Electric field enhanced coalescence of emulsions comprising a silicon containing compound or silicon containing polymer

• Main Authors: HALM; ROLAND LEE, GATTI; CHRISTOPHER DARREN, HALL; CHARLES ALAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.01.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROMSOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEPARATION; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING-UP

A process for separating an emulsion into separate and easily recoverable phases. The process comprises exposing an emulsion comprising a discontinuous phase and a non-conducting continuous phase to an electric field thereby effecting coalescence of the discontinuous phase into droplets of a size for effective gravitation from the continuous phase, where the discontinuous phase and the continuous phase have different dielectric constants and densities and at least one of the phases comprise a silicon containing compound or a silicon containing polymer. The present process is especially useful for separating emulsions where the discontinuous phase is an aqueous acid solution and the continuous phase is diorganopolysiloxane.