Methods of recovering metals from waste sources
AssigneeUchicago Argonne, LLC
InventorsTimothy T. Lichtenstein, Colin E. Moore
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Abstract
Provided herein are methods for extracting and separating metals from a mixture of metal oxides comprising: disposing a cathode comprising the mixture of metal oxides, a reducing electrode, and an anode in a solvent comprising a mixture of molten metal hydroxide salts; applying an electrical potential to a cathode, thereby reducing the mixture of metal oxides and forming a mixture of metals; selectively dissolving one or more metal ion species from the mixture of metals into the dried solvent; and applying a potential to the reducing electrode present in the dried solvent to reduce the dissolved metal ion species from the dried solvent to a respective pure metal or mixed metal.
Claims20
A method of extracting and separating metals from a mixture of metal oxides comprising:
- disposing a cathode comprising the mixture of metal oxides, a reducing electrode, and an anode in a solvent comprising a mixture of molten metal hydroxide salts;
- applying an electrical potential to a cathode, thereby reducing the mixture of metal oxides and forming a mixture of metals;
- selectively dissolving one or more metal ion species from the mixture of metals into the solvent;
- and
- applying a potential to the reducing electrode present in the solvent to reduce the dissolved metal ion species from the solvent to a respective pure metal or mixed metal;
- wherein:
- selectively dissolving one or more metal ion species from the mixture of metals comprises:
- i) increasing or decreasing the electrical potential applied to the cathode, or
- ii) controlling a water content of the solvent such that upon contact of the one or more metals with the water of the solvent, selective ones of the one or more metals oxidize and thereby the selective ones of the one or more metal ion species are dissolved into the solvent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.