A method for preparing an article of a base metal alloyed with an alloying element includes the steps of preparing a compound mixture by the steps of providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic base-metal precursor compound of a base metal, providing a chemically reducible nonmetallic alloying-element precursor compound of an alloying element, and thereafter mixing the base-metal precursor compound and the alloying-element precursor compound to form a compound mixture. The compound mixture is thereafter reduced to a metallic alloy, without melting the metallic alloy. The step of preparing or the step of chemically reducing includes the step of adding an other additive constituent. The metallic alloy is thereafter consolidated to produce a consolidated metallic article, without melting the metallic alloy and without melting the consolidated metallic article.

A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products. Titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TiO.sub.2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.

A process for recovering metal from a process material comprising the metal and a component that is more volatile than the metal, which process comprises: transporting the process material in a retort provided in a furnace, the retort being operated under vacuum and at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the component from the process material thereby producing purified metal; depositing the component that has been sublimed on a cool surface; removing purified metal from the retort; and removing deposited component from the cool surface.

A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products. Titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TiO.sub.2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.

A method of producing a non-metallic feedstock powder suitable for reduction to metal comprises the steps of combining a liquid with solid metal oxide particles to form a mixture, subjecting the mixture to high-shear mixing to form a liquid suspension of metal oxide and the liquid, and drying the liquid suspension using a fluidised-bed spray-granulation process to grow a plurality particles to form the non-metallic feedstock powder. The method allows feedstock powders to be grown to desired particle sizes. The method allows production of feedstock powders having controlled compositions.

A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products. Titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TiO.sub.2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.

A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products. Titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TiO.sub.2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.

A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products. Titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TiO.sub.2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.

A method to extract and refine metal products from metal-bearing ores, including a method to extract and refine titanium products, wherein titanium products can be extracted from titanium-bearing ores with TIO2 and impurity levels unsuitable for conventional methods.