Patent Publication Number: US-2023143587-A1

Title: Desalination and lithium collection system

Description:
The present invention claims priority from U.S. provisional patent 63/276,477 filed Nov. 5, 2021 entitled Novel Method To Desalinize Through Fast Oxidation Of Noble Metals, by same inventor Cole Franklin, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is in the field of desalination and lithium extraction. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     California seeks an end to new gasoline car sales over the next decade, which will increase demand for lithium for use in lithium electric vehicle batteries. Highly concentrated brine having high concentration of lithium is already known in areas such as the Salton Sea in California. The industry needs an environmentally friendly method to extract lithium deposits from areas with highly concentrated brine. 
     Modern desalination plants utilize filtration and reverse osmosis to remove salt ions from the seawater to create freshwater. The downside to the modern technique is it forms brine, a higher concentration of salty water is then dumped back into the ocean creating problems for sea life. Current saltwater power plants rely on reverse osmosis to create pressure between a salty water and fresh water. These systems can be used in areas where fresh water and salt water is available. So far there are no solutions to create saltwater power in areas where fresh water does not exist. Inventor Wilkins describes a Method And Apparatus For Desalination in U.S. Pat. No. 8,182,693, filed Dec. 16, 2009 by Siemens Industry Inc., which involves filtering, then applying an electro deionized station process, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A variety of different ultrasonic methods having frequency ranges of 20 kHz and over have been used for brine desalination. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a combination desalination and lithium recovery method. It is an object of the present invention to conserve natural resources by producing clean water and lithium. Lithium is a key mineral needed for electrically powered vehicles and photovoltaic powered homes. 
     A desalination and lithium collection system has a primary brine chamber receiving brine from a brine inlet. A charged metal has anodes and cathodes, submerged in the brine in the primary brine chamber. Electrical power applied is to the charged metal as alternating current having a frequency of less than 2 kHz for conducting a primary electrolysis. A water vapor collection chamber fluidly connected to the primary brine chamber and configured to collect water vapor generated from the charged metal. A condenser chamber is fluidly connected to the water vapor collection chamber and configured to condense water vapor. A freshwater chamber is fluidly connected to the condenser and configured to collect freshwater. 
     The desalination and lithium collection system also has a secondary brine chamber. The secondary brine chamber houses a secondary electrolysis that includes a lithium filter and a charged lithium collection plate that is preferably made of copper. The lithium precipitates from the brine, passes through the lithium filter and adheres to the charged lithium collection plate during the secondary electrolysis. The copper plate can then be replaced with a new one and shipped to a lithium battery manufacturing facility. The lithium battery manufacturing facility can then reverse the electrolysis to transfer the lithium onto battery components. The lithium battery manufacturing facility can then send the clean lithium collection plates back to the desalination and lithium collection facility for continuous and sustainable recycling. 
     The charged metal is preferably a noble charged metal selected from the group of copper, silver, gold, platinum, or the like. The water vapor collection chamber is connected to a primary turbine. The primary turbine generates electricity that is applied back to the electrical power for regenerating a portion of the electrical power used to charge the charged metal. The charged metal oxidizes the brine with a reduction wherein water disassociates at an anode of the charged metal during the primary electrolysis. The water changes phase from a liquid to a gas. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a diagram showing the desalination and lithium recovery system and method. 
         FIG.  2    is a diagram showing turbine energy recovery. 
         FIG.  3    is a diagram showing a metal rod array having anodes and cathodes. 
     
    
    
