Advanced Ion Exchange Materials

Advanced Ion Exchange Materials

Introducing the AlphaSelect®Range of Ion Exchange Materials

Ecovyst has developed a unique range of Advanced Ion Exchange (AIX) materials based on functionalized silicas that enable mining operations, metal processors & waste treatment companies to significantly improve their  sustainability, value recovery, product purity and overall environmental footprint.

Application of AlphaSelect®Technology

There are a range of AlphaSelect®Ion Exchange materials that have unique properties that allow them to selectively remove and recover specific metal ions from low quality (low ppm), mixed ion streams…below are some examples.

Product Purification

The AlphaSelect®range of materials are capable of removing trace levels of metal ions such as Cu, Ni and Zn from a range of product streams enabling them to be further upgraded, for example Cobalt Sulphate from a standard to a battery grade product.

Solvent Extraction Bleeds

Utilising AlphaSelect®Cu & Fe within solvent extraction bleed streams can allow the overall process to be optimised both for the recovery of copper itself & also for the management of iron within the stream, thereby improving overall current efficiency and ultimately lowering electricity usage.

Pregnant Leach Solutions

AlphaSelect®Cu is a unique technology that can be utilised in the Pregnant Leach Solution of the solvent extraction / electrowinning process to improve the overall economic recovery of copper from the mixed ion stream.

Waste Discharge Streams

A broad range of AlphaSelect®materials can be utilised in waste discharge streams to both recover lost value (reduce Copper losses) and ensure environmental compliance (Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium & Selenium removal) from high volume, low concentration mixed metal ion streams.

Acid Mine Drainage

A number of the AlphaSelect®materials are applicable for use in acid mine drainage applications, were valuable metals, such as Copper, can be economically recovered from low quality, mixed metal ion feed streams. The AlphaSelect®materials can also be used to ensure cost effective environmental compliance during processing.

AlphaSelect®Products

There are a range of AlphaSelect®Ion Exchange materials that have unique properties that allow them to selectively remove and recover specific metal ions from low quality (low ppm), mixed ion streams…below are some examples.

AlphaSelect®Cu

The patented AlphaSelect®Cu, advanced ion exchange material, is a functionalised silica that selectively recovers copper ions economically from low quality (low ppm), mixed metal ion streams and produces a high purity (>98%) and high concentration stream (>30g/l) for recovery & reprocessing. It is suitable throughout the whole of copper processing flowsheet.

AlphaSelect®Fe

The AlphaSelect®Fe is a functionalised silica that selectively removes iron economically from low quality (low ppm), mixed metal ion streams. This allows operators to manage the level of iron within their process streams and significantly improves both the economic and sustainability of their operations.

AlphaSelect®Hg

Ecovyst are developing a silica based AlphaSelect®Hg material that will enable customers to selectively recover mercury from waste & process streams to improve both product purity and ensures environmental compliance on discharge streams.

AlphaSelect®As

Ecovyst are developing a silica based AlphaSelect®As material that will enable customers to selectively recover arsenic from waste & process streams to improve both product purity and ensures environmental compliance on discharge streams.

AlphaSelect®Cd

Ecovyst are developing a silica based AlphaSelect®Cd material that will enable customers to selectively recover cadmium from waste & process streams to improve both product purity and ensures environmental compliance on discharge streams.

Benefits provided by AlphaSelect®AIX

The patented AlphaSelect®range of products are a unique functionalized silica material, that has a number of features and benefits that allow it to out perform standard polymer resins readily available on the market. Details are below.

High Selectivity

AlphaSelect®materials have a high selectivity of specific metal ions over all others that both minimises losses and allows high purity (>95%), high concentration (>30g/l) eluted streams to be recovered.

Robustness

As the backbone of the AlphaSelect®materials is a functionalized silica, it does not swell or shrink under varying pH conditions. This increases its mechanical strength over standard polymer resins.

Small Footprint

One major benefit of the silica based AlphaSelect®materials are the rapid kinetics during it’s loading & elution phases. This allows for smaller bed sizes, for similar duties, compared with polymer resins.

Easy onward processing

The AlphaSelect®materials produce a high purity, high concentration stream that can be simply re-introduced into the process.

Extended Resin Lifespan

AlphaSelect®materials are highly resistant to contaminants and coupled with its increased mechanical strength, leads to extended lifespan compared with standard polymer resins.

Get in touch with our customer service team to learn more about our Advanced Ion Exchange products or to discuss development of a custom solution.

What is a Catalyst?

A catalyst is a chemical substance that accelerates the transformation of low-value substances to desired, high-value products by speeding up the chemical reaction.

Get In Touch! Ecovyst offers a high standard of technical and analytical service to ensure optimum performance of its products. For assistance, contact us directly.