Production of metals from metal oxides

A process for producing a metal from a metal oxide comprising:

• providing a partitioned vessel having an oxide reductant compartment (ORC), a recovery and purification compartment (RPC), and a molten metal collection pool phase spanning the ORC and RPC, wherein the partitioned vessel comprises a partition wall that isolates the ORC from the RPC and extends into the molten metal collection pool phase;
• introducing the metal oxide selected from rare earth metal oxides and actinide oxides into a perforated tantalum or molybdenum tray disposed in a molten alkali and/or alkaline earth metal chloride salt phase in the ORC;
• dissolving an amount of metal reductant selected from the group consisting of calcium, sodium and potassium in the molten alkali and alkaline earth metal chloride salt phase in the ORC above the molten metal collection pool phase, wherein the molten metal collection pool comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of iron, zinc, aluminum, and other non-rare earth metals, wherein the amount metal reductant is an amount sufficient to reduce all of the metal oxide to metal selected from rare earth metals and actinides that is dissolved in the molten metal collection pool phase in the ORC;
• reciprocating the tantalum or molybdenum tray in the salt phase and the metal collection pool phase;
• transporting the metal by forced convection through the molten metal collection pool phase from the ORC to the RPC;
• electrolyzing in the RPC a mixture of an alkali and/or alkaline earth chloride salt containing from 1 to about 10 wt. % chloride salt of the metal being produced in an electrolytic phase in contact with the molten metal collection pool;
• and
• recovering the metal being produced on a cathode inserted in the mixture in the RPC, wherein the entire process for producing the metal from the metal oxide is conducted at a temperature ranging from about 700° C. to about 750° C.