Method of treating metalliferrous materials

A process of treating a metalliferrous material including a target metal material fraction, wherein the target metal material fraction includes a transitional metal, and wherein the target metal material fraction includes a first operative material fraction and a second operative material fraction, and wherein the first operative material fraction consists of an elemental form of the transition metal, and wherein the second operative material fraction consists of at least one oxide of the transition metal, comprising:

• providing reagent material including a diatomic halogen and an aluminium halide;
• contacting the reagent material with the metalliferrous material in a reaction zone so as to effect a reactive process which effects production of an intermediate reaction product including a produced metal halide, and wherein the produced metal halide is a halide of the transition metal.
• separating a separation fraction from the intermediate reaction product, wherein the separation fraction includes at least one recovered metal halide, wherein the recovered metal halide is at least a fraction of the produced metal halide;
• wherein the halogen of the recovered metal halide corresponds to the halogen of the aluminium halide.

A process of treating a metalliferrous material including a target metal material fraction, wherein the target metal material fraction includes a transition metal, and wherein the target metal material fraction includes a first operative material fraction and a second operative material fraction, wherein the first operative material fraction consists of an elemental form of the transition metal and the second operative material fraction consists of at least one oxide of the transition metal, comprising:

• providing reaction material in a reaction zone, wherein the reaction material includes the metalliferrous material and aluminium-comprising material, wherein the aluminium-comprising material includes aluminium;
• contacting the reaction material with diatomic halogen to effect a reactive process which effects production of an intermediate reaction product including a produced metal halide, and wherein the produced metal halide includes the transitional metal;
• and
• separating a separation fraction from the intermediate reaction product, wherein the separation fraction includes a recovered metal halide, wherein the recovered metal halide is at least a fraction of the produced metal halide.

A process of treating a metalliferrous material including a target metal material fraction and a non-target metal material fraction, wherein the target metal material fraction includes a respective target metal, and the respective target metal is a transition metal, and wherein the target metal material fraction includes a metal oxide material fraction, and the respective metal oxide material fraction consists of an oxide of the respective target metal, and wherein the non-target metal material fraction includes a respective non-target metal, and wherein the halide of the respective target metal of the target metal material fraction is relatively more volatile than the halide of the respective non-target metal of the non-target metal material fraction, comprising:

• providing reagent material including aluminium halide;
• contacting the reagent material with the metalliferrous material in a reaction zone so as to effect a reactive process which effects production of an intermediate reaction product including a produced target metal halide, and wherein the produced target metal halide includes a respective target metal corresponding to the respective target metal of the target metal material fraction;
• and
• separating a separation fraction from the intermediate reaction product, wherein the separation fraction includes a recovered target metal halide, wherein the recovered target metal halide is produced target metal halide.

A process of treating a metalliferrous material including a target metal material fraction and a non-target metal material fraction, wherein the target metal material fraction includes a respective target metal, and the respective target metal is a transition metal, and wherein the target metal material fraction includes a respective metal oxide material fraction, and the respective metal oxide material fraction consists of an oxide of the respective target metal, and wherein the non-target metal material fraction includes a respective non-target metal, and wherein the halide of the respective target metal of the target metal material fraction is relatively more volatile than the halide of the respective non-target metal of the non-target metal material fraction, comprising:

• providing reaction material in a reaction zone, wherein the reaction material includes the metalliferrous material and aluminium-comprising material, wherein the aluminium-comprising material includes aluminium;
• contacting the reaction material with diatomic halogen to effect a reactive process to produce an intermediate reaction product including produced target metal halide, wherein the produced target metal halide material includes a respective target metal corresponding to the respective target metal of the target metal material fraction;
• and
• separating a separation fraction from the intermediate reaction product, wherein the separation fraction includes recovered target metal halide, wherein the recovered target metal halide is the produced target metal halide.