Cyclic process for the manufacture of titanium-aluminum alloys and regeneration of intermediates thereof

Claim 1

A CYCLIC PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF TITANIUMALUMINUM ALLOYS CONTAINING 0.1% TO 95% OF TITANIUM, AND THE REGENERATION OF THE INTERMEDIATES OF SAID PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION THE STEPS OF INITIALLY REACTING AN ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATE WITH METALLIC ALUMINUM IN STOICHIOMETRIC EXCESS AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 660*C. AND 1800*C. TO OBTAIN THE SAID TITANIUM-ALUMINUM ALLOY AND A BY-PRODUCT SALT MIXTURE OF ALKALI METAL FLUOALUMINATE AND ALUMINUM FLOURIDE, THEREAFTER SEPARATING SAID ALLOY FROM SAID SALT MIXTURE, REACTING SAID SALT MIXTURE OF ALKALI METAL FLUOALUMINATE AND ALUMINUM FLUORIDE, IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM, WITH AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIUM HYDROXIDES, AMMONIUM CARBONATES, AMMONIUM BICARBONATES, ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDES, ALKALI METAL CARBONATES, AND ALKALI METAL BICARBONATES IN QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO PRECIPITATE ALL OF THE ALUMINUM IONS IN THE SALT MIXTURE AS ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, SEPARATING SAID PRECIPITATE OF ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE FROM THE RESULTING SOLUTION CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIUM FLUORIDE AND ALKALI METAL FLUORIDES, REACTING SAID SOLUTION WITH A TITANIUM CONTAINING PRODUCT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIC SULFATE, BASIS TITANIUM SULFATE, AND TITANIUM DIOXIDE, THE REACTION MIXTURE CONTAINING AT LEAST TWO EQUIVALENTS OF SULFATE ION FOR EACH EQUIVALENT OF TITANIUM ION, SEPARATING THE RESULTANT ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATE FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE, AND RECYCLING SAID SEPARATED ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATE TO THE ABOVE SAID INITIAL REACTION OF ALKALI METAL FLUOTITANATE AND METALLIC ALUMINUM.