     The following callout list of elements can be a useful guide in referencing the element numbers of the drawings. 
       20  Primary Brine Chamber 
       21  Brine Inlet 
       23  Excited Noble Metal 
       24  Oxidizing Reaction 
       25  Bubbles 
       26  Brine 
       30  Vapor Tank 
       31  Water Vapor 
       32  Condenser 
       33  Freshwater 
       34  First Turbine 
       35  Electricity Transmission 
       36  Potable Overpressure 
       37  Water Power Source 
       38  Freshwater Outlet 
       40  Secondary Brine Chamber 
       41  Filter 
       42  Cover Plate 
       43  Lithium Deposit 
       51  First Metal Member 
       52  Second Metal Member 
       53  Third Metal Member 
       54  Fourth Metal Member 
       55  Fifth Metal Member 
       56  Sixth Metal Member 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As seen in  FIG.  1   , a column of water vapor  31  rises in a vapor tank  30  and provides condensing water in a condenser  32 . The freshwater  33  is received from the condensing water area. An excited noble metal  23  in a primary brine chamber  20  receives ocean water and brine  26  from a brine inlet  21 . After conversion to gas, the brine  26  becomes more concentrated and is led to a brine outlet  22 . The brine outlet  22  connects to a secondary brine chamber  40 . The secondary brine chamber  40  has a filter  41  with a copper plate  42  behind the filter  41 . Lithium deposits  43  are received on the copper plate  41  while other materials do not pass through the filter  41 . 
     Thus, the present invention uses a first electrolysis in a primary brine chamber  20  for vaporizing water, to concentrate brine, and then has a secondary brine chamber  40  which can then be used to extract with him deposits from water through a filter  41 . The lithium ions are electromagnetically drawn through the filter  41  to the cover plate  42  because the copper plate has an electrical charge. 
     The present invention method powers up the noble metal and drives high energy oxidization through the salts which would normally slowly corrode and oxidize. Here instead depending on frequency, power and other modes of excitation can cause the sea water to quickly transition to steam. Leaving salts and other minerals behind while steam is captured and condensed into potable water. 
     The present invention method uses use low power to excite noble metals such as Ag, W, Ti, Pd, Pt, and others to drive high energy oxidization through the salts which would normally slowly corrode and oxidize the metal. Here instead depending on frequency (with lower frequency preferred in the range of 0-1000 Hz) and power over 10W creates other modes of excitation that cause the sea water to quickly transition to vapor. Leaving salts and other minerals behind while the vapor is captured and condensed into potable water. These vapors can be excited further to steam through the addition of over energy by increasing the power of supplemental energy such as microwave. Once the hot steam is generated the process of water separation becomes one that drives turbines and recovers some of the power used. For example, incoming seawater to a tank can oxidize at and excited noble metal to create water vapor. The water vapor can then be condensed in a cooling tower and collected in a freshwater tank. 
     This system creates power first from steam generation then produces fresh water that can drive a small power plant to power the steam generation. The excess power can be used to power a grid and provide fresh portable water. 
     The charged noble metal generates steam which can power a turbine. The turbine generates power and the water remaining from the turbine process can be harvested. The potable overpressure is retained for use. This also generates excess power out which can be transmitted on high-power transmission lines. The turbine or the saltwater power source can then power the charging of the noble metal. 
     The process preferably is a low-power process. Low power between 0-10W generally has no effect so the operation zone is 11-50W defined by the graph showing the onset of the activation of the material at above 11W, which is preferably in the 25W/cm 2  area. when higher power is used it would be possible if the load/flow of water is increased then more power if required to keep up. A water flow rate of 50 ml/min at 25W can be defined as operating point, with nonlinear extrapolation at 100 ml/min at 30W and 200 ml/min at 50W and so on. 
     The power is electrically delivered to the charged noble metal. It is a low frequency process so low frequencies are preferred or even ultra low frequency, but direct current can be used but for ease of operation alternating current in the range of 60-1000 Hz preferably at 60 Hz for compatibility with household electric current. Higher frequencies such as 2 kHz shuts down this process and only heats up the sample. If heating the sample is preferred in a setup Where creating heat is needed in say running a steam turbine then microwave energy is preferred. Microwave energy allows for fast boiling of the solution and once the heated noble metal is obtained can deliver a lot of boiling and steam but this is different than the main noble metal oxidation that dominates the water reduction (i.e. water breaking down into vapor) process. No mechanical energy needs to be delivered to the water. 
     While power is applied, the brine acts as a catalyst for the water reduction that forms the water vapor and causes the semi noble and noble metal to fast oxidize. Some electrical charge may travel from the anode to the cathode through the brine. 
     This creates a high-energy oxidization. For example, silver is a noble metal but can oxidize in the presence of applied power and will tarnish and corrode faster than if left in the open air. This process speeds that process up to the point where it releases a photon. This is a similar process being used today in EUV photo lithography where they take a molten W (a semi Noble metal) and shoot water/steam at it and it produces very bright light that is used to expose patterns for semiconductors. The present process is more like a water fountain where this is occurring and the EUV photolithography process is more of a water mist. 
     The noble metal oxidizes the brine with a simple water reduction where water breaks down at the anode of the metal. The reaction can alternate with oxidation and reduction transposing between the anode and cathode which can alternate with the alternating current. 
     An example of a half reaction is as follows: 
     Oxidation at anode: 2 H 2 O( l )→O 2 (g)+4 H + (aq)+4e −   
     Reduction at cathode: 2 H+(aq)+2e-→H 2 (g) 
     the other half is 
     Cathode (reduction): 2 H 2 O(l)+2e − →H 2 (g)+2 OH − (aq) 
     As seen in  FIG.  2   , the noble charged metal  23  in the brine  26  in the primary brine chamber  20  receives a constant flow of ocean water from a brine inlet  21 . The noble charged metal  23  is an array of anodes and cathodes that generate a steam to a first turbine  34  which then draws potable overpressure  36  through a conduit to power a saltwater power source  37 . The first turbine  34  powers an electrical transmission  35  for providing electricity to the system. The saltwater power source  37  can provide electrical power back to the noble charged metal  23  so as to recover a portion of electrical energy output. Thus, the turbines decrease the total amount of thermodynamic inefficiency in the system. The anodes and cathodes of the noble charged metal  23  can be powered in a low-frequency process that further conserves electrical resources. 
     As seen in  FIG.  3   , the anode and cathode can be formed of conductive materials and applied to a brine solution so that the current passes through the brine. The current may create a plasma that generates steam. The anode and cathode can be formed as rods or bars having water flow passing through them. Preferably, the alternating current under  100 hz can be used for creating an oxidizing reaction  24  which manifests as steam in bubbles  25 . The brine  26  becomes more concentrated which can then be used for a filter lithium collection such as on a copper plate. The negative bias on the plate provides a secondary electrolysis for lithium collection with a byproduct of desalination. 
     The key feature of the present invention is that regeneration of electricity by turbines and recovery of freshwater as a byproduct justifies the electrical input expenditure for sequestering lithium via a two-step electrolysis system and method.