Thermal and electrochemical process for metal production
View Patent ↗A method of winning a metal from its oxide ore by heating the ore in a partial vacuum or under an inert atmosphere in the presence of a reductant. The resulting product may be further reduced electrochemically to produce a purer metal.
1. A method for separating a metal from its oxide ore, which comprises first producing a lower oxide of said metal by heating the oxide ore to a temperature of 1400-1800° C. under an inert atmosphere in the presence of a reductant, and thereafter subjecting the resulting lower oxide of said metal to an electrochemical reduction to won the metal from said lower oxide.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reductant comprises a source of carbon or graphite.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carbon comprises a coal tar pitch.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carbon source comprises furfural alcohol.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carbon source comprises a resin.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the resin comprises a phenolic resin.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating is conducted in two steps.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said ore is heated under an inert atmosphere, under a partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant.
10. A method for the production of a metal from its oxide ore, comprising the steps of:
(a) heating the ore under an inert atmosphere in the presence of a reductant, whereby to produce a lower oxide of said metal; and
(b) subjecting the lower oxide of said metal produced in step (a) to an electrochemical reduction.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the metal oxide from step (a) is mixed with carbon and formed into an anode for use in the electrochemical reduction of step (b).
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ore is heated in step (a) under an inert atmosphere, under a partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the lower oxide of said metal produced in step (a) is employed as a solute in the electrochemical reduction in step (b).
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the lower oxide of said metal produced in step (a) is formed into an electrode and employed as a feed electrode in the electrochemical reduction in step (b).
16. A method for separating a metal from its oxide ore, which comprises first producing a lower oxide of said metal by heating the oxide ore under an inert atmosphere in the presence of a coal tar pitch, and thereafter subjecting the resulting lower oxide to winning.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature of 1100-2100° C.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the heating is at a temperature of 1400-1800° C.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the heating is conducted in two steps.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.
21. The method of claim 16 , wherein said ore is heated under an inert atmosphere, under a partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant.
22. A method for separating a metal from its oxide ore, which comprises first producing a lower oxide of said metal by heating the oxide ore under an inert atmosphere in the presence of furfural and thereafter subjecting the resulting lower oxide to an electrochemical reduction to won the metal from said lower oxide.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature of 1100-2100° C.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the heating is at a temperature of 1400-1800° C.
25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the heating is conducted in two steps.
26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.
27. The method of claim 22 , wherein said ore is heated under an inert atmosphere, under a partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant.
28. A method for separating a metal from its oxide ore, which comprises first producing a lower oxide of said metal by heating the oxide ore under an inert atmosphere in the presence of a resin, and thereafter subjecting the resulting lower oxide to an electrochemical reduction to won the metal from said lower oxide.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature of 1100-2100° C.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the heating is at a temperature of 1400-1800° C.
31. The method of claim 28 , wherein the resin comprises a phenolic resin.
32. The method of claim 28 , wherein the heating is conducted in two steps.
33. The method of claim 28 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.
34. The method of claim 28 , wherein said ore is heated under an inert atmosphere, under a partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant.
35. A method for separating a metal from its oxide ore, which comprises first producing a lower oxide of said metal by heating the oxide ore, in two steps, under an inert atmosphere in the presence of a reductant, and thereafter subjecting the resulting lower oxide to an electrochemical reduction to won the metal from said lower oxide.
36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the reductant comprises a source of carbon or graphite.
37. The method of claim 36 , wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature of 1100-2100° C.
38. The method of claim 35 , wherein the source of carbon comprises a coal tar pitch.
39. The method of claim 35 , wherein the source of carbon comprises furfural alcohol.
40. The method of claim 35 , wherein the source of carbon comprises a resin.
41. The method of claim 40 , wherein the resin comprises a phenolic resin.
42. The method of claim 40 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.
43. The method of claim 40 , wherein said ore is heated under an inert atmosphere, under a partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant.
44. A method for separating a metal from its oxide ore, which comprises first producing a lower oxide of said metal by heating the oxide ore under an inert atmosphere, under partial vacuum, in the presence of a reductant, and thereafter subjecting the resulting lower oxide to an electrochemical reduction to won the metal from said lower oxide.
45. The method of claim 44 , wherein the reductant comprises a source of carbon or graphite.
46. The method of claim 45 , wherein the source of carbon comprises a coal tar pitch.
47. The method of claim 45 , wherein the source of carbon comprises furfural alcohol.
48. The method of claim 45 , wherein the source of carbon comprises a resin.
49. The method of claim 48 , wherein the resin comprises a phenolic resin.
50. The method of claim 44 , wherein the heating is conducted at a temperature of 1100-2100° C.
51. The method of claim 50 , wherein the heating is at a temperature of 1400-1800° C.
52. The method of claim 44 , wherein the ore comprises titanium oxide.