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Direct method for producing scandium metal and scandium-aluminium intermetallic compounds from the oxides

Abstract

The electrochemical de-oxidation process, also called FFC-Cambridge process, has been proposed previously to produce reactive metals and their alloys through reduction of their metal oxides. The process works by introducing metal oxides into a molten salt bath where it is electrolysed to form metal powders offering both economic and environmental benefits over the traditional metal production methods. Within the frame of the EU-financed project SCALE (GA 730105), SINTEF is investigating the optimal parameters of the direct electrolytic reduction of Sc2O3 and Sc2O3–Al2O3 precursors (dross from Al-Sc alloy production), giving Sc and Al-Sc metallic powders, respectively, in a molten CaCl2-based electrolyte at a working temperature of ca. 900 °C. The influence of the applied cathodic potential in the reduction mechanism and in the metal product has been studied.
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Category

Academic article

Language

English

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Industry / Metal Production and Processing

Year

2018

Published in

Light Metals

ISSN

0147-0809

Volume

Part F4

Page(s)

1559 - 1564

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository