A system and method that includes flowing brine containing a metal ion through a reactor that includes porous particles having metal ion imprinted polymer having selective binding sites. The system and method further include discharging the brine from the reactor, contacting the porous particles with water, and pressurizing the reactor with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide reacts with the adsorbed metal ions to form a metal carbonate solution, where the metal carbonate solution can then be continuously purified with ion exchange. The method can include recycling eluent from the ion exchange back into the system for re-use. The method further includes depressurizing the reactor to precipitate metal carbonate from the metal carbonate solution and discharging the metal carbonate solution from the reactor.

The present invention relates to composite materials useful for purifying proteins obtained from biological feedstocks. The composite materials of the invention comprise a porous support having an average pore size of 5 to 500 nm, said porous support being filled with a first polymer which is cross-linked, and a second polymer which is not crosslinked and is covalently bonded to the external surface of the cross-linked polymer-filled porous support.

The invention is directed to utilization of a series of cross-linked 1,4-benzenediamine-co-alkyldiamine polymers and the use of the polymers to remove mercury from a hydrocarbon in fluid form.

In one embodiment, the invention relates to a carbon-based boron removal medium with hydroxyl groups and amine group, and in particular, to a method for forming the carbon-based boron removal medium. In a specific embodiment, nitrogen-doped (“N-doped”) graphene oxide is synthesized by a simple two-step process: (1) oxidation of graphite to graphene oxide, and (2) nitrogen-doping (“N-doping”) the graphene oxide to form the amine group. The resultant N-doped graphene oxide can efficiently remove boron from aqueous solutions. In another embodiment, a method of sensing or detecting the presence of boron in an aqueous solution by using a boron sensing medium comprises at least two hydroxyl groups and at least one pyridinic nitrogen or pyrrolic nitrogen or quaternary nitrogen (i.e. pyridoxine, in particular vitamin B6). The boron ions in the solution would form a highly ionized complex, which can cause significant increase in electrical conductivity of the solution, which can then be used to measure the concentration of boron in said solution.

A composite sorbent composition comprising a polymeric adsorbent; and an extractant having the formula (I), or hydrate in thereof, wherein X is O or S, A1 and A2 are each independently —C(O)— or —C(R′)(R″)— wherein R′, and R″ are each independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, amino, —CHO, —COOH, C1-12 alkyl, C1-4 alkoxy, C1-4 alkylamino, C1-2 haloalkyl, C1-2 haloalkoxy, C1-12 cycloalkyl, C6-12 aryl, C7-13 arylalkyl, C3-12 heteroaryl, C1-12 heteroalkyl, or C4-12 heteroarylalkyl, Z is a covalent bond, —S—, —O—, —SO2—, —SO—, —P(R)(═O)—, —NR—, -C(O)-, -C(O)NH-, —C(═N—R)—, or —C(R′)(R″)— wherein R, R′, and R″ are each independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, amino, —CHO, —COOH, —C(O)NH2, C1-12 alkyl, C1-12 alkoxy, C1-12 alkylamino, C1-4 haloalkyl, C1-4 haloalkoxy, C4-12 cycloalkyl, C6-12 aryl, C7-13 arylalkyl, C3-12 heterocycloalkyl, C3-12 heteroaryl, C1-12 heteroalkyl, or C4-12 heteroarylalkyl, and R1 and R2 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, amino, or a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent C1-40 hydrocarbon.

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The invention relates to devices, systems, and methods for conditioning a zirconium oxide sorbent module for use in dialysis after recharging. The devices, systems, and methods can provide for conditioning and recharging of zirconium oxide in a single system, or in separate systems.

The present disclosure provides processes and systems for dehydrating a byproduct stream in ethanol production. In one embodiment, a feed mixture is distilled with one or more distillation units to remove at least a portion of the water, and form a first byproduct stream. The first byproduct stream is contacted with a molecular sieve unit, thereby forming a product stream. The molecular sieve unit is cyclically contacted with at least a portion of the product stream to regenerate the molecular sieve unit and form one or more regenerate streams. A second byproduct stream including at least one of (1) the regenerate streams and (2) at least a portion of the fusel oil stream is contacted with a separation system, thereby forming a permeate and a retentate. At least a portion of the retentate is forwarded into the product stream.

This invention describes a novel method for adsorbing heavy metals and a novel adsorbent for same. In one embodiment, the method is used to specifically remove Pb(II). In one embodiment, the adsorbent comprises modified carbon disulfide (CS.sub.2). In one or more embodiments the CS.sub.2 is modified with a graphene derivative. In one or more embodiments the graphene derivative is graphene oxide (GO).

Processes for regenerating sorbents at high temperatures, and associated systems, are generally described.

A nucleophilic substitution reaction to crosslink cyclodextrin (CD) polymer with rigid aromatic groups, providing a high surface area, mesoporous CD-containing polymers (P-CDPs). The P-CDPs can be used for removing organic contaminants from water. By encapsulating pollutants to form well-defined host-guest complexes with complementary selectivities to activated carbon (AC) sorbents. The P-CDPs can rapidly sequester pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other organic micropollutants, achieving equilibrium binding capacity in seconds with adsorption rate constants 15-200 times greater than ACs and nonporous CD sorbents. The CD polymer can be regenerated several times, through a room temperature washing procedure, with no loss in performance.