Electrolytic systems and methods for making metal halides and refining metals

An electrochemical cell for producing a non-alkali metal halide and electrorefining the non-alkali metal comprising:

• a container;
• a source of a hydrogen halide, the halogen selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine;
• an electrolyte disposed in the container, the electrolyte comprising a molten salt comprising (a) the halogen and (b) an alkali metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, francium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium;
• an anode disposed in the electrolyte, the anode comprising a non-alkali metal selected from the group consisting of actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, boron, silicon, antimony, tellurium, polonium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, aluminum, gallium, indium, tin, thallium, lead, bismuth, niobium, osmium, scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, lutetium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, iridium, platinum, and gold;
• an anolyte portion of the electrolyte adjacent the anode;
• a tube disposed in the electrolyte, the tube establishing a catholyte portion of the electrolyte and having a permeable portion;
• a first cathode disposed in the catholyte portion, the first cathode having a chemical feed passageway connected to the source of the hydrogen halide for flowing the hydrogen halide into the catholyte portion such that a portion of the hydrogen halide dissolves in the electrolyte in the catholyte portion;
• a second cathode disposed in the electrolyte;
• a direct current power source having an anode terminal and a cathode terminal;
• and
• an electrical switching system having a first configuration where the anode terminal is in electrical connectivity with the anode and the cathode terminal is in electrical connectivity with the first cathode wherein the hydrogen halide is electrolyzed adjacent the first cathode to form hydrogen and anions of the halogen that migrate from the catholyte portion to the anode and form the non-alkali metal halide adjacent the anode, and the electrical switching system having a second configuration where the anode terminal is in electrical connectivity with the anode and the cathode terminal is in electrical connectivity with the second cathode wherein cations of the non-alkali metal in the anolyte portion migrate from the anolyte portion and are electro-deposited adjacent the second cathode.