US 12496569 B1Patent grantUnited States

Cobalt–Nickel Spinel for Dye Removal

Official patent title

Cobalt oxide and nickel oxide doped magnesium aluminum oxide (CoO—NiO@MgAl2O4) nanocomposite for dye removal from water

Arabic title: مركب نانوي من أكسيد المغنيسيوم والألومنيوم المشوب بأكسيد الكوبالت وأكسيد النيكل (CoO–NiO@MgAl2O4) لإزالة الصبغة من الماء

Invention

Problem

Persistent synthetic dyes such as indigo carmine can remain soluble, resist biodegradation and conventional treatment, obstruct light in water bodies, and create environmental and health concerns.

Why it matters

A high-surface-area adsorbent could support dye-removal research, but adsorption capacity, selectivity, regeneration, spent-sorbent disposal, nickel and cobalt leaching, secondary contamination, and performance in real wastewater require independent verification.

Approach

The disclosure provides NiO- and CoO-doped MgAl2O4 nanoparticles and a method that contacts the nanocomposite with dye-containing water to adsorb dye from the solution.

Who may benefit

Potential beneficiaries include textile-wastewater researchers, sorbent manufacturers, environmental laboratories, water-treatment equipment developers, and materials teams studying doped spinel adsorbents.

Potential value

The technology combines a defined doped-spinel composition, nanoscale particles, high stated surface area, a gelatin-assisted calcination route, and dye adsorption in one materials platform.

Background

Synthetic dyes are used in textiles, food, medicine, cosmetics, plastics, rubber, and paper. Their color, solubility, stability under light and heat, and resistance to microbial attack can make contaminated water difficult to treat. Physical methods may be incomplete, chemical methods can require energy or reagents and form byproducts, and biological degradation may be slow for stable dye structures. The publication focuses on adsorption and uses nickel- and cobalt-oxide doping to modify magnesium aluminate properties for indigo-carmine and broader dye-removal research.

Technology overview

Claim 1 defines MgAl2O4 doped with 1 to 2.5 wt. % NiO and 1 to 10 wt. % CoO. The particles have an average size of 1 to 8 nm and a stated surface area of 100 to 145 m2/g. A dependent claim specifies porous, carbon-free material with an average pore size of 65 to 90 Å. Preparation mixes gelatin and Al, Mg, Ni, and Co salts in water, forms a solid, and calcines it at 500 to 600° C. for 3 to 5 hours.

Potential applications

Potential adsorption of indigo carmine from water.
Screening against dye-bearing textile wastewater.
Development of nanoscale spinel sorbent formulations.
Batch water-treatment research across stated pH and temperature ranges.

Evidence-supported advantages

Defines nickel- and cobalt-oxide loading within a MgAl2O4 host.
Specifies nanoscale particle dimensions and surface-area ranges.
Provides a porous, carbon-free embodiment.
Uses a defined aqueous, gelatin-assisted preparation and calcination route.

Development stage

The patent publication describes fabrication and reports at least 90% dye removal in some embodiments; commercialization was not established, and performance outside the disclosed conditions and development stage were not independently verified.

Commercial opportunity

The nanocomposite could support specialty sorbent development or collaborative testing with dye-intensive industries. Commercial evaluation must confirm capacity, kinetics, selectivity, hydraulic deployment, regeneration cycles, disposal routes, nickel and cobalt release, behavior in mixed effluents, and lifecycle cost against incumbent adsorbents.

Patent classifications

WIPO IPC

B01J20/08Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/04Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus

CPC

B01J20/08Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F1/288Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
B01J20/041Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/06Chemical 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
B01J20/28016Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/28061Chemical 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
B01J20/28095Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
B01J20/3078Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus
C02F1/281Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2101/308Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge
C02F2305/08Treatment of water, wastewater, sewage or sludge

Inventors

First inventorSondos Abdullah J Almahmoud
InventorSoad Saad Ahmed Alzahrani
InventorBabiker Yagoub Elhadi Abdulkhair

Keywords

dye removal
indigo carmine
adsorption
MgAl2O4
NiO
CoO
nanocomposite
wastewater

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.