Capture Polymer Tethering for Tailings Solid Separation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Tailings ponds from mining operations pose environmental and economic challenges due to the slow settling of solids and contamination from hazardous materials in tailings streams, lacking effective and economical solutions for managing these issues.

Innovation Solution

The use of capture polymers that sequester ionic or organic materials, combined with anchor particles bearing tethering polymers, to form complexes that can be easily removed from fluid streams, facilitating rapid consolidation of contaminants into a solid mass and leaving clarified water.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional settling methods are used in tailings ponds, then solids can be separated from fluid over time, but the process requires years or decades and occupies large surface area

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesettling speedVSAvoidtime required for separation

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces capture polymers as intermediary substances that mediate between the dissolved metal cations and the fluid stream. These polymers selectively bind to metal cations, forming complexes that can be easily separated from the fluid, thereby accelerating the separation process from years to minutes or hours

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the tailings stream by adding capture polymers that alter the interaction between solids and fluid. This transforms the slow gravitational settling process into a rapid complexation-based separation, fundamentally changing the time scale of the separation process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If tailings ponds are used to manage waste streams, then contaminants can be isolated, but hazardous materials may seep into groundwater or disperse into air as dust

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegroundwater contaminationVSAvoidhazardous material dispersion

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts dissolved metal cations from the aqueous fluid stream using capture polymers. By selectively removing these hazardous contaminants through complexation, the system prevents their potential migration into groundwater or dispersion as dust, addressing both contamination sources simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful dissolved metal cations into beneficial captured complexes. The capture polymers transform these hazardous dissolved contaminants into solid complexes that can be easily separated and disposed of, turning a contamination problem into an effective removal solution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Productivity

If capture polymers are used to sequester ionic materials, then contaminants can be removed from fluid, but the system complexity increases with tether polymer and anchor particle components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontaminant removal efficiencyVSAvoidsystem component count

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple functional components into an integrated system where capture polymers, tether polymers, and anchor particles work together as a unified removal mechanism. This combination achieves high contaminant removal efficiency while managing system complexity through coordinated interaction of the components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 effectively and efficiently removes contaminants from tailings streams, reducing the environmental impact and economic burden by quickly consolidating solids, preventing groundwater contamination, and allowing for the reuse of water in mining operations.

Implementation Method 1

a capture polymer that sequesters the ionic material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectComplexation:

Implementation Method 2

the tethering polymer complexes with the capture polymer after the capture polymer has sequestered the ionic material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectComplexation:

Implementation Method 3

a removal system for segregating the removable material from the fluid

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSettling: Sedimentation

Data Source

PatentUS8894863B2Method for removal of dissolved metal cations from aqueous fluids using modified capture polymers and tether polymer bearing anchor particles

Publication Date: 2014.11.25 SOANE LABS LLC

AI summary

Systems and methods are presented for removing an ionic material from a fluid using a capture polymer that sequesters the ionic material and an anchor particle bearing a tethering polymer. The tethering polymer complexes with the capture polymer after the capture polymer has sequestered the ionic material, thereby affixing a complex of capture polymer and ionic material to the anchor particle to form a removable complex. The removable material can be segregated from the fluid via a removal system, thereby removing the ionic material from the fluid.