EP1716261A1 - Aluminium production process - Google Patents

Aluminium production process

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Publication number
EP1716261A1
EP1716261A1 EP05706240A EP05706240A EP1716261A1 EP 1716261 A1 EP1716261 A1 EP 1716261A1 EP 05706240 A EP05706240 A EP 05706240A EP 05706240 A EP05706240 A EP 05706240A EP 1716261 A1 EP1716261 A1 EP 1716261A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
aluminium
solution
ionic liquid
process defined
ions
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP05706240A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1716261A4 (en
Inventor
Raymond Walter Shaw
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Technological Resources Pty Ltd
Original Assignee
Technological Resources Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2004900768A external-priority patent/AU2004900768A0/en
Application filed by Technological Resources Pty Ltd filed Critical Technological Resources Pty Ltd
Publication of EP1716261A1 publication Critical patent/EP1716261A1/en
Publication of EP1716261A4 publication Critical patent/EP1716261A4/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B3/00—Extraction of metal compounds from ores or concentrates by wet processes
    • C22B3/04—Extraction of metal compounds from ores or concentrates by wet processes by leaching
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B21/00—Obtaining aluminium
    • C22B21/0015—Obtaining aluminium by wet processes
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
    • C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
    • C22B3/00—Extraction of metal compounds from ores or concentrates by wet processes
    • C22B3/20—Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching
    • C22B3/26—Treatment or purification of solutions, e.g. obtained by leaching by liquid-liquid extraction using organic compounds
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P10/00—Technologies related to metal processing
    • Y02P10/20—Recycling

