Amide Extraction Agent for Precious Metals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for recycling precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum group metals are inefficient due to high impurity content and require multiple extraction processes, leading to increased operational costs and facility requirements.
Innovation Solution
A precious metal extraction agent containing an amide derivative, such as glycinamide derivatives, is used to extract multiple precious metals in a single process from an acid solution with adjusted pH, allowing for efficient separation from impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple extraction processes are used to retrieve precious metals from solutions with high impurity content, then the purity of retrieved precious metals is improved, but the device complexity and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by developing a single extraction agent (organophosphorus compound) that can extract multiple precious metals (platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, osmium) simultaneously from hydrochloric acid solutions. This multi-functional agent replaces the need for multiple separate extraction processes, each designed for specific metals, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining high purity retrieval of all precious metals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple extraction operations into a single process by using a composite organophosphorus extraction agent that combines the capabilities of various metal-specific extractants. This allows simultaneous extraction of different precious metals from the same solution phase, consolidating what would traditionally require sequential multiple extraction steps into one unified operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple extraction processes are used to separate precious metals from impurities, then the purity of precious metals is improved, but the loss of time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous extraction of all precious metals in a single operation rather than requiring sequential batch processes. The organophosphorus extraction agent maintains continuous extraction activity across the entire spectrum of precious metals, eliminating idle time between separate extraction steps and maintaining productive action throughout the process.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining multiple metal extraction capabilities into one agent and one process step, the patent eliminates the time losses associated with transitioning between different extraction processes. All precious metals are extracted simultaneously in what is described as a 'one-step operation,' directly reducing the total process time while achieving high purity separation.
3Productivity
If conventional extraction agents are used to extract precious metals, then the extraction process is simple, but the extraction rate and purity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials by using organophosphorus compounds with specific molecular structures (containing P=O, P-O-C, or P-O-P bonds) that combine multiple functional groups within a single agent. This composite molecular structure enables the extraction agent to simultaneously interact with and extract different precious metals with high efficiency and selectivity, achieving both high extraction rates and high purity in a single process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces the number of extraction steps and facility needs, enabling early and highly efficient extraction of precious metals with minimal loss, achieving high extraction rates and purity.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting an acid solution containing precious metals to solvent extraction with the precious metal extraction agent according to (1) or (2) to extract the precious metals from the acid solution
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention extracts precious metals from an acidic solution containing precious metals in an early and highly efficient manner. Provided is an extraction agent for precious metals that is represented by the general formula below. In the formula, R1 and R2 each represent the same alkyl group or different alkyl groups, R3 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, and R4 represents a hydrogen atom or a discretionary group that is not an amino group and that bonds to α carbon as an amino acid. By subjecting an acidic solution containing precious metals to solvent extraction using the extraction agent for precious metals, a plurality of precious metals can be recovered all at once from a solution containing a large amount of various impurities.