Purification of aluminum

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING COMMERCIALLY PURE ALUMINUM WHICH COMPRISES HEATING IN AN ELECTRIC ARC REDUCTION FURNACE A BODY OF A FUSED MIXTURE OF AN ALUMINUM OXIDIC MATERIAL AND A CARBONACEOUS REDUCING AGENT OVER AN UNDERLYING BODY OF MOLTEN ALLOY OF ALUMINUM AND A HEAVY METAL, SAID HEAVY METAL BEING A METAL OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BORON, COBALT, CHROMIUM, IRON, MANGANESE, MOLYBDENUM, TITANIUM, TUNGSTEN, VANADIUM AND MIXTURES THEREOF AND BEING IN AN AMOUNT SUCH AS TO FORM AN ALLOY WITH ALUMINUM HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF AT LEAST 4 MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE AT THE INTERFACE OF THE FUSED MATERIAL AND THE HEAVY METAL ALLOY AT FROM 1500*C. TO 2600*C. AT WHICH TEMPERATURE ALUMINUM AND THE HEAVY METAL ARE SOLUBLE IN EACH OTHER IN LARGE PROPORTIONS, REDUCING ALUMINUM FROM THE ALUMINUM OXIDIC MATERIAL, THE REDUCED ALUMINUM DISSOLVING IN THE HEAVY METAL, AS THE BODY OF HEAVY METAL ALLOY INCREASES DUE TO THE INCORPORTATION OF REDUCED ALUMINUM THEREIN CONTINUOUSLY PASSING THROUGH AN ENCLOSED DUCT LIQUID ALUMINUM-ENRICHED HEAVY METAL ALLOY INTO A REFINING FURNACE AND COOLING THE ALLOY THEREIN TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH HEAVY METAL ALLOY CRYSTALLIZES OUT LEAVING AN ALUMINUM-RICH ALLOY, FURTHER COOLING IN THE REFINING FURNACE A PORTION OF THE ALUMINUM-RICH ALLOY AND CRYSTALLIZING OUT COMMERCIALLY PURE ALUMINUM, RECOVERING THE COMMERCIALLY PURE ALUMINUM, AND RETURNING THE HEAVY METAL ALLOY FROM THE REFINING FURNACE TO THE REDUCTION FURNACE.