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a process for producing aluminium and aluminium-containing materials .
  • aluminium-containing materials includes by way of example, alumina, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium chloride , and aluminium trihydrate .
  • the Bayer process for producing alumina from aluminium-containing feed materials such as bauxite and the Hall-Heroult process for electrolytically producing aluminium from alumina is the only commercially significant process route for producing aluminium metal from aluminium-containing feed materials. This process route is also used to produce alumina and aluminium hydroxide for other applications .
  • the present invention provides an alternative process for producing aluminium and aluminium-containing materials from aluminium-containing feed materials .
  • the present invention is based on the realisation that (a) recently discovered organic reagents that are suitable for a solvent extraction process to extract aluminium ions from an aqueous liquor into an aluminium complex and (b) an electrolytic cell based on an ionic liquid electrolyte for producing aluminium directly or indirectly from the aluminium complex is a basis of an alternative process for producing aluminium from aluminium-containing feed materials .
  • a process of producing aluminium and aluminium- containing materials from a solid aluminium-containing feed material that comprises:
  • the organic reagent may be any suitable complexing ligand, compound, polymer or ion exchange resin.
  • Suitable organic reagents are described by way of example in International application PCT/AU02/00243 in the name of Technological Resources Pty. Limited. There are a number of possible options for recovery step (c) .
  • the aluminium-containing material may comprise, by way of example, alumina, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium trihydrate, and aluminium chloride in any suitable solid form.
  • One option for recovery step (c) comprises displacing aluminium ions from the aluminium complex by contacting the aluminium complex with an aqueous solution and thereafter recovering aluminium or an aluminium- containing material .
  • the solution used in step (c) may be a more acidic solution than the initial leach liquor used in step (a) and have limited solubility for aluminium such that the aluminium ions are displaced from the aluminium complex and immediately precipitate as a solid aluminium- containing material, for example as alumina and/or aluminium hydroxide, and the solid material is thereafter recovered.
  • the solution used in step (c) may be an acidic solution such that the aluminium ions are displaced from the aluminium complex into solution and are thereafter recovered from solution.
  • the solution is a hydrochloric acid solution.
  • the hydrochloric acid solution has a pH of 1-6.
  • a solid aluminium-containing material in the form of alumina or aluminium hydroxide may be recovered from the solution by heating the solution and causing thermal dissociation to drive off water and hydrochloric acid in gaseous forms and produce alumina in a powder form.
  • alumina or aluminium hydroxide or other aluminium-containing materials that are precipitated directly from the aluminium complex or are precipitated from the solution as described above may be sold as a product or processed further to produce aluminium using the conventional Hall-Heroult process or other processes , such as processes described hereinafter.
  • the solid aluminium-containing materials may be advantageously produced with an extremely fine particle size and high purity to increase its value when used directly in applications such as making ceramics and fire retardant composite materials .
  • aluminium may be recovered from the solution used in step (c) by transferring aluminium ions into an ionic liquid and thereafter recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid.
  • ionic liquid is understood to herein to mean a liquid that substantially consists of ions and can be used in a temperature range of 0-100°C.
  • the process comprises recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid by applying a potential across an anode and a cathode positioned so that at least the cathode is in contact with the ionic liquid and depositing aluminium on the cathode.
  • the transfer of the aluminium ions into the ionic liquid may be directly from the solution into an ionic liquid in the same compartment.
  • the ionic liquid is hydrophobic with a high affinity for aluminium and is stable in the presence of water.
  • the transfer of the aluminium ions into the ionic liquid may also be indirectly from the solution.
  • the transfer may be from the solution contained in one compartment into the ionic liquid contained in another compartment via a membrane, diaphram or other suitable means that is permeable to aluminium ions and separates the compartments .
  • the driving force for the transfer of aluminium ions from the compartment containing the solution to the other compartment containing the ionic liquid can be either by concentration gradient or by having the anode in the aqueous compartment and the cathode in the ionic liquid compartment.
  • the membrane, diaphram or other suitable means that is permeable to aluminium ions is resistant to attack by the solution and the ionic liquid and is impermeable to other constituents of the solution and the ionic liquid.
  • the process may comprise producing the alumina or aluminium hydroxide or other aluminium-containing materials precipitated directly from the aluminium complex or from the solution as described above in a solid form and thereafter dissolving the solid material in the ionic liquid directly or indirectly and recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid as described above .
  • step (c) comprises displacing the aluminium ions directly from the aluminium complex by transferring aluminium ions into an ionic liquid and thereafter recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid, for example electrolytically as described above.
  • the process allows the use of a wide range of aluminium-containing materials as feed materials , including currently difficult-to-treat impure dross and waste materials from smelters, and can produce higher purity aluminium as a value added product for use in specialist applications such as capacitors and compact discs .
  • the present invention is described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying flowsheet of one embodiment of the process of the invention .
  • the process shown in the flowsheet is suitable for producing aluminium from a wide range of aluminium- containing feed materials such as bauxite, kaolin, dross, and desilication products .
  • This step comprises leaching aluminium from a suitable feed material , for example bauxite , and forming an aqueous solution containing aluminium ions .
  • leaching is accomplished using a leach liquor comprising a caustic liquor at high pH or a dilute acid at pH 3-4.
  • the leaching step does not have to be at high temperatures and pressures. Specifically, there is no requirement to achieve supersaturation to promote subsequent precipitation. This leaves open a much wider operating range of dissolution conditions, especially when using non-bauxitic feed materials .
  • Extraction comprises extracting aluminium from the leach solution using an organic reagent of the type described in International application PCT/AU02/00243.
  • the aluminium is selectively extracted and forms an aluminium complex, thereby avoiding issues of purification .
  • This step comprises stripping aluminium from the aluminium complex, ie the loaded organic phase containing the aluminium ions, by contacting the aluminium complex with a suitable solution.
  • One option is to carry out this step using a solution that is more acidic than the initial leach liquor (and may be neutral or slightly basic) and has low solubility for aluminium, whereby the aluminium is displaced from the aluminium complex and precipitates immediately as a solid aluminium-containing material .
  • Another option is to carry out this step using a moderate strength hydrochloric acid solution, whereby the hydrogen ions displace the aluminium from aluminium complex, with the result that the aluminium transfers to the hydrochloric acid solution and regenerates the organic reagent.
  • the regenerated organic reagent can be recycled to extract more aluminium.
  • Another option is to directly transfer the aluminium from the aluminium complex into an ionic liquid electrolyte .
  • One option to recover aluminium from the hydrochloric acid solution is to use thermal dissociation to drive off water and hydrochloric acid leaving a pure alumina powder for sale as a product and/or for use in electrolysis cells to produce high purity aluminium.
  • Another option to recover aluminium from the hydrochloric acid solution is to transfer the aluminium from the hydrochloric acid solution into an ionic liquid electrolyte and produce high purity aluminium metal via electrolysis of aluminium ions in the ionic liquid.
  • the form of the electrolysis step depends in part upon the nature of the ionic liquid used.
  • One approach with this option is to use a cell which is set up so that aluminium transfers from the aqueous acidic solution into the ionic liquid through an ion selective membrane .
  • Another approach with this option is to use a hydrophobic ionic liquid with a high affinity for aluminium that is stable in the presence of water and acid whereby the aluminium transfers into the ionic liquid directly.
  • This approach may be assisted by adding chemical additives to the ionic liquid to improve the aluminium affinity of the ionic liquid.
  • Chemical additives include, by way of example, complexing reagents to improve the aluminium affinity of the ionic liquid.
  • Another option is to separate the aluminium in the form of a solid aluminium-containing material such as alumina, aluminium trihydrate and/or aluminium chloride and dissolve the solid material into the ionic liquid to provide the source of aluminium.
  • the reaction at the electrolysis cell cathode produces aluminium metal .
  • the corresponding anode reaction most probably generates chlorine gas or oxygen.
  • the chlorine gas could be recycled to the process after conversion to hydrochloric acid and the oxygen that could be captured as a separate product.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Electrolytic Production Of Metals (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Compounds Of Alkaline-Earth Elements, Aluminum Or Rare-Earth Metals (AREA)

