The FFC-Cambridge Process for Titanium Metal Winning
TLDR
The FFC-Cambridge process as discussed by the authors is a generic technology that allows the direct conversion of metal oxides into the corresponding metals through cathodic polarisation of the oxide in a molten salt electrolyte based on calcium chloride.Abstract:
The FFC-Cambridge process is a molten salt electrochemical deoxidation method that was invented at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy of the University of Cambridge one decade ago. It is a generic technology that allows the direct conversion of metal oxides into the corresponding metals through cathodic polarisation of the oxide in a molten salt electrolyte based on calcium chloride. The process is rather universal in its applicability, and numerous studies on metals, semimetals, alloys and intermetallics have since been performed at the place of its invention and worldwide. The electro-winning of titanium metal is a particularly rewarding target because of the disadvantages of the existing extraction methods. This article summarises the research work performed on the FFC-Cambridge process at the University of Cambridge and its industrial partners with a focus on the electro-winning of titanium metal from titanium dioxide. Topics addressed encompass the invention of the process, early proof-of-concept work, the identification of the reaction pathway, and the investigation and optimisation of the key process parameters. Also discussed are aspects of technology transfer and some of the development work undertaken to date.read more
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References
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Phd by thesis
TL;DR: In this paper, a sedimentological core and petrographic characterisation of samples from eleven boreholes from the Lower Carboniferous of Bowland Basin (Northwest England) is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI
Direct electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide to titanium in molten calcium chloride
TL;DR: An electrochemical method for the direct reduction of solid TiO2 is reported, in which the oxygen is ionized, dissolved in a molten salt and discharged at the anode, leaving pure titanium at the cathode.
Journal ArticleDOI
Determination of the kinetic pathway in the electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide in molten calcium chloride
Carsten Schwandt,Derek J. Fray +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, an investigation into the kinetics of the electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to titanium metal (Ti) in molten calcium chloride has been performed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Emerging molten salt technologies for metals production
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss possible new processes involving electrodeoxidation, mediated reactions, and novel cell designs for metal extraction, and discuss the potential of these new processes to improve the performance of metal extraction.
Journal ArticleDOI
The electro-deoxidation of porous titanium dioxide precursors in molten calcium chloride under cathodic potential control
TL;DR: In this paper, a study on the electro-deoxidation of porous titanium dioxide precursors in molten calcium chloride is reported, and the results reveal that the formation of titanium metal occurs at electrode potentials significantly more positive than that of calcium deposition, whilst the realisation of very low residual oxygen contents requires potentials around that of calcite deposition.
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