Valuable metal recovery system and valuable metal recovery method

Abstract

A valuable metal recovery system 1 comprises a waste water treatment device 2 and a valuable metal recovery device 3. The waste water treatment device 2 comprises water treatment units, namely, a tank 21, a flocculation / sedimentation tank 22, a membrane type filtration device 23, and a valuable metal adsorption device 24. The valuable metal adsorption device 24 is formed by detachably providing an adsorbent column (functional material element). Furthermore, each of the water treatment units can be unitized, placed on one or more trailers T, conveyed to a waste water discharge site, and installed at the site. The adsorbent column after adsorption is transported to the valuable metal recovery device 3, and in the valuable metal recovery device 3, a target valuable metal is eluted or back-extracted from the functional material element that is filled with the adsorbent. The present invention thereby realizes a valuable metal recovery system which employs a functional material such as an adsorbent or an extractant that is capable of selectively adsorbing or concentrating a target valuable metal and circularly recycling and reusing the valuable metal by means of a method such as elution / regeneration or back extraction.

Description

Valuable metal recovery system and valuable metal recovery method

[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 that can be recycled and reused by methods such as elution regeneration and stripping.

[0002] Traditionally, valuable metals that can be recovered with a profit have been recovered, but valuable metals that cannot be recovered with a profit have been discarded as industrial waste, etc. However, with the recent rise 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 bringing an adsorbent into contact with a solution in which a precious metal has been dissolved, thereby causing the adsorbent to adsorb the precious metal ions in the solution, and a step of bringing a reducing agent into contact with the precious metal ions adsorbed on the adsorbent, thereby reducing the precious metal ions and causing them to be desorbed from the adsorbent and form particles.

[0004] WO2023 / 276710

[0005] However, 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 this device is also required. Therefore, there is little business benefit for users (dischargers) that discharge wastewater containing valuable metals to recover the valuable metals, and this has been an obstacle to the development of a circular economy.

[0006] Therefore, it is conceivable that users discharging wastewater containing valuable metals could entrust the disposal of this wastewater containing valuable metals to a company capable of refining these valuable metals. However, if the wastewater containing valuable metals were to be transported from the site of the user discharging the wastewater containing valuable metals to a refinery of these valuable metals without reducing its volume, the concentration of valuable metals contained in the wastewater would be very low, and the volume of the wastewater would increase, which would reduce transportation efficiency and result in very high transportation costs, making this an unrealistic approach.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned 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.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention first 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 the functional material element is removed from the wastewater treatment device.

[0009] According to the above invention (Invention 1), once 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. This makes it suitable for the wastewater treatment device for the wastewater containing valuable metals and the valuable metal recovery device that recovers the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated on the functional material element to be located in different locations. This allows the wastewater containing valuable metals to be treated and the valuable metals to be recovered separately from the main source of 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 metals are 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 to recover 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 create 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 that 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 that constitutes the wastewater treatment device at the discharge point thereof, so 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 can be located in different places by removing the functional material element from the wastewater treatment device, and by transporting the functional material element to the installation location of the valuable metal recovery device, the system installed at the user's wastewater discharge point can be used as the wastewater treatment device, thereby reducing the space required on the user's side.In addition, by selecting the recovery entity by the valuable metal recovery device depending on the valuable metal to be recovered, optimal recovery processing 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 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 discharging the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment, and that the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment calculates the wastewater treatment costs for each type of valuable metal based on the market value and recovery amount of the 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 that the provider of the wastewater treatment device aims to recover, a specific user can recover valuable materials without owning either a wastewater treatment device or a valuable metal recovery device.

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

[0025] According to the above invention (Invention 9), once the volume of wastewater containing valuable metals has been sufficiently reduced 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. This makes it suitable for the wastewater treatment device for the wastewater containing valuable metals and the valuable metal recovery device that recovers the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated on the functional material element to be located in different locations. This allows the wastewater containing valuable metals to be treated and the valuable metals to be recovered separately from the main source of 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 this 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 to recover 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 create 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 location where the wastewater containing valuable metals is generated, and the valuable metal recovery process is carried out therein (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 at the discharge point thereof, so 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.

[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 can be located in different places by removing the functional material element from the wastewater treatment device, and by transporting the functional material element to the installation location of the valuable metal recovery device, the system installed at the user's wastewater discharge point can be used as the wastewater treatment device, thereby reducing the space required on the user's side.In addition, by selecting the recovery entity by the valuable metal recovery device depending on the valuable metal to be recovered, optimal 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 discharging the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment, and that the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment calculates the wastewater treatment costs for each type of valuable metal according to the market value and recovery amount of the valuable metal (Invention 14).

