Editors’ Choice—Molten Salt Electrolysis in Chloride Melts for Energy-Efficient Iron Metal Production

Badalbayli, Anar; Sinclair, Nicholas; Kim, Eunjeong; Baker, Alexander A.; Akolkar, Rohan

doi:10.1149/1945-7111/adbd7d

Editors’ Choice—Molten Salt Electrolysis in Chloride Melts for Energy-Efficient Iron Metal Production

Journal Article · Tue Mar 18 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/adbd7d· OSTI ID:2531271

; ; Kim, Eunjeong; Baker, Alexander A.;

This study explores chloride molten salt electrolysis (CMSE) as a promising route for energy-efficient iron metal (Fe) production. Moderate temperature (500 °C) LiCl-KCl molten salts offer excellent thermodynamic stability, high ionic conductivity and diffusivity, and high solubility for FeCl ₃ , thereby enabling efficient Fe metal extraction at high electrowinning rates. Here, we demonstrate the two essential steps for converting taconite ore into Fe metal. First, Fe ₂ O ₃ from taconite pellets was selectively leached in HCl yielding a high-purity FeCl ₃ aqueous solution, while the gangue components settled at the bottom. Then, anhydrous FeCl ₃ was electrolyzed in a LiCl-KCl eutectic molten salt at 500 °C at high current density (1 A cm ⁻² ) and at high Coulombic efficiency (>85%). Analysis of the electrowon Fe deposits revealed dendritic structures with purity of >99 wt%, which could be further improved to nearly 100 wt% through arc re-melting. CMSE offers low specific energy consumption (3.7 kWhr kg ⁻¹ ), competitive with H ₂ -DRI and other electrolytic approaches being pursued globally. Our findings underscore the potential of CMSE as an energy-efficient route for electrosynthesis of Fe metal.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; EE0010846

OSTI ID:: 2531271

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2528106
OSTI ID: 2564549

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-872768

Journal Information:: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 172; ISSN 0013-4651

Publisher:: The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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