Method and Apparatus for Ga Recovery

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This patent describes a method and device for selectively recovering gallium (Ga) from acidic, aqueous waste solutions (such as those from semiconductor manufacturing) using a special dialysis process with an anion-exchange membrane. The process exploits the unique complex-forming behavior of gallium in the presence of high halide concentrations, making gallium complexes that break down in the membrane, which causes gallium to be retained while other metals and impurities (like indium, iron, or arsenic) can pass through the membrane and be separated out. This enables efficient purification and recycling of gallium from industrial waste streams with high selectivity and minimal use of chemicals.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Recycling gallium from semiconductor production wastewaters (e.g., from GaAs wafer fabrication)
• Purifying gallium for reuse in electronics manufacturing, LEDs, or solar cells
• Recovering valuable gallium from spent acids or etchant solutions in industrial processes
• Selective removal of impurities such as arsenic, indium, or iron from gallium-containing solutions
• Environmental remediation by reducing hazardous metal content in industrial wastewater

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Highly selective separation of gallium from other metals or non-metals in complex industrial solutions
• Reduces the use of chemical reagents compared to traditional precipitation or solvent extraction methods, making the process more environmentally friendly
• Facilitates efficient recycling and recovery of valuable gallium, helping to stabilize costs and supply of this strategic raw material
• Minimizes contamination of recovered gallium, ensuring high purity for further industrial use
• Enables compact, modular, and potentially continuous operation thanks to membrane-based system design
• Decreases waste and the environmental burden from electronic and semiconductor manufacturing processes

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The present invention encompasses a method of selectively separating Ga from wastewaters with the aid of a dialysis method. This exploits the particular complexation behaviour of Ga, which forms an unstable tetrahalo complex. This forms only in the case of a sufficiently high halide concentration. Since the halide concentration becomes lower across the membrane, the Ga-tetrahalo complex breaks down in the membrane, as a result of which the Ga is retained. Other metals such as In and Fe do not show this behaviour, and therefore the tetrahalo complexes of these metals can pass through the membrane and hence can be selectively separated off.