[0035] According to the above invention (Invention 14), once the volume of wastewater containing valuable metals has been sufficiently reduced 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. This makes it suitable for the wastewater treatment device for the wastewater containing valuable metals and the valuable metal recovery device that recovers the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated on the functional material element to be located in different locations. This allows the wastewater containing valuable metals to be treated and the valuable metals to be recovered separately from the main source of the wastewater containing valuable metals.

[0036] According to the valuable metal recovery system of the present invention, once 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. This allows for separate treatment of wastewater containing valuable metals and recovery of the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated on the functional material element. This allows for efficient recovery of valuable metals. In particular, the valuable metal recovery device recovers the adsorbed or concentrated valuable metals and regenerates the functional material, which can be reused as a functional material element. Therefore, by regenerating the functional material by eluting or stripping the valuable metals adsorbed or concentrated on the functional material element, the system can be a valuable metal recovery system that is excellent in terms of circular economy.

[0037] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a valuable metal recovery system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[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. 1, for example.

[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 Apparatus> The wastewater treatment apparatus 2 comprises water treatment units: a tank 21 for storing wastewater W containing valuable metals; a coagulation and sedimentation tank 22 as pretreatment means; a membrane filtration device 23 such as MF or UF; and a valuable metal adsorption device 24. The valuable metal adsorption device 24 is provided with a detachable adsorbent column (functional material element) that is a functional material capable of adsorbing valuable metals. Each of these water treatment units is formed into a unit by installing the necessary equipment and piping on a pallet that can be loaded onto a transport means such as a trailer T. The unit is then loaded onto one or more trailers T and transported to the customer's discharge site of wastewater containing valuable metals, where it can be unloaded from the trailer T or installed at the site while still mounted on the trailer T.

[0042] (Wastewater Containing Valuable Metals) In this embodiment, 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. Valuable metals in the wastewater may be dissolved by immersion in water, acid, or alkali. Furthermore, elution water from 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. This elution water may be used as the wastewater W, or the elution water may be combined with the wastewater W. Valuable metals exist in the wastewater W in the form of ions, and this method is suitable for wastewater W with a concentration of 10 to 10,000 mg / L.

[0043] (Pretreatment Means) In the coagulation settling tank 22 and the membrane filtration device 23, pretreatments such as removal of suspended solids 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 selected from sand filtration, activated carbon, coagulation filtration, coagulation pressure flotation, etc. may be used as this pretreatment means.

[0044] (Valuable Metal Adsorption Device) The valuable metal adsorption device 24 is configured by detachably accommodating 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 valuable metal-containing wastewater W. The shape and size of the column as the functional material element may be selected appropriately 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 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] Chelate resins are resins that have been introduced with functional groups that form chelates (complexes) with specific metal ions, and can adsorb metal ions by forming chelates with the specific metals. Chelate resins with the most commonly used iminodiacetic acid functional group are suitable for adsorbing Cu, Ni, and Co.

[0048] Zeolite can selectively adsorb cations in aqueous solutions through ion exchange. The selectivity for cations depends on the crystalline 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 adsorbents may be appropriately selected depending on the valuable metals to be recovered to form the functional material element, and it is preferable to use an adsorbent that exhibits a high partition coefficient for the valuable metals to be recovered. Specifically, the partition 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 Apparatus> The valuable metal recovery apparatus 3 elutes or strips out the target valuable metals from the functional material elements filled with the adsorbent. This valuable metal recovery apparatus 3 is preferably provided in a location different from the wastewater treatment apparatus 2, and receives and treats the functional material elements. This valuable metal recovery apparatus 3 may be configured according to the valuable metals to be recovered.

[0051] [Valuable Metal Recovery Method] 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 may be elution water from waste discarded at 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 using 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 and subjected to coagulation and sedimentation treatment. This coagulation and sedimentation treatment removes suspended solid matter from the wastewater W and removes (roughly removes) coexisting substances that inhibit adsorption / extraction. Subsequently, fine suspended solid matter contained in the wastewater W is removed by filtration using a membrane filtration device 23.

