Patent EP0187720A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0187720A2
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EP
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Method and apparatus for removing impurities from liquids
Assignee: Showa Koki Co Ltd
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Filing: 1986-01-10
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-01-10
Abstract
Abstract In a method and apparatus for removing impurities from a liquid, the liquid containing impurities is supplied to an electrolytic bath at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. Electrolysis is performed by applying a voltage to electrodes consisting of a metal which easily dissolves upon electrolysis. The liquid is then exposed to atmospheric pressure, and is treated in a flotation separation tank. Fine bubbles formed during the treatment of the liquid in the flotation separation tank attach to the impurities flocculated in the liquid by electrolysis. The flotation separation of the flocculated impurities is performed very efficiently, and high-purity water can be recovered. The apparatus comprises an electrolytic bath (3) consisting of a pressure vessel, in which electrodes of a metal which easily dissolves upon electrolysis are housed, and a constant current source for applying a voltage to said electrodes so as to obtain a predetermined current density in a liquid contained in said electrolytic bath, wherein impurities in the liquid are caused to flocculate by a hydroxide of the metal.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshio Umehara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 16:19
CPC Classifications
B; B03; B03D; B03D1/00; B03D1/14; B03D1/1437; B03D1/1443; B03D1/1462; B03D1/1493; B03D1/24; B03D1/247; C; C02; C02F; C02F1/00; C02F1/46; C02F1/461; C02F1/463; C02F1/465
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of removing impurities from a liquid, comprising the steps of: forming electrodes using a metal which easily dissolves .upon electrolysis and produces a hydroxide; installing said electrodes in a pressure vessel; continuously supplying a liquid containing impurities from an inlet of said pressure vessel at a pressure higher than atmcspheric pressure; continuously supplying the liquid from an outlet of said pressure vessel to an inlet of a tank at atmospheric pressure; continuously discharging the liquid from an outlet of said tank; performing electrolysis by applying a voltage to said electrodes while the liquid is passed through said pressure vessel, thereby causing the impurities to flocculate; and passing the liquid through the pressure vessel and the tank, wherein the then produced fine bubbles attached to the flocculated impurities to rise to the surface and seperate the impurities.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
138 words
A method of removing impurities from a liquid, comprising the steps of: forming electrodes using a metal which easily dissolves .upon electrolysis and produces a hydroxide; installing said electrodes in a pressure vessel; continuously supplying a liquid containing impurities from an inlet of said pressure vessel at a pressure higher than atmcspheric pressure; continuously supplying the liquid from an outlet of said pressure vessel to an inlet of a tank at atmospheric pressure; continuously discharging the liquid from an outlet of said tank; performing electrolysis by applying a voltage to said electrodes while the liquid is passed through said pressure vessel, thereby causing the impurities to flocculate; and passing the liquid through the pressure vessel and the tank, wherein the then produced fine bubbles attached to the flocculated impurities to rise to the surface and seperate the impurities.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the impurities in the liquid are silicic acid ions and colloidal silicic acid in water, and the electrodes consist of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zinc and magnesium.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the polarity of said electrodes is inverted at predetermined time intervals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein the polarity of said electrodes is inverted at predetermined time intervals, and a voltage is applied between said electrodes so as to provide a current density of not less than 1 A/dm .
Claim 6
Independent Claim
29 words
A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an electrolytic bath to be used is sequentially changed when the voltage has exceeded a predetermined value.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
72 words
An apparatus comprising an electrolytic bath (3) consisting of a pressure vessel (7); in which electrodes (13 and 14) of a metal which easily dissolves upon electrolysis are housed, and a constant current source for applying a voltage to said electrodes so as to obtain a predetermined current density in a liquid contained in said electrolytic bath, wherein impurities in the liquid are caused to flocculate by a hydroxide of the metal.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
72 words
An apparatus comprising an electrolytic bath (3) consisting of a pressure vessel (7); in which electrodes (13 and 14) of a metal which easily dissolves upon electrolysis are housed, and a constant current source for applying a voltage to said electrodes so as to obtain a predetermined current density in a liquid contained in said electrolytic bath, wherein impurities in the liquid are caused to flocculate by a hydroxide of the metal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a polarity inversion unit for inverting the polarity of said electrodes at predetermined time intervals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
An apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a plurality of electrolytic baths (3a and 3b) provided with said electrodes (13 and 14) therein, a voltmeter for measuring the voltage, and a switching unit for switching among said plurality of electrolytic baths the one bath to another bath to be used when a read on said voltmeter for said one bath has exceeded a predetermined value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said electrodes (13 and 14) consist of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminium, zinc and magnesium.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of purifying a liquid containing impurities in which the liquid containing impurities is subjected to electrolysis to flocculate impurities at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure in a pressure vessel provided with electrodes characterised in that the electrodes are solluble in the liquid upon electrolysis to produce a hydroxide and the liquid containing impurities is continuously supplied to the pressure vessel and continuously withdrawn from the pressure vessel to a tank in which it is held at a pressure lower than that in the pressure vessel, whereby the bubbles produced in the liquid whilst it is in the tank carry flocculated impurities to the surface of the liquid.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of purifying a liquid containing impurities in which the liquid containing impurities is subjected to electrolysis to flocculate impurities at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure in a pressure vessel provided with electrodes characterised in that the electrodes are solluble in the liquid upon electrolysis to produce a hydroxide and the liquid containing impurities is continuously supplied to the pressure vessel and continuously withdrawn from the pressure vessel to a tank in which it is held at a pressure lower than that in the pressure vessel, whereby the bubbles produced in the liquid whilst it is in the tank carry flocculated impurities to the surface of the liquid.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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