The electrolytic production of nickel-copper alloy by electrochemical reduction of converter matte in molten salt has been investigated. The sintered solid porous pellets of Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte were electr...The electrolytic production of nickel-copper alloy by electrochemical reduction of converter matte in molten salt has been investigated. The sintered solid porous pellets of Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte were electrolyzed at a voltage of 3.0 V in molten CaCl2-NaCl under the protection of argon gas at 700℃, respectively. The electro-reduction processes were investigated and the products were characterized. The results show that the molten salt electro-reduction process can be used to produce nickel, copper and nickel-copper alloy directly from Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte precursors in molten CaCl2-NaCl, respectively. CaS would be formed as the intermediate compound during the electro-reduction process, and then the formed CaS can be gradually decomposed and removed with the increase of the electrolysis time. The experimental results show that the molten salt electro-reduction process has the potential to be used for the reduction of sulfide minerals in molten CaCl2-NaCl.展开更多
文摘The electrolytic production of nickel-copper alloy by electrochemical reduction of converter matte in molten salt has been investigated. The sintered solid porous pellets of Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte were electrolyzed at a voltage of 3.0 V in molten CaCl2-NaCl under the protection of argon gas at 700℃, respectively. The electro-reduction processes were investigated and the products were characterized. The results show that the molten salt electro-reduction process can be used to produce nickel, copper and nickel-copper alloy directly from Ni3S2, Cu2S and converter matte precursors in molten CaCl2-NaCl, respectively. CaS would be formed as the intermediate compound during the electro-reduction process, and then the formed CaS can be gradually decomposed and removed with the increase of the electrolysis time. The experimental results show that the molten salt electro-reduction process has the potential to be used for the reduction of sulfide minerals in molten CaCl2-NaCl.