Method of High-Melting-Point Metal Separation and Recovery

Abstract

A TiCl 4 gas is supplied to a molten CaCl 2 liquid held in a reactor vessel 6 through a raw material feed pipe 11 , TiCl 4 is reduced to produce granular metallic Ti by Ca melted in the CaCl 2 liquid. The molten CaCl 2 liquid in which Ti granules taken out downward from the reactor vessel 6 is mixed is delivered to a separation process 12 , the molten CaCl 2 liquid is heated in a heating vessel 15 , and separation is generated by a difference in specific gravity, whereby the molten CaCl 2 liquid 16 is located in an upper layer while a metallic Ti 17 is located in a lower layer. The metallic Ti 17 in the lower layer is taken out from a high-melting-point metal discharge port 18 , and the metallic Ti 17 is solidified to yield an ingot. The molten CaCl 2 liquid 16 in the upper layer is delivered to an electrolysis process 13 along with the molten CaCl 2 liquid taken out from the reactor vessel 6 , and Ca generated by the electrolysis and CaCl 2 are returned into the reactor vessel 6 . A separation and recovery method of the invention is applied to the separation process 12 in the above production process, and high-quality Ti or Ti alloy is efficiently separated and recovered from the CaCl 2 -containing molten salt with a small amount of energies.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method, wherein a molten salt in which a high-melting-point metal is mixed is melted in an inert gas atmosphere to perform a liquid phase separation of the high-melting-point metal, the molten salt being used as a reaction field. 
     
     
         13 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 12 , wherein a boiling point of said molten salt is higher than a melting point of said high-melting-point metal. 
     
     
         14 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 12 , wherein said molten salt is used as the reaction field in producing said high-melting-point metal and said molten salt is the one in which the high-melting-point metal obtained by a reaction in the reaction field is mixed. 
     
     
         15 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 14 , wherein a boiling point of said molten salt is higher than a melting point of said high-melting-point metal. 
     
     
         16 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 15 , wherein said molten salt contains CaCl 2 . 
     
     
         17 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 16 , wherein said molten salt contains Ca and the high-melting-point metal obtained by a reaction is the one obtained by causing a compound of said high-melting-point metal to react with Ca in said molten salt. 
     
     
         18 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 17 , wherein the high-melting-point metal is Ti or a Ti alloy and said compound of the high-melting-point metal contains TiCl 4 . 
     
     
         19 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 14 , wherein all or part of the molten salt in which the high-melting-point metal obtained by the reaction is mixed is maintained in a molten state until being melted in an inert gas atmosphere. 
     
     
         20 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 18 , wherein all or part of the molten salt in which the high-melting-point metal obtained by the reaction is mixed is maintained in a molten state until being melted in an inert gas atmosphere. 
     
     
         21 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 17 , wherein Ca is vaporized and separated when the molten salt with remnants of Ca is melted in an inert gas atmosphere after the reaction with said compound of the high-melting-point metal. 
     
     
         22 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 18 , wherein Ca is vaporized and separated when the molten salt with remnants of Ca is melted in an inert gas atmosphere after the reaction with said compound of the high-melting-point metal. 
     
     
         23 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 12 , wherein the high-melting-point metal is Ti or a Ti alloy, the molten salt contains CaCl 2  and Ca, and said melting is performed in an inert gas atmosphere or in vacuum. 
     
     
         24 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 23 , wherein a Ca concentration of the molten salt is adjusted in the range of 0.1 to 1.5% by mass before a mixed substance of said molten salt and Ti or a Ti alloy is melted. 
     
     
         25 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 23 , wherein Ca is added in said molten salt when the Ca concentration in the molten salt is less than 0.1% by mass before the mixed substance of said molten salt and Ti or the Ti alloy is melted. 
     
     
         26 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 24 , wherein Ca is added in said molten salt when the Ca concentration in the molten salt is less than 0.1% by mass before the mixed substance of said molten salt and Ti or the Ti alloy is melted. 
     
     
         27 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 23 , wherein all or part of the molten salt in which the high-melting-point metal obtained by the reaction is mixed is maintained in a molten state until being melted in an inert gas atmosphere. 
     
     
         28 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 26 , wherein all or part of the molten salt in which the high-melting-point metal obtained by the reaction is mixed is maintained in a molten state until being melted in an inert gas atmosphere. 
     
     
         29 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 23 , wherein Ca is vaporized and separated when the molten salt with remnants of Ca is melted in an inert gas atmosphere after the reaction with said compound of the high-melting-point metal. 
     
     
         30 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 26 , wherein Ca is vaporized and separated when the molten salt with remnants of Ca is melted in an inert gas atmosphere after the reaction with said compound of the high-melting-point metal. 
     
     
         31 . The high-melting-point metal separation and recovery method according to  claim 28 , wherein Ca is vaporized and separated when the molten salt with remnants of Ca is melted in an inert gas atmosphere after the reaction with said compound of the high-melting-point metal.