A metal titanium production apparatus includes: a reductor that subjects titanium tetrachloride to a reduction process in presence of bismuth and magnesium to obtain a liquid alloy containing titanium and the bismuth; a segregator that subjects the liquid alloy to a segregation process to obtain a precipitate; and a distillator that subjects the precipitate to a distillation process to obtain metal titanium, and the distillator sets an atmosphere so as to preferentially vaporize the bismuth attached to the precipitate and then sets the atmosphere so as to vaporize the bismuth forming the precipitate.

A method for producing metal titanium by carrying out electrolysis using an anode and a cathode in a molten salt bath, the method using an anode containing metal titanium as the anode, the method comprising a titanium deposition step of depositing metal titanium on the cathode, wherein, in the titanium deposition step, a temperature of the molten salt bath is from 250° C. or more and 600° C. or less, and an average current density of the cathode in a period from the start to 30 minutes later of the titanium deposition step is maintained in a range of 0.01 A/cm.sup.2 to 0.09 A/cm.sup.2.

Apparatuses and methods of making titanium or a titanium alloy which include providing a first feed material and a carbon source material to a first reaction chamber in which the first feed material includes a solid aluminum oxide. The method also includes heating the first feed material and the carbon source material to reduce the solid aluminum oxide to one or more gaseous species including aluminum. The method also includes providing the one or more gaseous species including aluminum to a second reaction chamber, the second reaction chamber containing a second feed material which includes a solid titanium oxide. The method also includes reducing the solid titanium oxide with the one or more gaseous species including aluminum to form molten titanium metal or molten titanium alloy.

A method (100) for producing a particulate titanium alloy product can include preparing (110) a composite particulate oxide mixture with TiO.sub.2 powder and at least one alloying element powder. The composite particulate oxide mixture can be co-reduced (120) using a metallic reducing agent under a hydrogen atmosphere at a reduction temperature for a reduction time sufficient to produce a hydrogenated titanium alloy product. The hydrogenated titanium alloy product can then be heat treated (130) under a hydrogen atmosphere and a heat treating temperature to reduce pore size and specific surface area to form a heat treated hydrogenated titanium product. The heat treated hydrogenated titanium product can be deoxygenated (140) to reduce residual oxygen to less than 0.2 wt % to form a deoxygenated hydrogenated titanium product as a particulate. The deoxygenated hydrogenated titanium product can optionally be dehydrogenated (150) to form the titanium alloy product as a particulate.

Provided are a method and apparatus for refining titanium scraps and sponge titanium, which can remove oxygen from a melt by supplying a deoxidizing gas to the surface of the melt in order to refine titanium scraps and sponge titanium. The method for refining titanium scraps and sponge titanium comprises supplying hydrogen ions and electrons in plasma to a titanium melt to remove oxygen from the titanium melt surface having an oxide layer formed thereon. In addition, the apparatus comprises: a vacuum chamber; a crucible located in the vacuum chamber and configured to perform melting by the magnetic field of an induction coil in a state in which a melt and the inner wall of the crucible; a calcium gas supply means configured to supply calcium gas from the bottom of the crucible to the space between the inner wall of the crucible and the melt.

The invention provides a method for the recovery of a metal-containing product (M.sub.Prod) comprising: providing a composite material comprising a matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.o), a product metal (M.sub.P) dispersed in the matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.o), and one or more metal compounds (M.sub.PC.sub.R) of the product metal (M.sub.P) in one or more oxidation states dispersed in the matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.o); and treating the composite material to at least partially remove the one or more metal compounds (M.sub.PC.sub.R) from the matrix of oxidised reductant (Ro) to form the metal-containing product (M.sub.Prod).

The invention provides a method for the recovery of a metal-containing product (M.sub.Prod) comprising: providing a composite material comprising a matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.o), a product metal (M.sub.P) dispersed in the matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.o), and one or more metal compounds (M.sub.PC.sub.R) of the product metal (M.sub.P) in one or more oxidation states dispersed in the matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.o); and treating the composite material to at least partially remove the one or more metal compounds (M.sub.PC.sub.R) from the matrix of oxidised reductant (Ro) to form the metal-containing product (M.sub.Prod).

A technique is provided, in which impure metal is efficiently separated and removed from titanium-containing raw material such as titanium slag or ilmenite and high titanium-containing raw material is produced. The method for improving quality of titanium-containing raw material containing slag, including steps of: oxidizing the titanium-containing raw material, selectively chlorinating impurities in the titanium-containing raw material, and separating and removing the impure chlorides to obtain high titanium-containing raw material. Alternatively, in this method, the oxidizing treatment and the selective chlorinating treatment are performed simultaneously.

A method of producing a composite material comprising: supplying a metal compound (M.sub.PC) of a product metal (M.sub.P) and a reductant (R) capable of reducing the metal compound (M.sub.PC) of the product metal (MP) to a reactor; forming a composite material comprising a matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.0) of the reductant (R), the product metal (M.sub.P) dispersed in the matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.0), and at least one of (i) one or more metal compounds (M.sub.PC.sub.R) of the metal compound (M.sub.PC) in one or more oxidation states and (ii) the reductant (R); and recovering the composite material from the reactor, wherein the metal compound (M.sub.PC) of the product metal (M.sub.P) is fed to the reactor such that it is in excess relative to the reductant (R).

A method of producing a composite material comprising: supplying a metal compound (M.sub.PC) of a product metal (M.sub.P) and a reductant (R) capable of reducing the metal compound (M.sub.PC) of the product metal (MP) to a reactor; forming a composite material comprising a matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.0) of the reductant (R), the product metal (M.sub.P) dispersed in the matrix of oxidised reductant (R.sub.0), and at least one of (i) one or more metal compounds (M.sub.PC.sub.R) of the metal compound (M.sub.PC) in one or more oxidation states and (ii) the reductant (R); and recovering the composite material from the reactor, wherein the metal compound (M.sub.PC) of the product metal (M.sub.P) is fed to the reactor such that it is in excess relative to the reductant (R).