ELECTROLYTIC PRODUCTION OF HIGH-PURITY ALUMINUM WITH THE USE OF CERAMIC INERT ANODES Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC C25C3/06 C25C3/12 

FIELD: production of aluminum of commercial purity by electrolytic method.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method is performed in electrolyzer with inert ceramic anode; aluminum thus produced is characterized by acceptable content of Fe, Cu and Ni: Fe, 0.2 mass-% max; Cu, 0.1 mass-% max and Ni, 0.034 mass-% max. Inert ceramic anodes used for realization of this method may include Fe and Ni oxides and other oxides, metals and/or alloying admixtures; inert ceramic anodes contain one ceramic phase of the following formula: Ni_1-x-yFe_2-xM_yO₄, where M is Zn and/or Co,x ranges from 0 to 0.5 and y ranges from 0 to 0.6; it also contains Cu, Ag, Pd, Pt or their combination; inert ceramic anodes contains at least one alloying admixture selected from oxides Co, Cr, Al, Ga, Ge, Hf, In, Ir, Mo, Mn, Os, Re, Rh, Ru, Se, Si, Sn, Ti, V, W, Zr, Li, Ca, Ce, Ir and F at total amount of up to 10 mass-% or at least one alloying admixture selected from oxides Al, Mn,Nb, Ti, V, Zr and F. Electric conductivity of inert ceramic anode is at least 30 ohm/cm at temperature of 1000°C. Proposed method includes stages of mixing powders of metal oxides and sintering this mixture in inert atmosphere containing argon at content of oxygen of about 5000 parts per million of inert atmosphere.

EFFECT: high purity of aluminum.

29 cl, 5 dwg, 3 tbl