Thermal and electrochemical process for metal production

An electrolytic cell for production of a metal of interest, said cell comprising in combination:

• a molten salt electrolyte disposed in a cell, said electrolyte comprising a strong Lewis acid selected from the group consisting of an eutectic of sodium chloride, lithium chloride and potassium chloride, an eutectic of potassium fluoride, sodium fluoride and lithium fluoride, an eutectic of sodium chloride, calcium chloride and potassium chloride, an eutectic of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride and sodium fluoride, and an eutectic of sodium chloride, potassium chloride and sodium fluoride;
• a DC current source;
• and
• a cathode and an anode in contact with said electrolyte, wherein said anode is formed of a composite of an oxide of the metal of interest and carbon, wherein the anode is formed of a composite of an oxide of the metal of interest with carbon selected from the group consisting of a titanium oxide-or titanium suboxide-carbon composite, a chromium oxide-carbon composite, a hafnium oxide-carbon composite, a molybdenum oxide-carbon composite, a niobium, oxide-carbon composite, a tantalum oxide-carbon composite, a tungsten oxide-carbon composite, a vanadium oxide-carbon composite, and a zirconium oxide-carbon composite, and wherein the anode is contained within a porous basket formed of an electrically conductive carbon fiber mesh material which is connected to a source of electric current;
• and
• wherein the cathode has a current density of 40 to 125 amperes/cm2.

An electrolytic cell for production of a metal of interest by electrowinning, said cell comprising in combination:

• a molten salt electrolyte disposed in a cell,
• a DC current source;
• a cathode and an anode in contact with said electrolyte, wherein said anode is a feed electrode formed of a carbide of the metal of interest;
• a source of an oxygen gas in fluid connection with the anode such that the anode may be depolarized with the oxygen gas;
• a diaphragm between the anode and the cathode to prevent the oxygen gas from contacting the reduced metal of interest on the cathode while allowing passage of metal ion from the anode to the cathode.