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US 2018/0023208 A1Published application
System and method for extraction and refining of titanium
AssigneeUniversal Technical Resource Services, Inc.
InventorsJAMES R. COX, CHANAKA L. DEALWIS, BENJAMIN A. KOHLER, MICHAEL G. LEWIS
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Abstract
A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products. Titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TiO2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.
Claims38
A method for the production of titanium metal, comprising:
- (a) heating a chemical blend to a temperature of between 1650° C.-1800° C., wherein the chemical blend comprises:
- a titanium-bearing ore, comprising titanium oxide (TiO2);
- an aluminum (Al) reducing agent, configured to reduce the titanium-bearing ore to a titanium product;
- and
- a calcium fluoride (CaF2) viscosity agent,
- wherein the chemical blend comprises a weight ratio of titanium oxide in the titanium-bearing ore to the aluminum (Al) in the aluminum reducing agent of between 0.9 to 2.4,
- to form reaction products comprising:
- (1) a titanium product, and (2) a residual slag;
- (b) separating the residual slag from the titanium product;
- (c) configuring the titanium product as an anode in an electrolytic cell, wherein the electrolytic cell is configured with an electrolyte consisting essentially of halide salts of alkali metals, halide salts of alkali earth metals, or combinations thereof;
- (d) heating the electrolyte to a temperature between 600° C. and 900° C. to provide a molten electrolyte, wherein the molten electrolyte is in contact with the anode and a cathode;
- (e) refining the titanium product by directing a current from the anode, through the molten electrolyte bath to the cathode to deposit a refined titanium product on the cathode;
- and
- (f) recovering the refined titanium product, wherein the refined titanium product comprises at least 90 wt. % titanium.
11 more elements
A method for the production of titanium metal, comprising:
- (a) externally heating a chemical blend to a temperature of between 1500° C.-1600° C. to initiate an extraction reaction,
- (b) subsequently elevating and maintaining the temperature at 1650° C.-1800° C. for between 5 and 30 minutes,
- wherein the chemical blend comprises:
- a titanium-bearing ore comprising titanium oxide (TiO2), an aluminum (Al) reducing agent;
- and a calcium fluoride (CaF2) viscosity agent, and wherein the chemical blend comprises a ratio of the titanium-bearing ore to the aluminum (Al) reducing agent that corresponds to a weight ratio of titanium oxide component in the titanium-bearing ore to aluminum (Al) in the reducing agent of 0.9 to 2.4, and
- wherein the extraction reaction results in the formation of (1) a titanium product, and (2) a residual slag;
- (c) separating the residual slag from the titanium product;
- and
- (d) refining the titanium product obtained from the extraction reaction in an electrochemical separation process comprising:
- 1. heating an electrolyte consisting of halide salts of alkali metals, halide salts of alkali earth metals, or combinations thereof to a temperature between 600° C. and 900° C. to provide a molten electrolyte;
- 2. configuring an anode and cathode in contact with said electrolyte wherein the anode comprises the titanium product;
- 3. applying an electrical differential between said anode and said cathode to deposit titanium on the cathode;
- and
- 4. recovering a refined titanium product.
11 more elements
A method for the production of titanium metal, comprising:
- (a) applying a thermal extraction process to a titanium-bearing ore, wherein the thermal extraction process comprises:
- heating a chemical blend to a temperature of between 1500° C. and 1600° C., thereafter achieving and maintaining a temperature of between 1650° C. and 1800° C. for between 8 and 30 minutes, wherein the chemical blend comprises:
- a titanium-bearing ore comprising titanium oxide (TiO2);
- an aluminum (Al) reducing agent;
- and a calcium fluoride (CaF2) viscosity agent;
- wherein the ratio of the titanium-bearing ore to the aluminum (Al) reducing agent to the calcium fluoride (CaF2) viscosity agent corresponds to a ratio of:
- 3 moles of a titanium oxide component (TiO2) in the titanium-bearing ore, to
- from 4 moles to not greater than 7 moles of the aluminum (Al) reducing agent, to
- from 2 moles to not greater than 6 moles of the calcium fluoride (CaF2) viscosity agent,
- wherein the chemical blend reacts to form:
- (1) a titanium product, and (2) a residual slag;
- (b) refining the titanium product in an electrochemical separation process, wherein the electrochemical separation process comprises:
- 1. configuring an anode and a cathode in contact with an electrolyte, said electrolyte consisting essentially of halide salts of alkali metals, halide salts of alkali earth metals, or combinations thereof, and said anode comprising the titanium product;
- 2. heating said electrolyte to a temperature between 600° C. and 900° C. to provide a molten electrolyte;
- 3. applying an electrical differential between the anode and the cathode to deposit refined titanium on the cathode;
- and
- 4. recovering a refined titanium product, wherein the refined titanium product comprises at least 90 wt. % titanium.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.