[0054] (Valuable Metal Adsorption Step) The wastewater W pretreated in this manner 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 predetermined 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 the valuable metal adsorption device 24 with a means for measuring the amount of treated water, such as an integrating flow meter, and replace the adsorbent column before the adsorbent breaks through. It is also 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. When the concentration of valuable metals in the treated water exceeds the maximum standard value, it is determined that breakthrough of the adsorbent is imminent, and the adsorbent column is replaced. Such replacement of the adsorbent column can be performed stably by transmitting the measured values ​​of the integrating flow meter and the valuable metal concentration measuring means to a remote receiver via a transmitting means, and managing the received data at a management facility. This allows for stable replacement of the adsorbent column, ensuring a stable valuable metal adsorption process.

[0056] In this embodiment, the column (functional material element) filled with the adsorbent (functional material) is detachable from the valuable metal adsorption device 24, so 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% by volume of the wastewater volume W by treating it with an adsorbent having a distribution coefficient for the valuable metals 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 then drying and purifying the precipitate. The solvent used for elution can be selected appropriately depending on 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. Note that different valuable metals can also be recovered separately by sequentially immersing the adsorbent in different solvents.

[0059] In addition, the adsorbent can be regenerated by removing adsorbates other than valuable metals and further removing crushed adsorbent, and then drying it, allowing it to be reused as an adsorbent.

[0060] According to the present embodiment as described above, the valuable metal adsorption step reduces the volume of the valuable metal wastewater to about 0.01 to 10% by volume of the valuable metal wastewater volume W, 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 step.

[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 facilitate the transportation of 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 and the valuable metal recovery process can be entrusted to the operator.

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

[0063]

[0064]

[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, the amount of wastewater W processed, etc., or may be set as a flat rate for a specified period of time.

[0066] By treating wastewater W containing valuable metals in the manner described above, the user U not only does not require initial costs for either the wastewater treatment device 2 or the valuable metal recovery device 3, but also enjoys the benefit of not having to install these devices at the user U's wastewater W discharge point, and only having to pay appropriate treatment costs. 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 advantageous in terms of a circular economy.

[0067] The present invention has been described above based on the above-described embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, valuable metals are recovered by adsorption. However, valuable metal ions may be concentrated using a reverse osmosis membrane or an electrodeionization device to reduce the volume of the wastewater W. Furthermore, if the user U treats the wastewater W containing valuable metals for a short period of time, the wastewater treatment device 2 can be transported. Therefore, the operating rate of the wastewater treatment device 2 can be improved by transporting the wastewater treatment device 2 to a discharge point of wastewater W containing other valuable metals.

[0068] The present invention will be further illustrated by 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 manner. The breakthrough point was determined when the concentration of the target valuable metal in the treated water after treatment with this column was 10% of the concentration of the target 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 (approximately 1.0% by weight), it was confirmed that the amount of valuable metals in the adsorbent was approximately 20 times more concentrated than in the raw water.

[0071] From these results, it was confirmed that the volume required to transport the adsorbent can be reduced to about 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 wt%) to elute the adsorbed valuable metals. The eluate was dried and solidified, allowing the valuable metals to be recovered, with a recovery rate of approximately 60 wt%. Furthermore, after drying, the adsorbent was sieved to remove any crushed adsorbent, making it approximately 90 wt% reusable.

[0073] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Valuable metal recovery system 2 Wastewater treatment device 21 Tank 22 Coagulation sedimentation tank (pretreatment means) 23 Membrane filtration device (pretreatment means) 24 Valuable metal adsorption device 25 Waste 3 Valuable metal recovery device W Wastewater containing valuable metals T Trailer (transport means)

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 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 the functional material element is removed from the wastewater treatment device.

2. A valuable metal recovery system as described in 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. A valuable metal recovery system as described in claim 1, wherein the wastewater treatment device is composed of one or more water treatment units, and the water treatment units are portable.

4. 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. A 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 described in claim 3, wherein 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.

7. A 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, where the adsorbent is recycled.

8. A valuable metal recovery system as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the entity discharging the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment, and the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment calculates the 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 removable functional material element capable of adsorbing or concentrating the valuable metals as a water treatment unit; 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.

10. A method for recovering valuable metals as described in 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. A method for recovering valuable metals as described in 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 process and the valuable metal recovery process 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 according to the amount of valuable metals in wastewater containing the valuable metals.

14. A method for recovering valuable metals described in any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the entity discharging the wastewater containing the valuable metals is different from the entity providing the wastewater treatment equipment, and the entity providing 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.

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