US3856508A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for producing aluminum chloride, aluminum metal, and iron directly from ores
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-05-03
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Granted: 1974-12-24
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Expires: 1993-05-03
Abstract
Abstract Aluminum may be separated as a halide from ores or from ore residues hitherto considered unusable for aluminum production through conventional processing. Aluminum in the ore is converted to a volatile tri-halide, while iron, always present in such ores or ore wastes, is removed as substantially pure metal. Ferric halide may be formed in a first halogenation at about 700*C1050*C. This is treated in a blast furnace-like reactor to the solid residue from the first halogenation, along with carbon, at a temperature up to 1600*C or higher, to give vaporous AlCl3 or AlCl overhead and molten iron from the base. A single reactor may combine both reactions in one heating for ore solids. AlCl may be disproportioned to give aluminum metal. Other selected steps produce an aluminum halide or aluminum metal from clays, feldspars, oil shales, red muds from current aluminum production wastes, slimes from phosphate manufacture, slags from iron and manganese blast furnace operations, etc., while producing economically and almost quantitatively the other metal values of the ores or ore wastes.
Inventors
- 👤 D Othmer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 18:08
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B21/00; C22B21/0038; C22B21/0046; C21; C21B; C21B15/00; C21B15/006; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P10/00; Y02P10/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
262 words
A PROCESS UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE FOR PRODUCING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE FROM AN ORIGINAL MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF PULVERENT SOLIDS CONTAINING ALUMINUM AND IRON IN COMPOUNDS WITH OXYGEN COMPRISING: A. CONTACTING SAID PULVERENT SOLIDS IN A LOWER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE OF 500*C TO 1050*C IN THE PRESENCE OF A SOLID REDUCTANT WITH A GASEOUS HALOGENATING AGENT CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF AN ALUMINUM HALIDE; WHEREBY AN IRON HALIDE GOES OFF IN A GAS STREAM; AND A SOLID RESIDUE IS FORMED SUBSTANTIALLY DEPLETED OF IRON BUT CONTAINING AT LEAST MOST OF THE ALUMINUM, MUCH OF WHICH IS IN THE SAME COMPOUNDS PRESENT IN SAID ORIGINAL MATERIAL; B. PASSING AT LEAST MOST OF SAID IRON HALIDE IN SAID GAS STREAM TO A HIGHER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE WHICH IS CHARGED WITH SAID SOLID RESIDUE SUBSTANTIALLY DEPLETED OF IRON WHERE, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1050*C AND 2000*C IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID SOLID REDUCTANT, SAID IRON HALIDE REACTS WITH AT LEAST A PART OF SAID ALUMINUM IN SAID COMPOUNDS CONTAINED IN SAID RESIDUE FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE, TO FORM METALLIC IRON AND A GAS STREAM CONTAINING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE; C. PASSING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID GAS STREAM FROM SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE CONTAINING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE AS A HALOGENATING AGENT TO SAID LOWER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE OF (A) WHERE IT IS CONTACTED WITH SAID ORIGINAL PULVERENT SOLIDS IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID SOLID REDUCTANT TO PRODUCE SAID GASEOUS IRON HALIDE AND SAID RESIDUE DEPLETED OF IRON; AND D. REMOVING SAID METALLIC IRON FROM SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
262 words
A PROCESS UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE FOR PRODUCING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE FROM AN ORIGINAL MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF PULVERENT SOLIDS CONTAINING ALUMINUM AND IRON IN COMPOUNDS WITH OXYGEN COMPRISING: A. CONTACTING SAID PULVERENT SOLIDS IN A LOWER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE OF 500*C TO 1050*C IN THE PRESENCE OF A SOLID REDUCTANT WITH A GASEOUS HALOGENATING AGENT CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF AN ALUMINUM HALIDE; WHEREBY AN IRON HALIDE GOES OFF IN A GAS STREAM; AND A SOLID RESIDUE IS FORMED SUBSTANTIALLY DEPLETED OF IRON BUT CONTAINING AT LEAST MOST OF THE ALUMINUM, MUCH OF WHICH IS IN THE SAME COMPOUNDS PRESENT IN SAID ORIGINAL MATERIAL; B. PASSING AT LEAST MOST OF SAID IRON HALIDE IN SAID GAS STREAM TO A HIGHER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE WHICH IS CHARGED WITH SAID SOLID RESIDUE SUBSTANTIALLY DEPLETED OF IRON WHERE, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 1050*C AND 2000*C IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID SOLID REDUCTANT, SAID IRON HALIDE REACTS WITH AT LEAST A PART OF SAID ALUMINUM IN SAID COMPOUNDS CONTAINED IN SAID RESIDUE FROM SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE, TO FORM METALLIC IRON AND A GAS STREAM CONTAINING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE; C. PASSING AT LEAST A PART OF SAID GAS STREAM FROM SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE CONTAINING AN ALUMINUM HALIDE AS A HALOGENATING AGENT TO SAID LOWER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE OF (A) WHERE IT IS CONTACTED WITH SAID ORIGINAL PULVERENT SOLIDS IN THE PRESENCE OF SAID SOLID REDUCTANT TO PRODUCE SAID GASEOUS IRON HALIDE AND SAID RESIDUE DEPLETED OF IRON; AND D. REMOVING SAID METALLIC IRON FROM SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE REACTION ZONE.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
