Claims
- 1. In a process for continuous production of aluminum by electrolysis of aluminum chloride dissolved in a molten solvent having a higher electrodecomposition potential than aluminum chloride, an improvement comprising:
the aluminum chloride being substantially pure aluminum chloride produced by a process comprising reactively subliming and desubliming iron containing crude aluminum chloride in the presence of additional iron.
- 2. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein the molten solvent consists essentially of at least one salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal chlorides and alkaline earth metal chlorides.
- 3. The improvement according to claim 2, wherein the at least one salt comprises of a molten salt mixture comprising two or more salts selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, lithium chloride, calcium chloride and strontium chloride.
- 4. A process for continuous production of aluminum from aluminous ore, the process comprising the steps of:
(a) providing aluminous ore, containing iron impurities, and a carbon source; (b) drying the aluminous ore; (c) drying the carbon source; (d) mixing the dried aluminous ore, the dried carbon source, and a sulfur containing compound; (e) calcining the mixture in a first fluidized bed reactor in the presence of air; (f) chlorinating the calcined mixture in a second fluidized bed reactor in the presence of additional carbon source and additional sulfur therein producing crude metal chlorides and waste gasses; (g) condensing solid crude aluminum chloride and separating the solid crude aluminum chloride from gaseous crude silicon tetrachloride and titanium tetrachloride; (h) reactively subliming and desubliming the solid crude aluminum chloride in the presence of additional iron to produce substantially pure aluminum chloride; and (i) electrolysis of the substantially pure aluminum chloride dissolved in a molten solvent having a higher electrodecomposition potential than aluminum chloride to produce aluminum and chlorine.
- 5. The process according to claim 4, further comprising:
(a) condensing a mixture of liquid titanium tetrachloride and liquid silicon tetrachloride from the waste gasses by cooling the waste gasses; (b) separating the liquid mixture from the waste gasses; (c) distilling the liquid mixture to produce substantially pure titanium tetrachloride and substantially pure silicon tetrachloride; and (d) recovering chlorine from a portion of the silicon tetrachloride and recycling the chlorine to the second fluidized bed reactor.
- 6. The process according to claim 4, further comprising:
recycling the chlorine to the second fluidized bed reactor.
- 7. A process for continuous production of metal from metallic ore, the process comprising the steps of:
(a) providing metallic ore, containing iron impurities, and a carbon source; (b) drying the metallic ore; (c) drying the carbon source; (d) mixing the dried metallic ore, the dried carbon source, and a sulfur containing compound; (e) calcining the mixture in a first fluidized bed reactor in the presence of air; (f) chlorinating the calcined mixture in a second fluidized bed reactor in the presence of additional carbon source and additional sulfur, thereby producing crude metal chlorides and waste gasses; (g) condensing solid crude metal chloride and separating the solid crude the metal chloride from gaseous crude silicon tetrachloride and titanium tetrachloride; (h) reactively subliming and desubliming the solid crude metal chloride in the presence of Chaplin metal particles to produce substantially pure aluminum chloride; and (i) electrolysis of the substantially pure metal chloride dissolved in a molten solvent having a higher electrodecomposition potential than the metal chloride to produce metal and chlorine.
- 8. In a process for continuous production of metal by electrolysis of a Chaplin metal chloride dissolved in a molten solvent having a higher electrodecomposition potential than the Chaplin metal chloride, an improvement comprising:
the Chaplin metal chloride being substantially pure Chaplin metal chloride produced by a process comprising reactively subliming and desubliming a Chaplin-metal containing crude metal chloride in the presence of Chaplin metal particles.
- 9. A process for continuous production of metal from metallic ore, the process comprising the steps of:
(a) providing metallic ore, containing iron impurities, and a carbon source; (b) drying the metallic ore; (c) mixing the dried metallic ore, the dried carbon source, and a sulfur containing compound; (d) mixing the dried metallic ore, the dried carbon source, and a sulfur contained compound; (e) calcining the mixture in a first fluidized bed reactor in the presence of air; (f) chlorinating the calcined mixture in a second fluidized bed reactor in the presence of additional carbon source and additional sulfur, thereby producing crude metal chlorides and waste gasses; (g) condensing solid crude metal chloride and separating the solid crude metal chloride from gaseous crude silicon tetrachloride and titanium tetrachloride; (h) reactively subliming and desubliming the solid crude metal chloride in the presence of Chaplin metal particles (i) electrolysis of the substantially pure metal chloride dissolved in a molten solvent having a higher electrodecomposition potential than the metal chloride to produce metal and chlorine; (j) recycling the chlorine to the second fluidized bed reactor.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a divisional of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/576,368, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09576368 |
May 2000 |
US |
Child |
10302136 |
Nov 2002 |
US |