The present disclosure provides a method and a system for extracting long chain dicarboxylic acid, the method comprising: (1) subjecting a long chain dicarboxylic acid fermentation broth to a primary membrane filtration treatment to give a first filtrate; subjecting the first filtrate to decolorization, acidification/crystallization, and solid-liquid separation treatments to give a first solid; (2) mixing the first solid, a base and water to form a solution; subjecting the solution to a secondary membrane filtration treatment to give a second filtrate; subjecting the second filtrate to decolorization, acidification/crystallization, and solid-liquid separation treatments to give a second solid; and (3) mixing the second solid and water to form a mixture; subjecting the mixture to a thermostatic treatment at 105-150° C., followed by cooling for crystallization and solid-liquid separation treatment. By the method, the resulted long chain dicarboxylic acid product has a high purity and no residual organic solvent.

There are provided processes for preparing a metal hydroxide comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum, the process comprising: reacting a metal sulfate comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum with lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide and optionally a chelating agent in order to obtain a solid comprising the metal hydroxide and a liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate; separating the liquid and the solid from one another to obtain the metal hydroxide; submitting the liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate to an electromembrane process for converting the lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate into lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide respectively; reusing the sodium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate; and reusing the lithium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate and/or with the metal hydroxide.

The present invention relates to a system for jointly producing erythritol and liquid sorbitol by using a corn starch, including a liquefaction tank, a saccharification tank, a filter and a nanofiltration assembly. The liquefaction tank is used to perform liquefaction for the corn starch, the saccharification tank is used to perform saccharification for the liquefied material, the filter is used to filter out impurities in the saccharified material to obtain a glucose liquid, and the nanofiltration assembly is used to perform nanofiltration for the filtered glucose liquid to respectively obtain a dialysate and a concentrate. The system further includes a fermentation and crystallization assembly for performing fermentation and crystallization for the dialysate to prepare crystalline erythritol, and a hydrogenation and evaporation assembly for performing hydrogenation and evaporation for the concentrate to prepare liquid sorbitol. The present invention further provides a method of jointly producing erythritol and liquid sorbitol by using a corn starch. The present invention not only improves the purity of erythritol but also obtains liquid sorbitol, thus improving the utilization value of the corn starch.

A system and method for producing minerals from divalent ion-containing brine stream includes rejecting sulfate from a divalent-ion rich reject stream in a first nanofiltration seawater reverse osmosis (NF-SWRO) unit, producing solid calcium sulfate dihydrate and a magnesium-rich brine stream in a first concentration unit, concentrating the magnesium-rich brine stream to a saturation point of sodium chloride in a second concentration unit, producing solid sodium chloride and a supernatant product stream in a first crystallizing unit, produce a concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream from the supernatant product stream in a third concentration unit, and at least one of producing hydrated magnesium chloride from the concentrated magnesium-rich bittern stream in a second crystallizing unit and producing anhydrous magnesium chloride by prilling the concentrated magnesium-rich bitterns stream under a hydrogen chloride atmosphere in a dry air process unit.

There are provided processes for preparing a metal hydroxide comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum, the process comprising: reacting a metal sulfate comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum with lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide and optionally a chelating agent in order to obtain a solid comprising the metal hydroxide and a liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate; separating the liquid and the solid from one another to obtain the metal hydroxide; submitting the liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate to an electromembrane process for converting the lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate into lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide respectively; reusing the sodium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate; and reusing the lithium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate and/or with the metal hydroxide.

Embodiments provide methods and structures for purification or volume reduction of a brine by an advanced vacuum distillation process (AVMD) to achieve higher flux by passage of vapors through an AVMD distillation unit. In one example, brine is circulated in a tank. The tank may include one or more membrane pouches that are submerged in the circulating brine or placed above the water level of the hot circulating brine. In other embodiments the membrane pouches are outside of the tank that includes the hot circulating brine but still in communication with it. The circulating brine is heated, allowing creation of water vapor. Using a vacuum, the water vapor is drawn through the membrane, where it may be condensed and subjected to further beneficial use. This process can concentrate to levels to generate crystals or solids, which can be separated and utilized.

There are provided processes for preparing a metal hydroxide comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium, copper, magnesium and aluminum, the process comprising: reacting a metal sulfate comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium, copper, magnesium and aluminum with lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide and optionally a chelating agent in order to obtain a solid comprising the metal hydroxide and a liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate; separating the liquid and the solid from one another to obtain the metal hydroxide; submitting the liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate to an electromembrane process for converting the lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate into lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide respectively; reusing the sodium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate; and reusing the lithium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate and/or with the metal hydroxide.

The present disclosure provides a system for refining long chain dicarboxylic acid, comprising: a first membrane filtration unit, for a first membrane filtration of a long chain dicarboxylic acid fermentation broth or a treated liquid therefrom; a first decolorization unit, for carrying out a first decolorization treatment to the filtrate obtained after the membrane filtration; a first acidification/crystallization unit, for carrying out a first acidification/crystallization of a filtrate obtained after the membrane filtration to give a solid-liquid mixture; a first separation unit, for a solid-liquid separation of the solid-liquid mixture; a drying unit, for drying the solid separated by the separation unit to give a first solid. By using the refining system according to the present disclosure, the purity of the obtained product is high, and the disadvantages such as poor quality of the product obtained by crystallization from a solvent and environment pollution caused by a solvent can be overcome.

A water treatment process (10) includes, in a crystallisation stage (12), passing a saline water feed (16) through an elongate conduit kept in a cold environment at a temperature below the equilibrium freezing temperature of the saline water, forming a slurry of brine and ice crystals inside the conduit, and, in a separation stage (14), separating the ice crystals from a bulk of the brine, producing a brine stream (22) and an ice stream (26). The elongate conduit is of a material, or has an inner material layer in contact with the saline water and with the slurry of brine and ice crystals, with a thermal conductivity of less than 5 W/m.Math.K and has a length configured to ensure formation of the slurry of brine and ice crystals in the conduit at the flow rate of the saline water feed through the elongate conduit.

There are provided processes for preparing a metal hydroxide comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum, the process comprising: reacting a metal sulfate comprising (i) at least one metal chosen from nickel and cobalt and optionally (ii) at least one metal chosen from manganese, lithium and aluminum with lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide and optionally a chelating agent in order to obtain a solid comprising the metal hydroxide and a liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate; separating the liquid and the solid from one another to obtain the metal hydroxide; submitting the liquid comprising lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate to an electromembrane process for converting the lithium sulfate, sodium sulfate and/or potassium sulfate into lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide respectively; reusing the sodium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate; and reusing the lithium hydroxide obtained by the electromembrane process for reacting with the metal sulfate and/or with the metal hydroxide.