64 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein at least part of the heat required to raise said pulverent solids of said original material to the desired temperature of at least one of the reaction zones and to maintain that temperature during a reduction-halogenations is provided by the oxidation of at least a part of said reductant by added oxygen in the respective reaction zone.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein gaseous chlorine is added to at least one of the said reaction zones to supply at least some part of the gaseous halogenating agent used in said zone; said aluminum halide is a chloride of aluminum, and said iron halide is a chloride of iron.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein said original material contains silica; at least some part of said halogenating agent in at least one of said reaction zones is a choride of silicon; said aluminum hAlide is a chloride of aluminum; and said iron halide is a chloride of iron.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process according to claim 3 wherein the temperature of said higher temperature reaction zone is at least 1535*C; and said iron is removed as molten metal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The precess accoridng to claim 5 wherein the temperature of said higher temperature reaction zone is at least 1600*C; and said aluminum chloride formed therein is at least in part aluminum monochloride.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process according to claim 6 wherein said aluminum monochloride is disproportioned after leaving said higher temperature reaction zone to give metallic aluminum.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
62 words
The process according to claim 3 wherein said reductant is present in excess over that required for the reactions taking place in said low temperature reaction zone; and said excess reductant remains with said solid residue containing at least most of said aluminum in compounds present in the origninal material, and is present for the reactions in said high temperature reaction zone.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process according to claim 3 wherein at least some part of said chloride of iron is ferrous chloride.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of said original material is heated in at least two steps to at least 1535*C without intermediary cooling.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
142 words
A process for producing an aluminum chloride from an original material containing aluminum and iron in compounds with oxygen comprising a. a first chlorination at a temperature below 1050*C of said original material in the presence of a solid reductant bya first gaseous chlorinating agent comprising a chloride of aluminum to give a gas stream containing a chloride of iron, and pulverent solids containing alumina; b. the passing of said pulverent solids contsining alumina and at least a part of said chloride of iron to a second chlorination at a temperaure of between 1050*C and 2000*C in the presence of a solid reductant where at least a part of said alumina reacts with said chloride of iron so as to form metallic iron and a gas stream containing a chloride of aluminum, at least part of which is used in step (a).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
142 words
A process for producing an aluminum chloride from an original material containing aluminum and iron in compounds with oxygen comprising a. a first chlorination at a temperature below 1050*C of said original material in the presence of a solid reductant bya first gaseous chlorinating agent comprising a chloride of aluminum to give a gas stream containing a chloride of iron, and pulverent solids containing alumina; b. the passing of said pulverent solids contsining alumina and at least a part of said chloride of iron to a second chlorination at a temperaure of between 1050*C and 2000*C in the presence of a solid reductant where at least a part of said alumina reacts with said chloride of iron so as to form metallic iron and a gas stream containing a chloride of aluminum, at least part of which is used in step (a).
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-23 | 1978-06-24 | 1978-12-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-23 | 1982-06-24 | 1982-12-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-23 | 1986-06-24 | 1986-12-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |