Methods and systems for producing lithium metal through room temperature electrodeposition.

The invention relates to a process and devices for reducing impurities in molten salts, a molten salt being purified in an electrochemical process by applying a voltage between two electrodes. According to the invention, the voltage is varied so that in different phases different electrodes act as cathode or anode.

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 ≤x≤0.90; 1.90≤y≤2.40; 0.00≤z≤0.20 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.

There is provided a method of electrochemically reducing multiple metal oxide pellets simultaneously, the method comprising: contacting an anode and a cathode with multiple metal oxide pellets with an electrolyte, wherein the multiple metal oxide pellets are secured to the cathode; and applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode to reduce multiple metal oxides comprised in the multiple metal oxide pellets to its respective metals. There is also provided an electrochemical cell for electrochemically reducing multiple metal oxide pellets simultaneously.

Brick assemblies are prepared for covering the floor of an electrolysis cell. A tiling pattern is overlaid on a floor plan. Virtual tiles of the tiling pattern have a size and a shape of a template. Each brick assembly is formed to match zero or more departures from the template of a portion of the floor overlaid by each virtual tile. The brick assemblies are placed in piles and successively picked up for placement in adjacent positions on the floor of the electrolysis cell. Successive brick layers may be installed, in which tiling patterns are shifted to avoid overlap of the edges of bricks of the successive brick layers. A system comprises a working bench to prepare the brick assemblies, a vacuum brick lifter carried by a motorized structure to pick up and position the brick assemblies, and a controller to control the preparation and installation of the brick assemblies.

A centrifugal molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) reactor that can volatilize and capture volatiles (i.e., .sup.3He or other noble gases) and electrochemically decompose, while under centrifugal action, lunar regolith into oxygen, metals, and semiconductor materials is disclosed. The high-temperature centrifugal MRE reactor comprises four principal components; namely: (1) a rotatable concentric electrolytic cell comprising an outer metallic shell cathode positioned about an inner central drum anode; (2) a motor sized and configured to rapidly spin (rotate) the concentric electrolytic cell reactor about its central longitudinal axis; (3) a stationary (relative to the spinning electrolytic cell) induction coil (connected to an external stationary AC current source) wrapped about, and adjacent to, the rotatable concentric electrolytic cell (for, when selectively energized, melting regolith contained within the concentric electrolytic cell); and (4) a stationary voltage source (for supplying an applied voltage to the concentric electrolytic cell). The centrifugal MRE reactor electrowins metals and oxygen.

A cathode assembly for an electrolytic cell including a cathode block having a second surface and a first surface. The cathode block also including at least one sealing groove opening onto its first surface and a plurality of electrical contact plugs mounted in electrical contact with the first surface of the cathode block. The cathode assembly includes at least one current supply plate in electrical contact with at least one electrical contact plug, and is connected to at least one unit for connection to an electric current source. The cathode assembly includes at least one current supply bar having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially identical to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the current supply plate and is sealed within the at least one sealing groove while being fastened to at least one current supply plate.

A process for production of metal(s) by molten-salt electrolysis includes direct non-carbothermic chlorinating of ore containing metal oxide(s) to produce metal chloride(s); and electrolysis of molten salt(s) of the metal chloride(s) for electrowinning of metal(s) product.

System for, and methods of, recovering precious metals from precious metals-containing solids are described herein. Methods for the recovery of precious metals from precious metals-containing solids heating a salt mixture to form a molten salt mixture, adding a precious metals-containing solid to the molten salt mixture to form a molten salt/precious metals-containing solids mixture, adding an oxidizing agent to the molten salt/precious metals-containing solids mixture, forming a liquid solution from molten salt/precious metals-containing solids mixture, the liquid solution comprising soluble precious metal salts, and subjecting the liquid solution to an electrodeposition process to form purified precious metals. Systems for, and methods of, recovery precious metals from precious metals-containing solids allow for the recovery of salt mixtures and reuse of the salt mixtures in subsequent precious metals recovery operations.

The present invention provides a molten-salt electrolytic refining apparatus for refining a raw-material alloy containing indium using a molten-salt electrolytic refining method. The molten-salt electrolytic refining apparatus includes a reaction crucible provided in a reaction container so as to be filled with a molten-salt electrolytic solution, an anode and a cathode immersed in the molten-salt electrolytic solution, an anode crucible in which a liquid raw-material alloy is contained, a cathode crucible in which at least one raw-material metal included in the raw-material alloy is recovered in a liquid phase, and a heater provided so that the temperature of the molten-salt electrolytic solution is adjusted to be equal to or greater than the melting temperature of the raw-material alloy. The present invention also provides a molten-salt electrolytic refining method which includes recovering indium (In) from an indium-tin (In—Sn) alloy using a molten-salt electrolytic solution containing fluoride.