Rare metals such as palladium are used as catalysts for manufacturing automobiles, semiconductors, and printed circuit boards. These trace metals then remain in solutions and waste liquids and are difficult torecover. The present invention is a new material, DualPore™ Silica, which can efficiently adsorb, separate, and recover trace metals and substances.
Technical Summary
DualPore™ beads are composed of high-purity dual-pore silica particles with high specific surface area due to their bimodal pore structure. The beads consist of microsized through-pores piercing through the silica particles allowing smooth
diffusion of solvents into the particles, and nanosized pores, which accelerate the absorption and separation of the molecules (Fig.1, Yamada et al. 2018).
➤ Palladium and other rare metals can be recovered and reused
The inventors have conducted field studies on palladium, and have demonstrated that it is possible to recover palladium even from solutions with extremely low concentrations of 0.1 ppm. The recovered palladium can then be sold as concentrated high-grade raw material. In addition, the material demonstrated high performance even at low pressure, therefore eliminating the need for expensive high-pressure equipment.
➤ Faster and cheaper than conventional methods
Conventional metal scavengers require long-term batch adsorption treatment. As a result, the synthesized compounds are denatured, the facility operating rate drops, and it takes time and effort to filter and collect the metal scavenger used. In
contrast, the DualPoreTM metal scavenger enables simple and efficient adsorption treatment:
● Extremely low filter pressure
● Purification even at <1ppm
● Cost reduction by selectively adsorbing, recovering and recycling only
precious metals from the mixture
● Low-cost equipment enables ton-scale mass treatment in a short time (80 times increased speed)
DPS Inc.is a spin-off company from Kyoto University which manufactures and sells DualPore™products and is looking for business partners.
Current development status
DualPore™ Technology has been successfully tested for palladium recovery from PCB electroplating tanks.
Applications
Intellectual property status
Granted Patent
▪ Licensing
▪ Option to license (for feasibility study)
Kyoto University was founded in 1897, the second university to be established in Japan. Kyoto University is among 10 National Designated Universities in Japan. It boasts 18 graduate schools, 10 faculties, 12 research institutes, and 26 centers and other establishments. Research conducted at Kyoto University spans the full spectrum of fields from social to natural science.
The outstanding research conducted at Kyoto University gives birth to useful technologies that could greatly benefit society. SACI (Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation Office) was established at Kyoto University to bridge the gap between researchers and industry. We facilitate joint research, technology transfer, creation of university startups, and provide entrepreneurial education. We are building a strong network of global industry partners to make sure basic research reaches the market.
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