Process for magnesium metal extraction from mineral sources
AssigneeMagnesium Innovations Group Inc.
InventorBala Anand Jeldi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure is a metal extraction process that includes preparing a homogeneous admixture of metal oxide powder, reducing agent powder, and catalyst powder, pelletizing the admixture to yield a plurality of pellets, positioning the plurality of pellets in a cartridge, positioning the cartridge in a reducing chamber and heating the reducing chamber to a reducing temperature, pulling a partial vacuum in the reducing chamber, vaporizing desired metal from the plurality of pellets, condensing vaporized metal on a condensation surface positioned in a condensation chamber in pneumatic communication with the reducing chamber, cooling the condensation surface outside the condensation chamber, and removing condensed metal bodies from the condensation surface.
Claims19
A metal extraction process comprising:
- a) preparing a homogeneous admixture of metal oxide powder, reducing agent powder, and catalyst powder;
- b) pelletizing the admixture to yield a plurality of pellets;
- c) positioning the plurality of pellets in a cartridge;
- d) positioning the cartridge in a reducing chamber;
- e) heating the reducing chamber to a reducing temperature;
- f) pulling a partial vacuum in the reducing chamber;
- g) vaporizing desired metal from the plurality of pellets;
- h) condensing vaporized metal on a condensation surface positioned in a condensation chamber in pneumatic communication with the reducing chamber;
- i) cooling the condensation surface outside the condensation chamber;
- j) removing condensed metal bodies from the condensation surface;
- k) removing spent slag from the reducing chamber;
- l) treating the spent slag with heat and carbon to generate CaC2 and CO2;
- m) capturing CaC2 from the slag;
- n) capturing CO2 from the slag;
- o) introducing condensed metal bodies into a smelting furnace;
- p) introducing a nonoxidizing cover atmosphere into the smelting furnace;
- and
- q) melting the condensed metal bodies into metal ingots;
- wherein:
- the cover atmosphere is at least eighty percent carbon dioxide with the remainder selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, pentafluoroethylhepafluoroisopropylketone (Novec™ 612), sulfur dioxide, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), methoxy-nonafluorobutane (HFC-7100), and combinations thereof, and
- at least a portion of the cover atmosphere is recycled into the smelting furnace from a portion of the metal extraction process.
A metal extraction process comprising:
- a) preparing a homogeneous admixture of dolomite metal oxide powder, calcium carbide reducing agent powder, and calcium fluoride catalyst powder;
- b) pelletizing the admixture to yield a plurality of pellets;
- c) positioning the plurality of pellets in a cartridge;
- d) positioning the cartridge in a reducing chamber;
- e) heating the reducing chamber to a reducing temperature;
- f) pulling a partial vacuum in the reducing chamber;
- g) vaporizing desired metal from the plurality of pellets;
- h) condensing vaporized metal on a condensation surface positioned in a condensation chamber in pneumatic communication with the reducing chamber;
- i) cooling the condensation surface outside the condensation chamber;
- j) removing condensed metal bodies from the condensation surface;
- k) removing spent slag from the reducing chamber;
- l) treating the spent slag with heat and carbon to generate CaC2 and CO2;
- m) capturing CaC2 from the slag;
- n) capturing CO2 from the slag;
- and
- o) introducing a nonoxidizing cover atmosphere into the smelting furnace, wherein at least a portion of the nonoxidizing over atmosphere comprises the captured CO2 from of step (n) recycled into the smelting furnace;
- and
- p) melting the condensed metal bodies into metal ingots;
- wherein:
- the cover atmosphere is at least eighty percent carbon dioxide with the remainder selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, pentafluoroethylhepafluoroisopropylketone (Novec™ 612), sulfur dioxide, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), methoxy-nonafluorobutane (HFC-7100), and combinations thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.