US 12,359,330 B2
Molten oxide electrolysis methods and related systems
Itamar Dutra Pereira de Resende, Santa Cruz de Minas (BR); Breno Rezende, Tiradentes (BR); Rakan Ashour, Burlington, MA (US); and Guillaume Lambotte, Somerville, MA (US)
Assigned to Boston Electrometallurgical Corporation, Woburn, MA (US)
Filed by Boston Electrometallurgical Corporation, Woburn, MA (US)
Filed on May 24, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/673,987.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/504,442, filed on May 25, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0392457 A1, Nov. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. C25C 3/00 (2006.01); C25C 3/34 (2006.01); C25C 5/04 (2006.01); C25C 7/00 (2006.01); C25C 7/06 (2006.01)
CPC C25C 7/06 (2013.01) [C25C 3/34 (2013.01); C25C 7/005 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for performing molten oxide electrolysis, the method comprising:
providing a metal oxide electrolyte precursor comprising at least three metal oxides, each present at 0.5 wt % or greater based on a total weight of the metal oxide electrolyte precursor, wherein the at least three metal oxides comprises a first metal oxide of a first target metal and a second metal oxide of a second target metal;
conditioning the metal oxide electrolyte precursor, to produce a metal oxide electrolyte, wherein the conditioning comprises at least one of: (a) changing a concentration of at least one the at least three metal oxides in the metal oxide electrolyte precursor and (b) changing a concentration of at least one metal in a metal oxide electrolyte precursor;
performing a first molten oxide electrolysis on the metal oxide electrolyte as an electrolyte to produce (a) a first spent electrolyte comprising the second metal oxide and having a reduced concentration of a the first metal oxide as compared to a concentration of the first metal oxide in the metal oxide electrolyte, and (b) a first metal product comprising the first target metal; and
performing a second molten oxide electrolysis on the first spent electrolyte to produce (a) a second spent electrolyte having a reduced concentration of the second metal oxide as compared to a concentration of the second metal oxide in the first spent electrolyte, and (b) a second metal product comprising the second target metal.