovered and used to constitute the functional material element, and it is preferable to use an adsorbent that shows a high distribution coefficient for the valuable metal to be recovered. Specifically, the distribution coefficient is preferably 100 mL / g (mg / mL solution / mg / mL adsorbent) or more, and more preferably 10,000 mL / g (mg / mL solution / mg / mL adsorbent) or more.

[0050] <Valuable metal recovery equipment> The valuable metal recovery device 3 elutes or strips the target valuable metal from the functional material element filled with the adsorbent. This valuable metal recovery device 3 is preferably provided in a location different from the wastewater treatment device 2, and receives and treats the functional material element. This valuable metal recovery device 3 may be configured according to the valuable metal to be recovered.

[0051] [Method of recovering valuable metals] Next, a valuable metal recovery method using the valuable metal recovery system described above will be described.

[0052] <Wastewater storage process> First, wastewater W containing valuable metals to be treated is stored in a tank 21. This wastewater W containing valuable metals may be wastewater discharged from various factories, or elution water from waste discarded in various factories. In the case of elution water from waste, the waste is immersed and washed in pure water to remove dirt and impurities, and then the valuable metals are eluted from the waste with a chemical such as an acid or alkali to obtain elution water. In this wastewater W, the valuable metals exist in the form of ions.

[0053] <Wastewater treatment process> (Pretreatment process) The wastewater W containing valuable metals stored in the tank 21 as described above is transferred to the coagulation and sedimentation tank 22 for coagulation and sedimentation treatment. This coagulation and sedimentation treatment removes suspended solid matter in the wastewater W and removes (roughly removes) coexisting substances that inhibit adsorption / extraction. Next, fine suspended solid matter contained in the wastewater W is removed by filtration using a membrane filtration device 23.

[0054] (Valuable metal adsorption process) The wastewater W thus pretreated is treated in a valuable metal adsorption device 24. In this valuable metal adsorption device 24, ionized valuable metals are adsorbed by an adsorbent. In this valuable metal adsorption step, an upper limit of the ion concentration of valuable metals in treated water obtained by treating the wastewater W in the valuable metal adsorption device 24 may be determined in advance depending on the ion concentration of valuable metals contained in the wastewater W to be treated, the amount of wastewater W to be treated, and the amount of adsorbent used in the adsorbent column of the valuable metal adsorption device 24, and the SV of the wastewater W may be set so that the ion concentration of valuable metals in the treated water W falls below this upper limit. Alternatively, the wastewater W may be circulated in the valuable metal adsorption device 24 until the ion concentration of valuable metals in the treated water falls below this predetermined upper limit.

[0055] In this case, it is preferable to provide a means for measuring the amount of treated water such as an integrating flow meter in the valuable metal adsorption device 24, and replace the adsorbent column at the stage where the adsorbent does not break through. In addition, it is preferable to provide a means for measuring the concentration of valuable metals in the treated water in the valuable metal adsorption device 24, and set a maximum standard value for the concentration of valuable ions in the treated water measured by the valuable metal concentration measuring means based on the concentration and amount of valuable metals in the wastewater W and the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent column for valuable metals, and to determine that the breakthrough of the adsorbent is imminent and replace the adsorbent column when the valuable metal concentration of the treated water exceeds the maximum standard value. In this case, the measurement values ​​of the integrating flow meter and the valuable metal concentration measuring means are transmitted to a remote receiver by a transmitting means, and the received data is managed at a management facility, and the replacement of the adsorbent column is managed, thereby enabling a stable valuable metal adsorption process to be performed.

[0056] In this embodiment, the column (functional material element) packed with the adsorbent (functional material) is detachable from the valuable metal adsorption device 24, so the treatment can be restarted by removing it from the valuable metal adsorption device 24 and replacing it with a new column. In addition, the wastewater after adsorbing the valuable metals may be returned to the existing wastewater treatment facility.

