A liquid transport apparatus includes: a U-shaped vessel for storing the liquid; an inverse conically shaped body which is hollow and has an opening part of an upper end and an opening part of a lower end; and a rotating disk driving motor part for rotating the inverse conically shaped body on an axis extending along a substantially vertical direction. The opening part of the lower end of the inverse conically shaped body is immersed in the liquid stored in the U-shaped vessel. In the liquid transport apparatus, an overflow opening part for keeping constant a distance between the opening part of the lower end of the inverse conically shaped body and a surface of the liquid stored in the U-shaped vessel is formed.

According to an embodiment, a nuclear fuel material recovery method of recovering a nuclear fuel material containing thorium metal by reprocessing an oxide of a nuclear fuel material containing thorium oxide in a spent fuel is provided. The method has: a first electrolytic reduction step of electrolytically reducing thorium oxide in a first molten salt of alkaline-earth metal halide; a first reduction product washing step of washing a reduction product; and a main electrolytic separation step of separating the reduction product. The first molten salt further contains alkali metal halide, and contains at least one out of a group consisting of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium fluoride and magnesium fluoride. The method may further has a second electrolytic reduction step of electrolytically reducing uranium oxide, plutonium oxide, and minor actinoid oxide in a second molten salt of alkali metal halide.

An electro-thermochemical cycling system for producing ammonia is provided that includes a reaction chamber having a metal compound input port, an anode suitable for oxidation in contact with the metal compound and configured for oxidation of hydroxide ions to water and oxygen, a cathode suitable for plating in contact with the metal compound and configured to electrolyze the metal compound to metal, a voltage source connecting the cathode and anode, a nitrogen port to the reaction chamber that combines nitrogen with the electrolyzed metal on the cathode to form a metal-nitrogen compound proximal to the nitrogen input, an atomic hydrogen port to the reaction chamber that combines with the metal-nitrogen compound to form ammonia, and an ammonia output port from the reaction chamber, where a metal compound input port inputs the metal compound to the reaction chamber according to a depletion rate of the metal compound in the reaction chamber.

The present disclosure relates to a field of aluminum smelting, and in particular to an inert anode aluminum electrolytic cell with a vertical structure, which includes: an electrolytic cell shell (1), a heating device (5) and a graphite base (13). The electrolytic cell shell (1) is provided with three insulating layers therein. The heating device (5) is disposed in the groove on the first insulating layer (4) The graphite base (13) is disposed at a bottom of an inner cavity of the electrolytic cell shell (1). A bottom of the graphite base (13) is opened with a mounting slot. The cathode is vertically mounted in the installation slot. The anode (17) is arranged in a staggered manner with the cathodes (16) and is suspended above the electrolytic cell shell (1) by connecting to a guide rod (11). A current of the anode (17) passes through the guide rod (11) and enters an interior of the electrolytic cell shell (1) from a top of the electrolytic cell, and the cathode (16) current is led out of the electrolytic cell shell through a metal electric rod (12). The present disclosure can meet the needs of electrolytic cells of different sizes, and the following problems are solved: the electrolytic cell needs to be heated and thermal insulated when the scale of the electrolytic cell is small; the side walls within the electrolytic cell shell are easily corroded without a protection of a frozen ledge; and the electrolyte melt easily penetrates through the splicing gaps of the furnace to damage the thermal-insulation layer, and there are difficulties in effective conductive connection between a vertical wettable cathode (16) and the bottom of the electrolytic cell.

An electrorefining process for refining relatively purer lithium metal from a lithium-alloy feedstock material using a three-layer electrorefining apparatus can include a) providing an anode layer comprising a molten, lithium-alloy feedstock material that includes a combination of lithium metal having a first purity and a carrier material; b) providing an electrolyte layer comprising a molten salt electrolyte material; c) providing a product layer comprising molten lithium metal having a second purity that is greater than the first purity above the electrolyte layer; and d) applying an activation electric potential that is sufficient to electrolyze the lithium-alloy feedstock material between an anode layer and the product layer that is electrically isolated from the anode layer, whereby lithium metal is liberated from the lithium-alloy feedstock material, migrates through the electrolyte layer and collects in the product layer.

Lead from lead acid battery scrap is recovered in two separate production streams as clean grid lead and as high-purity lead without smelting. In preferred aspects, lead recovery is performed in a continuous process that uses an aqueous electroprocessing solvent and electro-refining. Spent electroprocessing solvent and/or base utilized to treat lead paste from the lead acid battery scrap can be recycled to the recovery process.

An insulation assembly is provided, including: a body of an insulating material with a lower surface configured to contact a sidewall an electrolysis cell; an upper surface generally opposed to the lower surface; and a perimetrical sidewall extending between the upper surface and the lower surface to surround the remainder of the body, the perimetrical sidewall including: an inner portion configured to face an anode surface of the electrolysis cell and provide a gap between the body and the anode surface of the electrolysis cell; wherein the body is configured to extend from the sidewall towards the anode surface.

A system (100) for refining a metal oxide can include a target material (110) and at least one energy source (120) associated with the target material (110). The target material (110) can include a metal oxide to be reduced to a metallic element. The energy source (120) can be configured to apply an energy input (130) to the target material (110). The energy input (130) can include as oscillating component having a frequency that is resonant with a molecular resonant frequency of at least one component of target material (110). Additionally, a method of refining a metal oxide can include supplying an energy input to a target material that includes the metal oxide to reduce the metal oxide to a metallic element. The energy input can include an oscillating component having a frequency that is resonant with a molecular resonant frequency of at least one component of the target material.

The invention relates to an electrode material, preferably an inert anode material comprising at least a metal core and a cermet material, characterized in that: said metal core contains at least one nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe) alloy, said cermet material comprises at least as percentages by weight: 45 to 80% of a nickel ferrite oxide phase (2) of composition Ni.sub.xFe.sub.yM.sub.zO.sub.4 with 0.60 x0.90; 1.90y2.40; 0.00z0.20 and M being a metal selected from aluminum (Al), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), tin (Sn), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta) and hafnium (Hf) or being a combination of these metals, 15 to 45% of a metallic phase (1) comprising at least one alloy of nickel and copper.

Gold and silver are recovered selectively such that gold and silver are separated from non-silver and non-gold material within the scrap. Gold and silver are recovered from scrap material using mixtures of acids, in some instances. The mixture comprises nitric acid and at least one supplemental acid, such as sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid. The amount of nitric acid within the mixture are relatively small compared to the amount of sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid within the mixture. The recovery of gold and silver using the acid mixtures are enhanced by transporting an electric current between an electrode and the gold and silver of the scrap material. Acid mixtures are used to recover silver from particular types of scrap materials, such as scrap material comprising silver metal and cadmium oxide and scrap material comprising silver metal and tungsten metal.