Supported heteropolycyclic compounds in the separation and removal of late transition metals

Claim 2

A process for removing one or more transition metal ions selected from the group consisting of one or more ions of the elements of Groups Va, VIa, VIIa, VIII, Ib and IIb of the Periodic Table from a liquid containing said transition metal ions which comprises passing said liquid over a composition including an activated carbonaceous porous support having interconnected pores wherein said support has an internal surface which contains a heteropolycyclic moiety capable of forming a stable compound or complex with said transition metal ions, said heteropolycyclic moiety containing a bipyridyl structure or a phenanthroline structure said heteropolycyclic moiety being present in an amount effective to form a compound or complex with said transition metal ions.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein said heteropolycyclic moiety contains a phenanthroline structure.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein said liquid is an aqueous solution.

Claim 5

The process of claim wherein said transition metal ions include one or more ions selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel and copper ions.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1 wherein said heteropolycyclic moiety is attached to said porous support by sorption from solution.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein said heteropolycyclic moiety is attached to said porous support without covalent bonding of said heteropolycyclic moiety to said support.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein said liquid contains an excess of other multivalent metal ions over said transition metal ions.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein the concentration of said transition metal ions in said liquid after passing said liquid over said composition is less than about one part-per-million relative to the concentration of said other metal ions.

Claim 10

The process of claim 7 wherein said other metal ions include one or more ions selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, thorium, lanthanum, aluminum, gallium, indium, scandium and yttrium ions.

Claim 11

The process of claim 9 wherein the concentration of said other metal ions in said liquid is at least about 10 g/L.

Claim 12

The process of claim 9 wherein said other metal ions include zirconium or hafnium.

Claim 13

The process of claim 1 wherein said porous support is charcoal.

Claim 14

A process for separating two or more transition metal ions selected from the group consisting of ions of the elements of Groups Va, VIa, VIIa, VIII, Ib and IIb of the Periodic Table comprising passing a liquid containing said transition metal ions through a column containing a composition including a porous support having interconnected pores thereby producing an effluent, wherein said support has an internal surface which contains a heteropolycyclic moiety capable of forming a compound or complex with at least one of said transition metal ions, said heteropolycyclic moiety containing a bipyridyl structure or a phenanthroline structure, said heteropolycyclic moiety being present in an amount effective to cause separation between the appearance of said transition metal ions of groups of said transition metal ions in the effluent of the column.

Claim 15

A process for separating two or more transition metal ions selected from the group consisting of ions of the elements of Groups Va, VIa, VIIa, VIII, Ib and IIb of the Periodic Table comprising passing a liquid containing said transition metal ions through a column containing a composition including a porous support having interconnected pores thereby producing an effluent, wherein said support has an internal surface which contains a heteropolycyclic moiety capable of forming a compound or complex with at least one of said transition metal ions, said heteropolycyclic moiety containing a bipyridyl structure or a phenanthroline structure, said heteropolycyclic moiety being present in an amount effective to cause separation between the appearance of said transition metal ions of groups of said transition metal ions in the effluent of the column.

Claim 16

The process of claim 13 wherein said heteropolycyclic moiety contains a phenanthroline structure.

Claim 17

The process of claim 13 wherein said liquid is an aqueous solution.

Claim 18

The process of claim 4 or claim 15 wherein said aqueous solution has a pH below about 4.

Claim 19

The process of claim 4 or claim 15 wherein said aqueous solution has a pH below about 2.

Claim 20

The process of claim 13 wherein said transition metal ions are selected from the group consisting of rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum ions.

Claim 21

The process of claim 13 wherein said porous support is charcoal.

Claim 22

The process of claim 13 wherein said heteropolycyclic moiety is attached to said porous support by sorption from solution.

Claim 23

The process of claim 1 or claim 13 wherein the concentrations of one or more transition metal ions selected from said group of ions on said composition are higher by a factor of at least about 10 or more than the concentrations of said transition metal ions in said liquid before said liquid is contacted with said composition.

Claim 24

The process of claim 21 wherein said factor is at least about 50.

Claim 25

The process of claim 21 wherein said transition metal ions include radioactive ions.

Claim 26

The process of claim 21 wherein said transition metal ions include one or more ions selected from the group consisting of rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum ions.

Claim 27

The process of claim 21 wherein said composition includes charcoal as a porous support.

Claim 28

The process of claim 25 wherein said porous support is subsequently incinerated.

Claim 29

The process of claim 21 wherein said composition is subsequently eluted to bring said transition metal ions back into solution.