Patent ID: 7594951

Claim:
A continuous process for recovering at least one of copper and nickel comprising a sequential execution of steps to be performed utilizing a continuous ion exchange system having a plurality of vessels in communication with a multiple input-output valve device and which may include other steps interposed therebetween and comprising the steps of: actuating said multiple input-output valve device to bring acidic liquors that contain copper into at least a first one of said plurality of vessels; adsorbing at least one of copper and nickel from acidic liquors with pH in the range of from 0.5 to 3.0 that contain said at least one of copper and nickel cation using a chelating adsorbent resin in said at least a first one of said plurality of vessels; producing at least one of a lowered copper raffinate and a lowered nickel raffinate: and further comprising the step of extracting said metal cation free water from a membrane system using at least one of said lowered copper raffinate and said lowered nickel raffinate and an effluent from said rinsing said resin step: actuating said multiple input-out-put valve device to bring a cation free aqueous solution into at least a second one of said plurality of vessels; treating said chelating adsorbent resin of said at least a second one of said plurality of vessels with said cation free aqueous solution, to remove any ferric and ferrous ions but insufficient to significantly strip adsorbed copper or nickel from said resin; actuating said multiple input-output valve device to bring a stripping solution of sufficient strength to produce at least one of a copper and nickel elute product into at least a third one of said plurality of vessels; stripping said adsorbed copper or nickel from said resin by introducing said stripping solution of sufficient acid strength into said at least a third one of said plurality of vessels to produce at least one of a copper and nickel elute product; actuating said multiple input-output valve device to bring a bring a rinsing solution into at least a fourth one of said plurality of vessels; rinsing said resin within said at least a fourth one of said plurality of vessels with said rinsing solution to increase a pH value within said resin to condition said resin for said adsorbing copper or nickel from acidic liquors step; and, wherein said at least a first, second, third, and fourth one of said plurality of vessels experience their sequence of internal steps above simultaneously.