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 (Mp) 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 (R.sub.O) to form the metal-containing product (M.sub.Prod).

The invention relates to powder metallurgy, in particular to a method for metallothermal reduction of feedstock elements made from feedstock being a solid solution of oxides of various elements in titanium oxide, using magnesium and/or calcium as reducing agents. Processes include hydrolysis of an aqueous solution of a titanium-containing salt to obtain primary particles of crystalline titanium oxide, calcination of a precipitate of titanium oxides/hydroxides, formation of feedstock elements from a milled powder of a solid solution of dopants in titanium oxide, reduction of feedstock elements in one step using calcium metal or reduction of feedstock elements in two steps, using magnesium metal or calcium metal in the first step, and calcium metal in the second step. The aim of the invention is to produce alloy powders of titanium metal with a particularly low oxygen content.

The invention relates to powder metallurgy, in particular to a method for metallothermal reduction of feedstock elements made from feedstock being a solid solution of oxides of various elements in titanium oxide, using magnesium and/or calcium as reducing agents. Processes include hydrolysis of an aqueous solution of a titanium-containing salt to obtain primary particles of crystalline titanium oxide, calcination of a precipitate of titanium oxides/hydroxides, formation of feedstock elements from a milled powder of a solid solution of dopants in titanium oxide, reduction of feedstock elements in one step using calcium metal or reduction of feedstock elements in two steps, using magnesium metal or calcium metal in the first step, and calcium metal in the second step. The aim of the invention is to produce alloy powders of titanium metal with a particularly low oxygen content.

Provided is a method for preparing a reduced titanium powder by a multistage deep reduction, including the following steps of: uniformly mixing a dried titanium dioxide powder with a magnesium powder to obtain a mixture, adding the mixture in a self-propagating reaction furnace, triggering a self-propagating reaction, obtaining an intermediate product of which low-valence titanium oxides Ti.sub.xO are dispersed in an MgO matrix, leaching the intermediate product with a hydrochloric acid as a leaching solution, performing filtering, washing and vacuum drying to obtain a low-valence titanium oxide Ti.sub.xO precursor, uniformly mixing the low-valence titanium oxide Ti.sub.xO precursor with a calcium powder, performing a pressing to obtain semi-finished products, placing the semi-finished products in a vacuum reduction furnace for a second-time deep reduction, and leaching a deep reduction product with a hydrochloric acid as a leaching solution so as to obtain the reduced titanium powder.

A method (500) for producing a titanium product is disclosed. The method (500) can include obtaining TiO.sub.2-slag (501) and reducing impurities in the TiO.sub.2-slag (502) to form purified TiO.sub.2 (503). The method (500) can also include reducing the purified TiO.sub.2 using a metallic reducing agent (504) to form a hydrogenated titanium product comprising TiH.sub.2 (505). The hydrogenated titanium product can be dehydrogenated (506) to form a titanium product (508). The titanium product can also be optionally deoxygenated (507) to reduce oxygen content.

Disclosed is a method of producing titanium and titanium alloy nanopowder from titanium-containing slag through a shortened process. The method includes: (1) subjecting titanium-containing slag to high-temperature oxidation and enrichment and then melting to precipitate titanium-enriched slag; (2) subjecting the titanium-enriched slag to pulverization and gravity flotation; (3) carrying out secondary enrichment; (4) preparing a molten salt reaction system; (5) synthesizing titanium and salt-containing titanium alloy nanopowder by reduction reaction; and (6) vacuum filtering, pickling, washing and vacuum drying the salt-containing titanium alloy nanopowder; and then separating titanium alloy nanopowder from the molten salt. Using the present method, the titanium-containing slag can be continuously treated to produce titanium and titanium alloy nanopowder. It requires a shortened process, a simple equipment and low energy consumption. The process is environmentally friendly and produces excellent products without solids, gas or liquids that are harmful to environment.

The present disclosure generally relates to processes for the reduction of transition metals using alkali metals to produce reduced transition metals.

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).