[0057] By using the valuable metal adsorption process described above, wastewater W having a valuable metal concentration of 10 to 10,000 mg / L can be reduced in volume to 0.01 to 10 volume % of the wastewater volume W by treating it with an adsorbent having a distribution coefficient for the valuable metal of 100 mL / g or more, particularly 10,000 mL / g or more.

[0058] (Valuable metal recovery process) Next, valuable metals are recovered from the adsorbent in the column removed from the valuable metal adsorption device 24. This recovery can be performed by immersing the adsorbent in a solvent appropriate for the valuable metal to be recovered, eluting the valuable metal, precipitating the valuable metal from the solvent, and drying and purifying the precipitate. The solvent used for elution can be selected appropriately according to the valuable metal to be recovered, such as hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, or other solvents that form complexes with the eluted metal ions. Different valuable metals can also be recovered separately by successively immersing the adsorbent in different solvents.

[0059] In addition, the adsorbent can be regenerated by removing any adsorbed substances other than valuable metals and removing any crushed adsorbent, and then dried to be reused as an adsorbent.

[0060] According to the present embodiment described above, the valuable metal adsorption process reduces the volume of the valuable metal wastewater to about 0.01 to 10% by volume, making it easy to transport the column as a valuable metal recovery product. Therefore, by transporting the column to a company that elutes and recovers valuable metals, treatment can be carried out at a location different from the wastewater treatment process.

[0061] [Operation method of valuable metal recovery system] As described above, according to the valuable metal recovery system 1 of this embodiment, the wastewater treatment device 2 can easily transport the media for valuable metal recovery by sufficiently reducing the volume of the media for valuable metal recovery compared to the wastewater W. Therefore, not only can the wastewater treatment device 2 and the valuable metal recovery device 3 be operated at different locations, but also an operator of the valuable metal recovery device 3 can be selected arbitrarily to be entrusted with the valuable metal recovery process.

[0062] As a result, for a user U who discharges wastewater W containing valuable metals, the provider A of the wastewater treatment device 2 and the recovery company B can operate the valuable metal recovery system 1 in, for example, the following two patterns.

[0063] [Table 1]

[0064] [Table 2]

[0065] In the operation method of the above-mentioned valuable metal recovery system, the processing fee set by the provider may be set on a pay-as-you-go basis depending on the amount of valuable metals, their value based on their market value, and the amount of wastewater W being processed, or may be set as a flat rate for a specified period of time.

[0066] By treating the wastewater W containing valuable metals in the above-mentioned pattern, the user U can enjoy the advantage that not only is there no initial cost for either the wastewater treatment device 2 or the valuable metal recovery device 3, but also there is no need to install these devices at the discharge point of the wastewater W of the user U, and the user U only needs to pay an appropriate treatment cost. On the other hand, by applying the operation method of this valuable metal recovery system, valuable metals can be recovered and reused, and the adsorbent (functional material element) can also be reused, which is also excellent in terms of circular economy.

[0067] The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment with reference to the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where valuable metals are recovered by adsorption has been described, but treatment may be performed by reducing the volume of the wastewater W by concentrating valuable metal ions using a reverse osmosis membrane or an electric deionization device. Furthermore, when the treatment period of the wastewater W containing valuable metals by the user U is short, the wastewater treatment device 2 is transportable, so that the operation rate of the wastewater treatment device 2 can be improved by transporting the wastewater treatment device 2 to the discharge point of the wastewater W containing other valuable metals. EXAMPLES

[0068] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the following specific examples.

[0069] [Example 1] Wastewater W containing approximately 10,000 mg / L of Cs as a valuable metal to be recovered was prepared as simulated raw water. This wastewater W was passed through a column packed with an adsorbent (zeolite) as a functional material element in a downward flow. The breakthrough point was determined when the concentration of the valuable metal in the treated water after treatment in this column became 10% of the concentration of the valuable metal in the simulated raw water.

[0070] At this breakthrough point, the adsorbent contained approximately 200 mg of valuable metals (approximately 20% by weight). Since the simulated raw water contained approximately 10,000 mg of valuable metals / L (approximately 1.0% by weight), it was confirmed that the valuable metals were approximately 20 times more concentrated in the adsorbent than in the raw water.

