US-12616955-B2 - Metal-organic frameworks for selective ion extraction

US12616955B2US 12616955 B2US12616955 B2US 12616955B2US-12616955-B2

Abstract

A metal-organic framework (MOF) may include a body including a MOF crystal having a composition selected to selectively extract one or more elements of interest from an aqueous solution. The MOF may include a plurality of MOF crystals bound by a bonding agent.

Inventors

Florence Binet
Dominic Perroni
Gary W. Sams
Prasanna Nirgudkar
Rod William Shampine
Sharath Chandra Mahavadi
Arindam Bhattacharya

Assignees

SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20241127

Claims (8)

1 . An apparatus for extracting an element of interest from an aqueous extraction feed, the apparatus comprising: a vessel comprising: a first plurality of metal-organic framework (MOF) bodies, each of the first plurality of MOF bodies including a monolithic MOF crystal; and a bonding agent connecting the first plurality of MOF bodies, wherein the bonding agent comprises a second plurality of MOFs, wherein each of the second plurality of MOFs is in a non-crystallized state; a fluid tank; and a fluid circulation device in fluid communication with the fluid tank and the vessel, the fluid circulation device configured to circulate an aqueous extraction fluid from the fluid tank in the vessel so that the aqueous extraction fluid contacts the first plurality of MOF bodies.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to sense a concentration of the element of interest in the aqueous extraction fluid, and a controller configured to control the fluid circulation device so that the aqueous extraction fluid is circulated based on the sensed concentration.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vessel is configured so that the first plurality of MOF bodies remains in the vessel while circulating the aqueous extraction fluid.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of MOF bodies includes a plurality of first MOF bodies having monolithic MOF crystals to selectively extract a first element of interest and a plurality of second MOF bodies having monolithic MOF crystals to selectively extract a second element of interest.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first element of interest and/or the second element of interest include at least one of lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), bromine (Br), uranium (U), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), rare earth metals, palladium (Pd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), thorium (Th), selenium (Se), fluorine (F), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), platinum (Pt), neodymium (Nd), dysprosium (Dy), terbium (Tb), praseodymium (Pr), iridium (Ir), or boron (B).
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of MOF bodies is oriented perpendicular to the bonding agent.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of MOF bodies has a BET surface area of at least 500 m 2 /g.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the monolithic MOF crystal comprises UiO-66 (C 48 H 28 O 34 Zr 6 ), UiO-67 (C 84 H 52 O 32 Zr 6 ), MOF-808 (C 24 H 16 O 32 Zr 6 ), NU-1000 (C 88 H 64 O 32 Zr 6 ), ZIF-8 (C 8 H 10 N 4 Zn), ZIF-90 (C 8 H 8 N 4 O 2 Zn), or any combination thereof.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/603,229, filed on Nov. 28, 2023, entitled “MOF BODIES FOR SELECTIVE EXTRACTION OF AN ELEMENT OF INTEREST AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS, METHODS AND USES,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all intents and purposes by this reference. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a monolithic metal-organic framework composite body. The monolithic metal-organic framework is targeted for adsorbing an element of interest, such as lithium, from an aqueous source. It also relates to associated apparatus and methods. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials prepared by the self-assembly of metal ions and organic ligands. MOFs can have large pore volumes and apparent surface areas as high as 8,000 m2/g. MOFs combine a structural and chemical diversity that make them attractive for many potential applications, including adsorption of an element of interest. The host/guest interaction of the MOF may be built by choosing the appropriate building blocks, i.e., the metal ions and organic ligands, from which the MOF is formed. Extracting an element of interest from an aqueous feed, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, etc. using an adsorption/desorption process has been previously performed in the mining industry. In such adsorption/desorption processes, an extraction feed is contacted with the sorbent material in a vessel or a plurality of vessels in order to load the element of interest into the sorbent material. A depleted stream—i.e., extraction feed, stripped from the element of interest—is then removed from the vessel in order to be separated from the sorbent material and an eluent is circulated into the vessel so that the element of interest unloads from the sorbent and loads into the eluent, forming an eluate—i.e., the eluent loaded with the element of interest. Some MOF compositions may be used as a sorbent for extracting an element of interest from an aqueous feed. However, MOFs generally have powdered morphologies. This makes it impractical to use the MOF in the extraction process with an aqueous feed as it complicates the separation of the sorbent and the depleted stream (e.g., lithium depleted stream) and makes maximal recovery of the element of interest difficult. SUMMARY In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a metal-organic framework (MOF). The MOF includes a body having a volume over 0.01 mm3. The MOF includes a MOF crystal having a composition selected to selectively extract one or more elements of interest from an aqueous solution. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an apparatus for extracting an element of interest from an aqueous extraction feed. The apparatus includes a vessel. A plurality of metal-organic framework (MOF) bodies are loaded in the vessel, each of the plurality of MOF bodies including a monolithic MOF crystal. The processing system further includes a fluid tank. A fluid circulation device is in fluid communication with the fluid tank and the vessel. The fluid circulation device is configured to circulate a fluid from the fluid tank in the vessel so that the fluid contacts the plurality of MOF bodies. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method of extracting an element of interest from an aqueous extraction feed. The method includes contacting the aqueous extraction feed with a plurality of metal-organic framework (MOF) bodies to yield a depleted feed, depleted of one or more elements of interest. The plurality of MOF bodies are loaded with the one or more elements of interest. Each of the plurality of MOF bodies includes a monolithic MOF crystal. An eluent is in contact with the plurality of MOF bodies loaded with the one or more elements of interest to yield an element of interest-containing feed. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments. The features and advantages of such embodiments may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of such embodiments as set forth hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other features of the disclosure can be obtained, a m