Thiol-Functionalized Hyper-Crosslinked Polymers for Gold Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gold purification and recovery methods involve corrosive acids or toxic cyanide salts, causing environmental and toxicity issues, and less-toxic alternatives like thiourea are not effective in forming readily separable gold-anion complexes.
Innovation Solution
Thiol-functionalized, hyper-crosslinked vinylbenzylchloride-divinylbenzene copolymers with high mesopore volumes and tailored pore size distributions are used for efficient gold adsorption and desorption, employing a thiourea-based functionalization strategy to avoid harmful side reactions and facilitate rapid metal uptake and release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If corrosive acids or toxic cyanide salts are used for gold extraction, then gold purification efficiency is improved, but environmental harm and toxicity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thiol-functionalized hyper-crosslinked polymers as intermediary materials that mediate gold ion capture without requiring corrosive acids or toxic cyanide salts. The polymer's thiol groups form stable complexes with gold ions, enabling efficient gold recovery while eliminating the harmful chemical agents traditionally used in gold extraction processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hyper-crosslinked polymers with hierarchical porous structures (combining micropores and mesopores) to enhance gold ion adsorption. The porous architecture provides high surface area and accessible binding sites for thiol groups, significantly improving gold capture efficiency while maintaining environmental safety.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If less-toxic leaching agents like thiourea are used, then environmental harm is reduced, but effectiveness in forming separable gold-anion complexes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates composite functional materials by incorporating thiol groups onto hyper-crosslinked polymer matrices. This composite structure combines the environmental benefits of non-toxic materials with the high effectiveness needed for gold recovery, as the thiol-functionalized polymer forms stable yet separable gold complexes through ligand exchange mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the polymer material by introducing thiol functional groups with specific binding affinities for gold ions. This parameter change enables the material to effectively capture gold ions while maintaining the environmental advantages of non-toxic composition, resolving the contradiction between safety and effectiveness.
3Productivity
If thiol-functionalized hyper-crosslinked polymers with high mesopore volumes are used, then adsorption capacity and kinetics are improved, but material complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the pore structure into hierarchical levels (micropores and mesopores), where micropores provide high surface area for adsorption and mesopores facilitate rapid mass transport. This segmentation of functional spaces within the polymer matrix simultaneously enhances adsorption capacity and kinetics while maintaining a systematic, manageable structural architecture.
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
The materials exhibit superior adsorption capacities and kinetics, enabling effective capture and regeneration of gold ions with minimal environmental impact, maintaining high stability through multiple reuse cycles.
Implementation Method 1
The materials exhibit superior adsorption capacities and kinetics, enabling effective capture and regeneration of gold ions
Implementation Method 2
These adsorbed Au1 ions can then be desorbed by exposing the resin to a solution of thiourea in HCl
Data Source
AI summary
Thiol-functionalized, hyper-crosslinked vinylbenylchloride-divinybenzene (VBC-DVB) copolymers having high mesopore volumes are provided. Also provided are methods of making the hyper-crosslinked copolymers and methods of using the hyper-crosslinked copolymers in the capture and remediation of metals, including heavy metals.