Electrolytic systems and methods for making metal halides and refining metals

摘要

Disclosed are electrochemical cells and methods for producing a halide of a non-alkali metal and for electrorefining the halide. The systems typically involve an electrochemical cell having a cathode structure configured for dissolving a hydrogen halide that forms the halide into a molten salt of the halogen and an alkali metal. Typically a direct current voltage is applied across the cathode and an anode that is fabricated with the non-alkali metal such that the halide of the non-alkali metal is formed adjacent the anode. Electrorefining cells and methods involve applying a direct current voltage across the anode where the halide of the non-alkali metal is formed and the cathode where the non-alkali metal is electro-deposited. In a representative embodiment the halogen is chlorine, the alkali metal is lithium and the non-alkali metal is uranium.

主权项

1. An electrochemical cell for producing a non-alkali metal halide comprising:
a container; a source of a hydrogen halide, the halogen selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine; an electrolyte disposed in the container, the electrolyte comprising a molten salt comprising (a) the halogen and (b) an alkali metal selected from the group consisting of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, francium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium; an anode disposed in the electrolyte, the anode comprising a non-alkali metal selected from the group consisting of actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, boron, silicon, antimony, tellurium, polonium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, aluminum, gallium, indium, tin, thallium, lead, bismuth, niobium, osmium, scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, lutetium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, iridium, platinum, and gold; an anolyte portion of the electrolyte adjacent the anode; a tube disposed in the electrolyte, the tube establishing a catholyte portion of the electrolyte; a first cathode disposed in the catholyte portion, the first cathode having a chemical feed passageway connected to the source of the hydrogen halide for flowing the hydrogen halide into the catholyte portion such that a portion of the hydrogen halide dissolves in the electrolyte in the catholyte portion; and a direct current power source having an anode terminal in electrical connectivity with the anode and a cathode terminal in electrical connectivity with the first cathode wherein the hydrogen halide is electrolyzed adjacent the first cathode to produce hydrogen and to produce anions of the halogen that migrate from the catholyte portion to the anode and form the non-alkali metal halide adjacent the anode.