[0071] From these results, it was confirmed that the volume required to transport the adsorbent can be reduced to approximately 1 / 25 compared to transporting raw water as is.

[0072] The adsorbent was removed from the column and immersed in a nitric acid solution (concentration: 6% by weight) to elute the adsorbed valuable metals. dry solidification By this method, valuable metals could be recovered with a recovery rate of about 60% by weight. In addition, after drying the adsorbent after elution, it was possible to reuse about 90% by weight by removing crushed adsorbent through a sieve. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 Valuable metal recovery system 2 Wastewater treatment equipment 21 Tank 22 Coagulation and settling tank (pretreatment means) 23 Membrane filtration device (pretreatment means) 24 Valuable metal adsorption equipment 25 Waste 3 Valuable metal recovery equipment W Wastewater containing valuable metals T Trailer (vehicle)

Claims

1. A system for recovering valuable metals from wastewater containing valuable metals, comprising: a wastewater treatment device having a functional material element capable of adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metal as a water treatment unit; a valuable metal recovery device for recovering the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metal from the functional material element; wherein the functional material element is detachable from the wastewater treatment device, and the functional material element is removed from the wastewater treatment device and valuable metals are recovered by the valuable metal recovery device.

2. 2. The valuable metal recovery system according to claim 1, wherein in the valuable metal recovery device, the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metal is recovered from the functional material element and the functional material is regenerated, and the regenerated functional material is reused as a functional material element.

3. 2. The valuable metal recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the wastewater treatment device is composed of one or more water treatment units, and the water treatment units are portable.

4. 2. The valuable metal recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the wastewater treatment device and the valuable metal recovery device are provided in different locations.

5. 2. The valuable metal recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the functional material constituting the functional material element is selected in accordance with the valuable metals contained in the wastewater.

6. The valuable metal recovery system according to claim 3, wherein the wastewater treatment device has a pretreatment device comprising one or more water treatment units selected from sand filtration, activated carbon, coagulation filtration, coagulation sedimentation, coagulation pressure flotation, and membrane filtration as a water treatment unit upstream of the functional material element.

7. 6. The valuable metal recovery system according to claim 5, wherein the functional material element is an adsorbent column packed with an adsorbent, and the adsorbent column is transported to a valuable metal recovery device, and the adsorbent is recycled.

8. The valuable metal recovery system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the entity that discharges the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity that provides the wastewater treatment equipment, and the entity that provides the wastewater treatment equipment calculates wastewater treatment costs based on the market value and recovery amount of the valuable metals for each type of valuable metal.

9. A method for recovering valuable metals from wastewater containing valuable metals, comprising: a wastewater treatment process for treating wastewater containing valuable metals using a wastewater treatment device having a functional material element capable of adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals and being removable as a water treatment unit; a valuable metal recovery step of recovering valuable metals from the functional material element; the functional material element is removed from the wastewater treatment device, and only the functional material element is treated in a valuable metal recovery step to recover valuable metals.

10. 10. The method for recovering valuable metals according to claim 9, wherein in the valuable metal recovery step, the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metals are recovered and a functional material is regenerated, and the regenerated functional material is reused as a functional material element.

11. 10. The method for recovering valuable metals according to claim 9, wherein the wastewater treatment device is composed of one or more water treatment units, the water treatment units are portable, and the wastewater treatment device is transported to a location where wastewater containing the valuable metals is generated, and a valuable metal recovery process is carried out.

12. The method for recovering valuable metals according to claim 9 , wherein the wastewater treatment step and the valuable metal recovery step are carried out at different locations.

13. The method for recovering valuable metals according to claim 9, wherein the functional material of the functional material element is selected depending on the valuable metals in the wastewater containing the valuable metals.

14. The method for recovering valuable metals according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein an entity discharging the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from an entity providing the wastewater treatment device, and the entity providing the wastewater treatment device calculates wastewater treatment costs according to the market value and recovery amount of the valuable metals for each type of valuable metal.

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