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[Michaelangelica]

Distillation of salts from inland saline water sources

H. Aral and G. Sparrow

Abstract
CSIRO PUBLISHING - Exploration Geophysics

Processing of saline water to produce industrial minerals with large volume applications is considered one way to attack the salinity problem in the Murray-Darling Basin.
We propose that saline water in the Basin be treated to produce industrial mineral salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium sulphate, and magnesium chloride.

The magnesium-rich bittern fraction of the saline waters may be processed further to value-added products such as magnesium hydroxide, Sorel cement, or spinel refractories.

Sorel cement could be consumed in large quantities in the Basin as construction material and may be used to seal new interception scheme lakes, although the stability of the Sorel cement in aqueous environment remains to be investigated.

The processing of mineral sands can be linked with treatment of saline water in an integrated and cost-effective manner that aims to remove salt from the Basin.

The sodium chloride fraction can be used to produce chemicals such as chlorine, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide that can be used in the processing of zircon.

Direct chlorination of ilmenite could consume the equivalent of about 1.4 tonnes of sodium chloride for each tonne of ilmenite treated if no chlorine was recycled.

Chlorination of synthetic rutile (about 90% TiO2) could consume the equivalent of about 0.3 tonnes of sodium chloride for each tonne of titania pigment produced.
Work in CSIRO Minerals has produced low radioactivity zirconia from a Murray Basin zircon by caustic soda decomposition followed by concentrated hydrochloric acid leaching. In addition, it is proposed that desalination plants be established across the Basin to recover fresh water, heat, and electricity from saline water.

These plants will obtain heat and electricity from solar power generation schemes with storage of power in solar ponds and molten salts.
Integrated saline water and mineral sands mining industry in the Basin may ultimately lead to new technology for Australia such as titanium metal production.
Titanium metal produced from TiO2 pigment may be used in building desalination plants across the Basin to recover fresh water from saline waters.

Exploration Geophysics 33(2) 136 - 140

Full text doi:10.1071/EG02136

© ASEG 2002

CSIRO PUBLISHING - Exploration Geophysics


too much chemistry for this small bear's brain

So salt has a little s-t-r-e-t-c-h in water?


Ice Lego, obviously the colours mean something to someone. pretty arn't they? tm
And so water kicks out H into the ice and snow? Where does the salt go?

Liquid water has only 15 percent more H-bonds than solid water.

It gets to hot and again out the H goes??

what happens to the salt the H is supposed to be keeping it in the water
Water is way out of line! It boils at an extremely high temperature for its size. Why? Because of the extensive network of Hydrogen bonds. Those H-bonds are cohesive forces - they want to hold the water molecules together - and there are a lot of them! The process of boiling requires that the molecules come apart

H2O - The Mystery, Art, and Science of Water: The Chemistry of Water: Properties

Once heated, water takes a very long time to cool off. Or in reverse, it takes a lot of heat to make water hot.

The hotter the water the more salt right?
Water is bloody weird stuff

2. Pure water freezes at 0C but is most dense at 4 C. That is, solid water (ice) is less dense than cold liquid water.

H2O - The Mystery, Art, and Science of Water
Finally the scientists 'fess up

The physical and chemical properties of water are extraordinarily complicated and incompletely understood

ie They know bugger all about the most important thing.

This was fascinating

In the field of applied fluid dynamics, Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson is something of a legend.
His work in the 1980's, pioneering a new way to help the mining industry extract fine particles led to the development of the Jameson Cell.
Today there are more than 250 Jameson Cells in operation within mines around the world.
The intrepid Dr. Paul Willis headed to Newcastle to meet the Professor and investigate his latest developments

Catalyst: Bubble Mining - ABC TV Science

Now if we put lots of bubbles in sea water would we get the gold coming off the top? or just the salt? (Same thing really)