US 11,753,732 B2
Ore dissolution and iron conversion system
Ai Quoc Pham, Boulder, CO (US); Sandeep Nijhawan, Boulder, CO (US); Adolfredo Alvarez, Boulder, CO (US); and Steven Fatur, Boulder, CO (US)
Assigned to ELECTRASTEEL, INC., Boulder, CO (US)
Filed by ELECTRASTEEL, INC., Boulder, CO (US)
Filed on Aug. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/884,198.
Application 17/884,198 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2022/021729, filed on Mar. 24, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/165,502, filed on Mar. 24, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0380918 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C25C 1/06 (2006.01); C25C 7/04 (2006.01); C22B 5/00 (2006.01); C25C 7/02 (2006.01); C22B 3/06 (2006.01)
CPC C25C 1/06 (2013.01) [C22B 3/06 (2013.01); C22B 5/00 (2013.01); C25C 7/02 (2013.01); C25C 7/04 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing and dissolving an iron-containing ore, the method comprising:
in a dissolution tank, dissolving at least a portion of the iron-containing ore using an acid to form an acidic iron-salt solution; and
electrochemically generating Fe2+ ions by electrochemically reducing Fe3+ ions from the acidic iron-salt solution to the electrochemically-generated Fe2+ ions;
wherein the acidic iron-salt solution comprises protons electrochemically generated in an electrochemical cell; and
wherein the acidic iron-salt solution is circulated between the dissolution tank and the electrochemical cell while dissolving.