Environmental and energy gains from using molten magnesium-sodium-potassium chlorides for electro-metallisation of refractory metal oxides

Wei Li; Yating Yuan; Xianbo Jin; Hualin Chen; George Z. Chen

doi:10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.11.002

Environmental and energy gains from using molten magnesium-sodium-potassium chlorides for electro-metallisation of refractory metal oxides

Wei Li
, Yating Yuan
, Xianbo Jin
, Hualin Chen
, George Z. Chen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The molten eutectic mixture of magnesium, sodium and potassium chlorides (MgCl₂-NaCl-KCl) has inappreciable solubility for oxide ions, and can help disengage a carbon anode from the oxide ions generated at a metal oxide cathode, and effectively avoid carbon dioxide formation. This "disengaging strategy" was successfully demonstrated in electro-reduction of solid oxides of zirconium and tantalum. It has led to significantly higher current efficiency (93%), and lower energy consumption (1.4 kW h kg^-1) in electrolysis of tantalum oxide to tantalum metal compared to the conventional electrolysis in molten calcium chloride (e.g. 78% and 2.4 kW h/kg-Ta).

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	650-653
Number of pages	4
Journal	Progress in Natural Science: Materials International
Volume	25
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.11.002
State	Published - Dec 1 2015
Externally published	Yes

Funding

We thank the NSFC , Ministry of Education of China , the EPSRC, Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou , Guangdong Nat. Sci. Found. , Nat. Key Fundamental R&D Program of China and Nat. Hi-Tech R&D Program of China for financial support (Grant nos. 20773094 , 21173161 , 51204060 , NCET-11-0397 , EP/J000582/1 , 201504010010 , S2012040007501 , 2015A030313802 , 2007CB613801 , 2009AA03Z503 ).

Keywords

Electro-reduction
Electrometallisation
Magnesium chloride
Molten salt
Tantalum

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10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.11.002

Cite this

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title = "Environmental and energy gains from using molten magnesium-sodium-potassium chlorides for electro-metallisation of refractory metal oxides",

abstract = "The molten eutectic mixture of magnesium, sodium and potassium chlorides (MgCl2-NaCl-KCl) has inappreciable solubility for oxide ions, and can help disengage a carbon anode from the oxide ions generated at a metal oxide cathode, and effectively avoid carbon dioxide formation. This {"}disengaging strategy{"} was successfully demonstrated in electro-reduction of solid oxides of zirconium and tantalum. It has led to significantly higher current efficiency (93\%), and lower energy consumption (1.4 kW h kg-1) in electrolysis of tantalum oxide to tantalum metal compared to the conventional electrolysis in molten calcium chloride (e.g. 78\% and 2.4 kW h/kg-Ta).",

keywords = "Electro-reduction, Electrometallisation, Magnesium chloride, Molten salt, Tantalum",

author = "Wei Li and Yating Yuan and Xianbo Jin and Hualin Chen and Chen, \{George Z.\}",

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doi = "10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.11.002",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Environmental and energy gains from using molten magnesium-sodium-potassium chlorides for electro-metallisation of refractory metal oxides

AU - Li, Wei

AU - Yuan, Yating

AU - Jin, Xianbo

AU - Chen, Hualin

AU - Chen, George Z.

PY - 2015/12/1

Y1 - 2015/12/1

N2 - The molten eutectic mixture of magnesium, sodium and potassium chlorides (MgCl2-NaCl-KCl) has inappreciable solubility for oxide ions, and can help disengage a carbon anode from the oxide ions generated at a metal oxide cathode, and effectively avoid carbon dioxide formation. This "disengaging strategy" was successfully demonstrated in electro-reduction of solid oxides of zirconium and tantalum. It has led to significantly higher current efficiency (93%), and lower energy consumption (1.4 kW h kg-1) in electrolysis of tantalum oxide to tantalum metal compared to the conventional electrolysis in molten calcium chloride (e.g. 78% and 2.4 kW h/kg-Ta).

AB - The molten eutectic mixture of magnesium, sodium and potassium chlorides (MgCl2-NaCl-KCl) has inappreciable solubility for oxide ions, and can help disengage a carbon anode from the oxide ions generated at a metal oxide cathode, and effectively avoid carbon dioxide formation. This "disengaging strategy" was successfully demonstrated in electro-reduction of solid oxides of zirconium and tantalum. It has led to significantly higher current efficiency (93%), and lower energy consumption (1.4 kW h kg-1) in electrolysis of tantalum oxide to tantalum metal compared to the conventional electrolysis in molten calcium chloride (e.g. 78% and 2.4 kW h/kg-Ta).

KW - Electro-reduction

KW - Electrometallisation

KW - Magnesium chloride

KW - Molten salt

KW - Tantalum

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DO - 10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.11.002

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84957097592

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JO - Progress in Natural Science: Materials International

JF - Progress in Natural Science: Materials International

IS - 6

ER -

Environmental and energy gains from using molten magnesium-sodium-potassium chlorides for electro-metallisation of refractory metal oxides

Abstract

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Keywords

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