US 12486180 B1Patent grantUnited States

Mesoporous Calcium Sorbent for Wastewater

Official patent title

Particulate crystalline nanocomposite and adsorbent

Arabic title: مركب نانوي بلوري جسيمي ومادة مازة

Invention

Problem

Industrial wastewater can contain persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, metalloids, and radionuclides that are difficult to immobilize with conventional treatment materials.

Why it matters

A porous adsorbent that accepts multiple contaminant classes could support water-treatment research, provided its capacity, selectivity, stability, and safe end-of-life handling are demonstrated.

Approach

The patent contacts contaminated water with a CaHPO4/Ca6Si6O17(OH)2/SiO2/g-C3N4 crystalline nanocomposite in a dispersed batch or membrane-flow configuration to adsorb and immobilize contaminants.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include water-treatment researchers, industrial wastewater operators, environmental-remediation laboratories, adsorbent manufacturers, and hazardous-waste management teams.

Potential value

The disclosure combines four crystalline phases, mesoporous carbon-nitride nanosheets, specified particle and pore ranges, and flexible batch or membrane contact modes.

Background

Wastewater from industrial and urban activity can contain recalcitrant organic compounds and toxic inorganic species. Conventional coagulation, filtration, ion exchange, biodegradation, and activated-carbon adsorption may face cost, efficiency, solubility, or surface-area limitations. Graphitic carbon nitride is presented as a stable, visible-light-responsive platform, but its low surface area, limited exfoliation, and charge recombination can constrain performance. The publication therefore describes a calcium-phosphate, calcium-silicate-hydroxide, silica, and carbon-nitride composite for adsorption, without reporting contaminant-specific capacity, selectivity, kinetics, regeneration, leaching, or real-water results.

Technology overview

The material contains 20–40 wt. % CaHPO4, 20–30 wt. % Ca6Si6O17(OH)2, 1–10 wt. % SiO2, and 20–30 wt. % g-C3N4. Acicular silicate-hydroxide particles are 20–80 nm long, while spherical silica and phosphate particles are 5–30 nm. The stated pore diameter is 10–25 nm and pore volume is 0.1–0.4 cm3/g, with a Type H3 loop at 77 K. Water contact is 1–120 min using 0.1–5 g/L adsorbent.

Potential applications

Batch adsorption studies for contaminated industrial water.
Adsorbent-loaded membrane-flow treatment research.
Screening removal of organic pollutants, heavy metals, and metalloids.
Controlled radionuclide immobilization research with licensed handling.

Evidence-supported advantages

Four identified crystalline phases are integrated in one adsorbent.
Particle-size, pore-diameter, and pore-volume ranges are specified.
Both fixed-volume dispersion and membrane-flow contact are contemplated.
The disclosure addresses several organic and inorganic contaminant classes.

Development stage

Laboratory synthesis, phase and pore characterization, and proposed water-contact configurations are described; adsorption performance, regeneration, real-water validation, scale-up, and commercial operation were not established.

Commercial opportunity

The concept may interest specialty adsorbent and industrial-water developers, but commercial readiness is not established. Independent testing must quantify capacity, selectivity, breakthrough, kinetics, regeneration, competitive-ion effects, real-effluent performance, phase and metal leaching, manufacturing consistency, and cost. Radionuclide use additionally requires licensed operations, secondary-waste controls, and disposal planning.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

C02F1/28Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J20/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J20/048Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/10Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28007Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28033Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28071Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28083Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3204Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3236Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F1/281Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F1/285Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F1/288Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J20/3297Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F2101/006Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/10Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/20Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/30Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2103/003Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2305/08Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge

Inventors

First inventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair
InventorMohamed Khairy Abdel Fattah Omran

Keywords

calcium hydrogen phosphate
calcium silicate hydroxide
silicon dioxide
graphitic carbon nitride
adsorption
wastewater treatment
mesoporous nanosheets
contaminant immobilization

Patent document and drawings

The patent publication is mapped to this record. Patent drawings remain within that publication; no separately cleared public media package has been supplied.