A new apparatus, system and method to purified produced water and removed valuable metals and minerals is described. The apparatus comprises a device for flowing produced water wellbore from a wellbore to the produced water purification apparatus; at least one device to remove heavy metals from the produced water; at least one brine removal device to remove brine from the produced water. The method comprises steps to use the apparatus and the system comprises a control panel that operates the at least one device for removing heavy metals and at least one sensor in a coordinated manner.

The invention generally relates to osmotically driven membrane systems and processes and more particularly to systems and processes for handling feed streams without pretreatment and increased brine concentration for zero liquid discharge, including forward osmosis separation (FO), direct osmotic concentration (DOC), pressure-assisted forward osmosis (PAFO), and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). The system includes: a plurality of forward osmosis units, each having a semi-permeable membrane assembly and a tank; and a separation system in fluid communication with the plurality of forward osmosis units and configured to separate the dilute draw solution into the concentrated draw solution and a solvent system.

The invention generally relates to osmotically driven membrane systems and processes and more particularly to systems and processes for handling feed streams without pretreatment and increased brine concentration for zero liquid discharge, including forward osmosis separation (FO), direct osmotic concentration (DOC), pressure-assisted forward osmosis (PAFO), and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). The system includes: a plurality of forward osmosis units, each having a semi-permeable membrane assembly and a tank; and a separation system in fluid communication with the plurality of forward osmosis units and configured to separate the dilute draw solution into the concentrated draw solution and a solvent system.

An integrated, membrane-based process to produce purified water and conversion of salt to high value chemicals from oil and gas well produced water is described. A liquid stream including water and dissolved salt is flowed through pretreatment units and one or more desalination and concentration units which remove at least a portion of the water to form a brine enriched in dissolved salt. The purified high-density brine may be subjected to electrically-enforced salt dissociation techniques to produce chemicals from oil and gas produced water.

A method and apparatus for removing soluble silica efficiently from accompanied water, produced from wells containing calcium ion, soluble silica, and sulfate ion, and not clogging a reverse osmosis membrane in the reverse osmosis membrane treatment process after that, includes adding a magnesium salt to mix with the accompanied water under alkaline conditions to produce insoluble silica and calcium sulfate. A microfiltration (MF) membrane treatment process includes treating a first reaction solution obtained in said magnesium salt adding process, with a microfiltration membrane to separate insolubilized silica and calcium sulfate by filtration. An acid adding process includes adding an acid to and mixing with filtrate obtained in the MF membrane treatment process to render a pH value of the filtrate on the range from 5 to 9 and a negative Langeliar saturation index. A reverse osmosis membrane treatment process includes treating a second reaction solution, obtained in the acid adding process, with a reverse osmosis membrane to obtain fresh water and membrane concentrates.

A method and apparatus for removing soluble silica efficiently from accompanied water, produced from wells containing calcium ion, soluble silica, and sulfate ion, and not clogging a reverse osmosis membrane in the reverse osmosis membrane treatment process after that, includes adding a magnesium salt to mix with the accompanied water under alkaline conditions to produce insoluble silica and calcium sulfate. A microfiltration (MF) membrane treatment process includes treating a first reaction solution obtained in said magnesium salt adding process, with a microfiltration membrane to separate insolubilized silica and calcium sulfate by filtration. An acid adding process includes adding an acid to and mixing with filtrate obtained in the MF membrane treatment process to render a pH value of the filtrate on the range from 5 to 9 and a negative Langeliar saturation index. A reverse osmosis membrane treatment process includes treating a second reaction solution, obtained in the acid adding process, with a reverse osmosis membrane to obtain fresh water and membrane concentrates.

The present invention relates to the extraction of lithium from liquid resources, such as natural and synthetic brines, leachate solutions from clays and minerals, and recycled products.

Separation processes using osmotically driven membrane systems are disclosed generally involving the extraction of solvent from a first solution to concentrate a solute by using a second concentrated solution to draw the solvent from the first solution across a semi-permeable membrane. Pre-treatment and post-treatment may also enhance the osmotically driven membrane processes.

Separation processes using osmotically driven membrane systems are disclosed generally involving the extraction of solvent from a first solution to concentrate a solute by using a second concentrated solution to draw the solvent from the first solution across a semi-permeable membrane. Pre-treatment and post-treatment may also enhance the osmotically driven membrane processes.

A process for producing pure lactic acid from a whey by-product rich in lactose and minerals, for example delactosed why permeate or concentrated whey permeate, is described. The method comprises upstream steps of neutralising the whey by-product with a basic metal hydroxide to form a precipitate comprising calcium and phosphate, and separating the precipitate from the whey by-product to provide a clarified whey by-product. The clarified whey by-product is fermentated by a bacterium capable of bioconversion of lactose to lactic acid to provide a fermentation broth containing a lactic acid salt. In the downstream steps, the fermentation broth is acidified to release lactic acid from the lactic acid salt, precipitate from the broth produced by acidification is removed, and the acidified fermentation broth is treated to recover pure lactic acid by removal of residual salts, and water, and optionally protein. The process of the invention produces lactic acid having a purity of 80-98% and an isomeric purity of >98% L-lactic acid using a process that employs upstream removal of divalent salts by chemical precipitation, bacterial fermentation of the demineralised substrate, and minimum downstream processing of the fermentation broth. The methods of the invention may also be employed with milk permeates.