Consider titanium
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Designed by architect Frank Gehry and clad in titanium
Titanium. There isn’t another metal with such great overall properties–toughness and specific strength, light weight, exceptional corrosion resistance, and performance even at extreme temperatures.
SADOWAY TARGET METAL
POWERING CRITICAL MINERAL SUPPLY CHAINS
Comparison: Titanium processes
THE KROLL PROCESS
Metals are found in nature as minerals. Titanium, for example, is present as rutile which is titanium dioxide. Titanium metal is traditionally produced by the Kroll Process, a chemical reaction of titanium tetrachloride with magnesium. The titanium product is termed metal sponge which must be melted to remove entrained salt. Titanium tetrachloride is prepared by carbochlorination of rutile, a process that produces toxic dioxin as a byproduct. The tetrachloride is subjected to multiple distillation steps to rid the feedstock of impurities. Such a facility comes with high CapEx, runs with high OpEx and emits high levels of pollutants.
The process of turning rutile or ilmenite into titanium is fundamentally difficult and the many steps involved in the Kroll process adds to the cost. The Kroll process for titanium has changed little since the 1950s. There is a better way.
Huge facility
Long permitting time
High labor intensity
Yield discrete batches-not continuous flow
High level of impurities
Tremendous energy cost
High carbon intensity
THE SADOWAY PROCESS
Consider a process in which titanium dioxide is dissolved in a solvent composed of a solution of other metal oxides into which are immersed two electrodes. By the action of electric current the titanium dioxide is decomposed into liquid titanium which pools on the bottom of the cell and into oxygen which vents through the top of the cell. No Kroll reactor, no carbochlorinator, no vacuum arc remelting furnace.
In one step we move from dirt to liquid metal of requisite purity, and at or below the market price point. One-pot smelting. Processing compression.
High-temperature electrochemistry is a platform technology that can be adapted for processing other ores and converting them into their respective metals, e.g., manganese, nickel, chromium, vanadium, rare earths (for example neodymium and dysprosium) and even sulfide minerals such as copper and antimony.
The processing compression in Sadoway High-Temperature Electrolysis, significantly reduces the number of steps with savings to CapEx and OpEx—power, CO2 emissions, footprint-- as well as labor, equipment, transportation, permitting time, and related expenses.
Two buildings: extractory and refinery.
Each building holds 10x10x10’ cells in 2x2 rows.
Yield continuous flow.
Comparison: Kroll process v. Sadoway process
Power cost--assume .05¢ KWh or $50 MWh
Smelter size per acre for one metric tonne output
C02 emissions per one metric tonne output
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Grow your audience.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.