Method and system for extracting metal and oxygen from powdered metal oxides

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12534818-B2
Application number	US-202117509394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2021
Priority date	Oct 25, 2021
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A method for extracting metal and oxygen from powdered metal oxides in electrolytic cell is proposed, the electrolytic cell comprising a container, a cathode, an anode and an oxygen-ion-conducting membrane, the method comprising providing a solid oxygen ion conducting electrolyte powder into a container, providing a feedstock comprising at least one metal oxide in powdered form into the container, applying an electric potential across the cathode and the anode, the cathode being in communication with the electrolyte powder and the anode being in communication with the membrane in communication with the electrolyte powder, such that at least one respective metallic species of the at least one metal oxide is reduced at the cathode and oxygen is oxidized at the anode to form molecular oxygen, wherein the potential across the cathode and the anode is greater than the dissociation potential of the at least one metal oxide and less than the dissociation potential of the solid electrolyte powder and the membrane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for extracting metal and oxygen from powdered metal oxides in an electrolytic cell, comprising a container, a cathode, an anode and an oxygen-ion-conducting membrane, the method comprising:
providing a solid oxygen ion conducting electrolyte powder into the container, wherein the solid oxygen ion conducting powder comprises at least one of a group of materials, the group of consisting of rare earth or alkaline earth-doped zirconia-, ceria-, hafnia- or thoria-based oxides, providing a feedstock comprising at least one metal oxide in powdered form into the container, applying an electric potential across the cathode and the anode, the cathode being in communication with the solid oxygen ion conducting powder and the anode being in communication with the membrane, the membrane being in communication with the solid oxygen ion conducting powder, such that at least one respective metallic species of the at least one metal oxide is reduced at the cathode and oxygen is oxidized at the anode to form molecular oxygen, wherein the potential across the cathode and the anode is greater than the dissociation potential of the at least one metal oxide and less than the dissociation potential of the solid oxygen ion conducting powder and the membrane.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising mixing the solid oxygen ion conducting powder and the feedstock.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock comprises at least one of a group of materials or a chemical compound comprising at least one of the group of materials, the group consisting of:
iron, titanium, regolith.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid oxygen ion conducting powder comprises mixed oxygen ion electronic conductors.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxygen ion-conducting membrane is selected from a group of materials, the group comprising rare earth or alkaline earth-doped zirconia-, ceria-, hafnia-, and thoria-based oxides.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the membrane comprises yttria-stabilized zirconia.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a mean particle size of the solid electrolyte powder is less than a mean particle size of the feedstock powder.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrolytic cell is operated at a temperature greater than about 500° C.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrolytic cell is operated at a temperature in the range of about 500° C. to about 1300° C.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting molecular oxygen at the anode.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising arranging a conducting structure into a space between the cathode and the anode in electrical contact with the cathode as a preparatory step before applying the electric potential.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising separating obtained metal from the solid oxygen ion conducting powder through a separation process, the separation process being selected from a group of separation processes, the group comprising:
sieving, vibration separation, magnetic separation, electrostatic separation, air classification, sedimenting, and a combination thereof.

13 . A system for extracting metal and oxygen from powdered metal oxides, the system comprising:
an electrolytic cell having a container, a cathode, an anode, and an oxygen-ion-conducting membrane, a solid oxygen ion conducting powder, wherein the solid oxygen ion conducting powder comprises at least one of a group of materials, the group consisting of rare earth or alkaline earth-doped zirconia-, ceria-, hafnia-, and thoria-based oxides, and a power supply, wherein the cathode and the anode are arranged at a distance to each other in the container to form a receiving space, wherein the membrane is arranged between the cathode and the anode and contacts the anode, wherein the solid oxygen ion conducting powder is provided in the receiving space in communication with the cathode and the membrane, wherein the power supply is connectable to the cathode and the anode to selectively apply an electric potential across the cathode and the anode, wherein the system is adapted for reducing at least one respective metallic species of at least one metal oxide of feedstock mixed into and surrounded by the solid oxygen ion conducting powder by applying the electric potential, wherein the potential is greater than the dissociation potential of the at least one metal oxide and less than the dissociation potential of the solid oxygen ion conducting powder and the membrane.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the solid oxygen ion conducting powder comprises mixed oxygen ion electronic conductors.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the oxygen ion-conducting membrane is selected from a group of materials, the group comprising rare earth or alkaline earth-doped zirconia-, ceria-, hafnia-, and thoria-based oxides.

16 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising a conducting structure in the receiving space between the cathode and the anode in electrical contact with the cathode.

17 . The system of claim 13 , further comprising an array of anodes, extending in direction of the cathode.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the conducting structure comprises at least one wire mesh.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the oxygen ion-conducting membrane is yttria-stabilized zirconia.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh
• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Seidel Achim O
• Pal Uday B
• Quadbeck Peter
• Adrian Astrid

Classifications

• C25C7/04

  Diaphragms; Spacing elements · CPC title

• C25C7/02

  Electrodes (consumable anodes for the refining the metals C25C1/00 - C25C5/00); Connections thereof · CPC title

• C25C5/00 Primary

  Electrolytic production, recovery or refining of metal powders or porous metal masses · CPC title

• Y02P10/20

  Recycling · CPC title

• C25B13/07

  based on ceramics · CPC title