Molten salt extraction process for the recovery of valued transition metals from land-based and deep-sea minerals

Patent · 31 December 1987

OSTI ID:866674

Maroni, Victor A ^[1]; von Winbush, Samuel ^[2]

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1. Naperville, IL
2. Huntington, NY

A process for extracting transition metals and particularly cobalt and manganese together with iron, copper and nickel from low grade ores (including ocean-floor nodules) by converting the metal oxides or other compositions to chlorides in a molten salt, and subsequently using a combination of selective distillation at temperatures below about 500.degree. C., electrolysis at a voltage not more negative than about -1.5 volt versus Ag/AgCl, and precipitation to separate the desired manganese and cobalt salts from other metals and provide cobalt and manganese in metallic forms or compositions from which these metals may be more easily recovered.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4762694
• OSTI ID: 866674
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

-1
/423/75/205/
500
agcl
below
chlorides
cobalt
combination
compositions
converting
copper
deep-sea
degree
desired
distillation
easily
electrolysis
extracting
extraction
extraction process
forms
grade
including
iron
land-based
manganese
metal
metal oxide
metal oxides
metallic
metallic forms
metals
minerals
molten
molten salt
negative
nickel
nodules
ocean-floor
ores
oxides
particularly
precipitation
process
provide
recovered
recovery
salt
salt extraction
salts
selective
separate
subsequently
temperatures
temperatures below
transition
transition metal
transition metals
valued
versus
volt
voltage