Claims
- 1. A method of winning aluminum metal from aluminous ore containing alumina comprising:
- contacting said ore with a sulfur-containing gas and with carbon at a temperature of 1500-1600 K to produce aluminum monosulfide liquid and carbon monoxide gas;
- separating in a solid-liquid type separation said aluminum monosulfide from a solid phase containing impurities and residual reactants;
- cooling said aluminum monosulfide to a temperature of 1100-1370 K to cause it to disproportionate to aluminum sulfide and molten aluminum metal;
- electrolytically decomposing said aluminum sulfide to molten aluminum metal and sulfur gas; and
- separating said molten aluminum metal as product.
- 2. A method of winning aluminum metal from aluminous ore containing alumina comprising:
- contacting said ore with a sulfur-containing gas and with carbon to react alumina, carbon and sulfur at a temperature of 1300-1500 K to yield aluminum sulfide (Al.sub.2 S.sub.3) and carbon monoxide gas;
- including sufficient BaS in the reacted materials to ensure a molten phase containing aluminum sulfide;
- separating said aluminum sulfide in molten phase from a solid phase containing impurities and residual reactants and from a gaseous phase containing carbon monoxide and residual sulfur;
- heating said aluminum sulfide in molten phase to a first temperature sufficient to cause it to decompose to aluminum monosulfide (AlS) liquid and sulfur gas;
- withdrawing said sulfur gas for recycle into contact with said ore;
- subsequently cooling said molten aluminum monosulfide to a second temperature sufficiently low to cause it to disproportionate to aluminum sulfide and molten aluminum metal; and
- separating said molten aluminum metal product from said aluminum sulfide.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said aluminous ore is blended with particulate carbon prior to contacting with sulfur-containing gas.
- 4. The method of claim 2 wherein said first temperature is about 1600 K to 1900 K and said second temperature is about 1100 K to 1370 K.
- 5. The method of claim 2 wherein said aluminum sulfide separated from said molten aluminum is recycled and combined with said molten aluminum sulfide prior to heating to said first temperature.
- 6. The method of claim 2 wherein said sulfur-containing gas is selected from the group consisting of sulfur gas and carbon disulfide gas.
- 7. The method of claim 2 wherein said aluminous ore is bauxite.
- 8. The method of claim 2 wherein said aluminous ore is blended with said carbon comprising coke and pressed into pellets prior to reacting with sulfur-containing gas.
- 9. The method of claim 2 wherein said aluminous ore is bauxite and is purified in accordance with the Bayer process prior to blending with carbon.
- 10. The method of claim 2 wherein said BaS is added in an amount up to about 10 mole percent BaS.
CONTRACTUAL ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made in the course of, or under, a contract with the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
484014 |
Apr 1938 |
GBX |