Treatment of chemical feedstocks

US9468975B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Limited · ZA

Inventors

• Johannes Theodorus Nel · Kempton Park, ZA
• Willem Liebenberg Retief · Centurion, ZA
• Johan Louis Havenga · Centurion, ZA
• Wilhelmina Du Plessis · Centurion, ZA
• Johannes Petrus Le Roux · Irene, ZA

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 11, 2012
• Grant date: Oct 18, 2016
• Expiry date: Oct 24, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P10/20
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process for treating a zirconium containing feedstock includes fluorinating a feedstock comprising dissociated zircon (‘DZ’) to obtain a zirconium fluorine compound and a silicon fluorine compound. The zirconium fluorine compound is separated from the silicon fluorine compound is provided. Optionally, the zirconium fluorine compound is reacted with a non-fluorine halogen, an alkali metal non-fluorine halide or an alkaline-earth metal non-fluorine halide, thereby to obtain a zirconium non-fluorine halide. The zirconium fluorine compound or, when present, the zirconium non-fluorine halide is subjected to plasma reduction, in a plasma reduction stage, in the presence of a reductant, to obtain metallic zirconium.