US4394167A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method of carbothermically producing aluminum
Assignee: Mitsui Aluminum Co Ltd
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Filing: 1981-03-06
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Granted: 1983-07-19
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Expires: 2001-03-06
Abstract
Abstract A method of producing an aluminum metal from alumina, silica and iron oxide bearing materials by mixing the coal and bringing the mixtures to the temperature in the range of 600 DEG to 900 DEG C. in order to make the alumina bearing coked briquettes. Then, the coked briquettes are brought to the temperature in the range of 2,000 DEG to 2,100 DEG C. to produce aluminum, silicon and iron containing alloys. The alloys are scrubbed by molten lead spray directly after the alloys formation, and are converted to lead-aluminum alloy. An aluminum is separated from lead by liquation and purified by fractional distillation.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenshi Kuwahara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 09:40
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22B; C22B21/00; C22B21/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of carbothermically producing an aluminum metal from alumina, silica and iron-oxide bearing materials, which comprises; (a) providing briquettes of a mix of said materials and a carbonaceous material which contains a sufficient amount of carbon to reduce the oxides in the material and coking said briquettes at a temperature of 600° to 900° C. by direct contact with non-oxidizing gas, to form coked briquettes, (b) heating the coked briquettes to a temperature of 2,000° to 2,100° C. with gas for combustion to form an aluminum-silicon-iron alloy, (c) scrubbing the resulting alloy in the nascent state with a molten lead splash to preferentially absorb the aluminum in the alloy into the molten lead, (d) separating the silicon and iron of the alloy from the aluminum-absorbed molten lead, (e) cooling the aluminum-absorbed molten lead to cause it to separate into liquid layers of aluminum and lead, respectively, and (f) subjecting the aluminum layer to distillation to distill off lead present and recover aluminum metal in substantially pure form.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of carbothermically producing an aluminum metal from alumina, silica and iron-oxide bearing materials, which comprises; (a) providing briquettes of a mix of said materials and a carbonaceous material which contains a sufficient amount of carbon to reduce the oxides in the material and coking said briquettes at a temperature of 600° to 900° C. by direct contact with non-oxidizing gas, to form coked briquettes, (b) heating the coked briquettes to a temperature of 2,000° to 2,100° C. with gas for combustion to form an aluminum-silicon-iron alloy, (c) scrubbing the resulting alloy in the nascent state with a molten lead splash to preferentially absorb the aluminum in the alloy into the molten lead, (d) separating the silicon and iron of the alloy from the aluminum-absorbed molten lead, (e) cooling the aluminum-absorbed molten lead to cause it to separate into liquid layers of aluminum and lead, respectively, and (f) subjecting the aluminum layer to distillation to distill off lead present and recover aluminum metal in substantially pure form.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the coking step (a) is effected in a coking furnace.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the heating step (b) is effected in a blast furnace.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the scrubbing step (c) is effected by splashing the molten lead under the tuyere level in the bottom of the blast furnace.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the cooling step (d) is effected in a liquation pot located adjacent to the blast furnace.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the distillation step (e) is effected in a separate pot located adjacent to the liquation pot.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the distillation is carried out under reduced pressure.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
16 words
The method of any one of claims 1-7 wherein the carbonaceous material is a coking coal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the non-oxidizing gas contains less than 1% by weight of oxygen.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the coking is carried out for 20-50 minutes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said mix contains carbon in an amount of 35-50 wt.% in the form of coking coal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said mix contains silica and alumina in a molecular weight ratio in the range of 1:1 to 2:1.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the alumina bearing material is selected from the group consisting of clay, kaolinite, agalmatorite, aluminous shale and bauxite.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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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) | 1986-07-18 | 1987-01-17 | 1987-07-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-07-18 | 1991-01-17 | 1991-07-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-07-18 | 1995-01-17 | 1995-07-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |