Overview
This is the common platform behind ARBOK's critical-materials work: one vacuum phase-separation process applied to recover different valuable ions from the same kinds of feed — brines, geothermal water, mining tailings, lepidolite and pollucite residues, and industrial waters. Water evaporates at ambient temperature under deep vacuum; the dissolved load concentrates and the target species is selectively recovered, alongside clean water and salt. The per-metal entries (Indium, Germanium/Gallium, Scandium/REE, Rhenium, Lithium/Rubidium/Cesium, Halogens, Copper) are applications of this one platform, differing by feedstock, the selective-recovery step, market, and geopolitics — not separate inventions.
Applications
Platform applications (per-metal cases): ARBOK-Indium, ARBOK-Germanium-Gallium, ARBOK-Scandium-REE, ARBOK-Rhenium, ARBOK-Lithium-Rubidium-Cesium, ARBOK-Copper-Waters, ARBOK-Lead-Water (heavy metals in drinking water).
Feedstocks: oilfield/geothermal brines, lithium brines, lepidolite and pollucite tailings, mine drainage, desalination concentrate.
Industries and users: critical-materials suppliers, miners, geothermal and desalination operators, strategic-supply programs.
Scale: container-class units; single installation to multi-unit cascades.
Operating Principle
Feed enters a deep-vacuum chamber; only water evaporates, at the temperature of the surrounding environment, and condenses as clean water, while the dissolved load concentrates. A selective-recovery step (tuned per target metal — the case-specific part) isolates the valuable species; salt and stabilized residues exit dry. No membranes, electrodes, or chemical reagents in the core; zero liquid discharge.
Limitations: the selective step and recovery rate depend on the metal and feed concentration; residue/offtake handling.
Key Parameters
Process: deep vacuum, ambient temperature (no external heat input, no fixed setpoint); heat recuperation up to 98 %.
Energy: ~0.7 kWh/m³ for water-base processing (specific figures per metal case).
Water recovery: up to 99.98 %; zero liquid discharge. Co-products: fresh water, salt, target metal(s).
(Per-metal throughput, concentration, output, and economics are given in each case entry.)
Architecture and Components
Vacuum evaporation/separation chamber; condensation/water unit; selective-recovery train (configured per metal); salt and residue extraction; control system (PLC/SCADA). Container-class, modular, scalable by unit count.
Advantages
Technical: one robust separation platform across many metals; no membranes/reagents; tolerant of complex, saline feeds.
Economic: water + salt co-products often pay for the plant; recovers value currently reinjected or dumped; modular CAPEX.
Environmental: zero liquid discharge; no secondary contamination.
Strategic: domestic critical-materials supply from owned brines/tailings; reduces dependence on concentrated foreign refining (notably China).
Integrations
Co-locates with geothermal, oilfield brine, desalination, and mining operations; SCADA/PLC; cascades multiple metal-recovery stages on one stream.
Deployment & Operation
Steps: feed assay → select recovery configuration → unit sizing → install → commissioning. Open-air, ambient temperature, renewable-compatible. Continuous, automated, minimal staffing.
TRL
TRL 9 (confirmed by Michael). The underlying vacuum phase-separation platform is industrially validated in commercial ARBOK applications (MedZWD, BEVERIX, Irrigation, PAT). Metal-selective recovery maturity varies per case; individual metal cases carry their own TRL.
Market Potential
Critical raw materials (indium, germanium, gallium, REE, scandium, rhenium, cesium, rubidium, lithium, halogens, copper) face supply concentration and rising strategic demand for electronics, defense, energy, and quantum tech. Brine/tailings-integrated recovery opens new domestic sources, especially where desalination, geothermal, or oilfield water already operates.
Typical Project Economics
Common drivers: low energy (~0.7 kWh/m³ water base), water + salt co-product revenue, modular CAPEX. Per-metal CAPEX/OPEX/payback are concentration- and market-specific and are given in each case entry.
Risk Factors
Selective-recovery maturity per metal; offtake and grade qualification; conservative incumbents and refining cartels; feed-concentration dependence; needs metal-specific reference sites.
Related Technologies
ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking) · Vacuum Osmosis · ARBOK-CHLORIDE · ARBOK-SODA