An environmentally friendly (e.g. no acid, base, or cyanide) system and process for large scale extraction of metal ion into aerobic molten salt (or ionic liquid) and the electrodeposition of metal (e.g. copper, gold, silver, etc.) from the metal ion dissolved in the molten salt. The non-volatile low vapor pressure liquid salt is reusable, and heat from the molten slag can heat the molten salts or ionic liquids. Another embodiment comprises a one-pot apparatus for the extraction of metal (e.g. copper) from metal earths and electrodepositing the metal using a low melting (209° C.) aerated Na—K—Zn chloride salt in which copper metal oxidizes and is converted to soluble copper chloride. When an electrical power supply is connected to the graphite vessel (cathode) and to copper rods in the melt (anodes), then the copper chloride is deposited as copper metal by electroreduction on the bottom of the graphite reaction vessel.

An electrolytic smelting system includes: an electrolytic smelting furnace including a furnace body to which a molten ore is introduced, a cathode substrate which is installed on a bottom portion in the furnace body, and an anode substrate which is positioned above the cathode substrate in the furnace body; an inert gas circulation unit including a circulation line to recover an inert gas supplied into the electrolytic smelting furnace together with oxygen and supply the inert gas to the molten ore; and an oxygen-removing unit which is installed in the circulation line and which removes oxygen from the circulation line.

This invention deals with a system using aqueous means for solubilizing chemical components contained in sulphur type ore concentrate which may contain iron, cobalt, niquel, copper, platinum group metals and other metals considered valuable and of commercial interest. Apart from that, a method using aqueous means for solubilizing such components is described.

This invention deals with a system using aqueous means for solubilizing chemical components contained in sulphur type ore concentrate which may contain iron, cobalt, niquel, copper, platinum group metals and other metals considered valuable and of commercial interest. Apart from that, a method using aqueous means for solubilizing such components is described.

An environmentally friendly (e.g. no acid, base, or cyanide) system and process for large scale extraction of metal ion into aerobic molten salt (or ionic liquid) and the electrodeposition of metal (e.g. copper, gold, silver, etc.) from the metal ion dissolved in the molten salt. The non-volatile low vapor pressure liquid salt is reusable, and heat from the molten slag can heat the molten salts or ionic liquids. Another embodiment comprises a one-pot apparatus for the extraction of metal (e.g. copper) from metal earths and electrodepositing the metal using a low melting (209 C.) aerated NaKZn chloride salt in which copper metal oxidizes and is converted to soluble copper chloride. When an electrical power supply is connected to the graphite vessel (cathode) and to copper rods in the melt (anodes), then the copper chloride is deposited as copper metal by electroreduction on the bottom of the graphite reaction vessel.

An environmentally friendly (e.g. no acid, base, or cyanide) system and process for large scale extraction of metal ion into aerobic molten salt (or ionic liquid) and the electrodeposition of metal (e.g. copper, gold, silver, etc.) from the metal ion dissolved in the molten salt. The non-volatile low vapor pressure liquid salt is reusable, and heat from the molten slag can heat the molten salts or ionic liquids. Another embodiment comprises a one-pot apparatus for the extraction of metal (e.g. copper) from metal earths and electrodepositing the metal using a low melting (209 C.) aerated NaKZn chloride salt in which copper metal oxidizes and is converted to soluble copper chloride. When an electrical power supply is connected to the graphite vessel (cathode) and to copper rods in the melt (anodes), then the copper chloride is deposited as copper metal by electroreduction on the bottom of the graphite reaction vessel.

A method and a system, the system, comprising a laser source, a ionization and acceleration unit, a separation unit, and a collecting unit, wherein the laser source comprises a large bandwidth laser delivering successive pulses of fixed central wavelength and bandwidth to a surface of a target positioned inside the ionization and acceleration unit, surface atoms of the target being ionized by the pulses, accelerated from the surface of the target to a kinetic energy in the range between 100 eV and 10 KeV, and focused to the separation unit, the separation unit separating received atoms into different ions species, and the collecting unit separately collecting the different ion species. The method comprises positioning a target inside a resistive tube, delivering successive pulses of same selected wavelength and bandwidth from a large bandwidth laser generating a beam of fixed central wavelength and bandwidth to a surface of the target to ionize atoms of the surface of the target, accelerate the ionized atoms to a kinetic energy in a range between 100 eV and 10 KeV, under an electric field in a resistive tube, directing the ionized atoms to a magnetic separator, and collecting ions species of the target separately in cup collectors.

A method and a system, the system, comprising a laser source, a ionization and acceleration unit, a separation unit, and a collecting unit, wherein the laser source comprises a large bandwidth laser delivering successive pulses of fixed central wavelength and bandwidth to a surface of a target positioned inside the ionization and acceleration unit, surface atoms of the target being ionized by the pulses, accelerated from the surface of the target to a kinetic energy in the range between 100 eV and 10 KeV, and focused to the separation unit, the separation unit separating received atoms into different ions species, and the collecting unit separately collecting the different ion species. The method comprises positioning a target inside a resistive tube, delivering successive pulses of same selected wavelength and bandwidth from a large bandwidth laser generating a beam of fixed central wavelength and bandwidth to a surface of the target to ionize atoms of the surface of the target, accelerate the ionized atoms to a kinetic energy in a range between 100 eV and 10 KeV, under an electric field in a resistive tube, directing the ionized atoms to a magnetic separator, and collecting ions species of the target separately in cup collectors.

The invention comprises an apparatus and method of use thereof for generating a rare earth from a rare earth oxide, comprising the steps of: (1) dissociating the rare earth oxide and hydrogen gas in a reaction chamber by inductively heating the reaction chamber to greater than 2000 K to form the associated rare earth and water vapor in a reaction process; (2) driving the reaction process forward by removing the water vapor from the reaction chamber by condensing and freezing the water vapor on a first cold trap surface as water ice, where the reaction comprises: RE.sub.2O.sub.3+3H.sub.2.fwdarw.2RE+3H.sub.2O, where REO is a rare earth oxide and RE comprises a rare earth in the rare earth oxide; and/or (3) monitoring the reaction process by monitoring generation of at least one of the rare earth and the water in a control system designed for continuous/semi-continuous operation.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for generating a rare earth from a rare earth oxide, comprising the sequential steps of: (1) reducing temperature about the rare earth oxide to less than zero degrees Celsius; (2) reducing pressure to boil off contaminant water in a powder sample of the rare earth oxide at a molecular escape velocity not disturbing the powdered rare earth oxide; and (3) heating the rare earth oxide to greater than 1000 C. in the presence hydrogen gas while optionally: (1) collecting and determining mass of a water product to determine a consumption mass of the starting hydrogen gas in a main reaction process using the equation RE.sub.2O.sub.3+3H.sub.2.fwdarw.2RE+3 H.sub.2O, wherein RE comprises at a rare earth and (2) injecting replacement hydrogen gas into the main reaction chamber up to the consumption mass.