# US 2013/0153434 A1 · Extraction of Liquid Elements by Electrolysis of Oxides > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0153434 A1 - Document ID: US20130153434A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/771,972 - Filed: 2013-02-20 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2010-08-23 - Assignees: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Inventors: Antoine Allanore; Donald R. Sadoway - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130153434A1 ## CPC - C25C 1/00: Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of solutions (C25C5/00 takes precedence) - C25C 3/00: Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metals by electrolysis of melts (C25C5/00 takes precedence) - C25C 3/26: of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, tantalum or vanadium - C25C 3/28: of titanium - C25C 3/30: of manganese - C25C 3/32: of chromium - C25C 3/34: of metals not provided for in groups C25C3/02 - C25C3/32 - C25C 7/005: {of cells for the electrolysis of melts (C25C7/02 - C25C7/06 take precedence)} - C25C 7/025: {used in cells for the electrolysis of melts} - C25C: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION, RECOVERY OR REFINING OF METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR ## Abstract An electrolytic extraction method wins a target element from an oxide feedstock compound thereof. The feedstock compound is dissolved in an oxide melt in contact with a cathode and an anode in an electrolytic cell. During electrolysis the target element is deposited at a liquid cathode and coalesces therewith. Oxygen is evolved on an anode bearing a solid oxide layer, in contact with the oxide melt, over a metallic anode substrate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of extracting a target element from an oxide feedstock incorporating the target element, the method comprising: providing a liquid electrolyte, at least 75% oxide by weight, in which the oxide feedstock is dissolved; providing an anode, including a metallic anode substrate, in contact with the electrolyte; providing a cathode, in contact with the electrolyte; driving electrons from an oxygen precursor in the electrolyte into the metallic substrate across an oxide layer thereon to form gaseous oxygen; reducing an oxide specie of the target element in the electrolyte to form the target element at the cathode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein at least one element more reactive with respect to oxygen than the target element constitutes at least 50% by weight of the metallic anode substrate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the metallic anode substrate comprises at least one of scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, hafnium, tungsten and tantalum. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the metallic anode substrate is an alloy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein one of scandium, titanium, vanadium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, hafnium, tungsten and tantalum constitute at least 70% by weight of the metallic anode substrate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein chromium constitutes at least 70% by weight of the metallic anode substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein the target element constitutes at least 1% by weight of the metallic anode substrate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 further comprising at least 0.1% by weight of the metallic anode substrate one of thorium, hafnium, zirconium or yttrium. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the target element is one of titanium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, zirconium, chromium and silicon. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the target element is iron and the feedstock compound is an iron oxide. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the iron is formed by reduction at the cathode at a temperature less than 1500° C. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the target element constitutes at least 90% by weight of material formed by reduction at the cathode during electrolysis. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the electrolyte comprises an oxide of thorium, uranium, beryllium, strontium, barium, hafnium, zirconium or a rare earth element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the target metal is iron and the anode substrate is at least 50% chromium by weight. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein the metallic anode substrate incorporates tantalum or vanadium. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the cathode is liquid carbon steel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the target element is titanium. ### Claim 18 An apparatus comprising: a liquid electrolyte, at least 75% oxide by weight, including oxygen precursors and species bearing a target element from an oxide feedstock compound dissolved in the electrolyte; a liquid cathode, in contact with the electrolyte; an anode, including a metallic anode substrate and a solid oxide layer, meeting the electrolyte at a contact interface, opposite the cathode, the apparatus being operable, upon connection of the anode and the cathode to a power source, to electrolyze the dissolved oxide feedstock compound, drive electrons from the oxygen precursors across the solid oxide layer to form gaseous oxygen and reduce the species bearing the target element to form the target element at the cathode ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 wherein the target element is iron, the feedstock compound is an iron oxide, and the cathode is liquid carbon steel. ### Claim 20 An apparatus comprising: a liquid electrolyte, at least 75% oxide by weight, including oxygen precursors and species bearing iron from an oxide feedstock compound dissolved in the electrolyte; a liquid cathode, in contact with the electrolyte; an anode, including a metallic anode substrate at least 50% by weight of which is chromium and at least 1% by weight of which is iron, meeting the electrolyte at a contact interface, opposite the cathode, the apparatus being operable, upon connection of the anode and the cathode to a power source, to electrolyze the dissolved oxide feedstock compound, drive electrons from the oxygen precursors into the anode to form gaseous oxygen and reduce the species bearing iron to form iron at the cathode.