Abstract

A process of producing aluminium and aluminium-containing materials from a solid aluminium-containing feed material is disclosed. The process comprises leaching the aluminium-containing feed material with a leach liquor and forming an aqueous solution containing aluminium ions, extracting aluminium ions from the aqueous solution by contacting the aqueous solution with an organic reagent and loading aluminium ions onto the organic reagent and forming an aluminium complex, and recovering aluminium or an aluminium-containing material from the aluminium complex.

Description

ALUMINIUM PRODUCTION PROCESS
The present invention relates to a process for producing aluminium and aluminium-containing materials .
The term "aluminium-containing materials" includes by way of example, alumina, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium chloride , and aluminium trihydrate . The Bayer process for producing alumina from aluminium-containing feed materials such as bauxite and the Hall-Heroult process for electrolytically producing aluminium from alumina is the only commercially significant process route for producing aluminium metal from aluminium-containing feed materials. This process route is also used to produce alumina and aluminium hydroxide for other applications .
However, whilst the above process route is efficient, it has disadvantages of high capital costs, being suitable only for high grade bauxite, and the aluminium metal and other aluminium-containing materials produced are only of moderate purity, albeit suitable for most current product needs .
The present invention provides an alternative process for producing aluminium and aluminium-containing materials from aluminium-containing feed materials . The present invention is based on the realisation that (a) recently discovered organic reagents that are suitable for a solvent extraction process to extract aluminium ions from an aqueous liquor into an aluminium complex and (b) an electrolytic cell based on an ionic liquid electrolyte for producing aluminium directly or indirectly from the aluminium complex is a basis of an alternative process for producing aluminium from aluminium-containing feed materials .
According to the present invention there is provided a process of producing aluminium and aluminium- containing materials from a solid aluminium-containing feed material that comprises:
(a) leaching the aluminium-containing feed material with a leach liquor and forming an aqueous solution containing aluminium ions;
(b) extracting aluminium ions from the aqueous solution by contacting the aqueous solution with an organic reagent and loading aluminium ions onto the organic reagent and forming an aluminium complex; and
(c) recovering aluminium or an aluminium-containing material from the aluminium complex. The organic reagent may be any suitable complexing ligand, compound, polymer or ion exchange resin.
Suitable organic reagents are described by way of example in International application PCT/AU02/00243 in the name of Technological Resources Pty. Limited. There are a number of possible options for recovery step (c) .
The aluminium-containing material may comprise, by way of example, alumina, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium trihydrate, and aluminium chloride in any suitable solid form.
One option for recovery step (c) comprises displacing aluminium ions from the aluminium complex by contacting the aluminium complex with an aqueous solution and thereafter recovering aluminium or an aluminium- containing material .
The solution used in step (c) may be a more acidic solution than the initial leach liquor used in step (a) and have limited solubility for aluminium such that the aluminium ions are displaced from the aluminium complex and immediately precipitate as a solid aluminium- containing material, for example as alumina and/or aluminium hydroxide, and the solid material is thereafter recovered. The solution used in step (c) may be an acidic solution such that the aluminium ions are displaced from the aluminium complex into solution and are thereafter recovered from solution. Preferably the solution is a hydrochloric acid solution. Preferably the hydrochloric acid solution has a pH of 1-6.
In such a situation, by way of example, a solid aluminium-containing material in the form of alumina or aluminium hydroxide may be recovered from the solution by heating the solution and causing thermal dissociation to drive off water and hydrochloric acid in gaseous forms and produce alumina in a powder form.
The alumina or aluminium hydroxide or other aluminium-containing materials that are precipitated directly from the aluminium complex or are precipitated from the solution as described above may be sold as a product or processed further to produce aluminium using the conventional Hall-Heroult process or other processes , such as processes described hereinafter.
The solid aluminium-containing materials , particularly alumina and aluminium hydroxide, may be advantageously produced with an extremely fine particle size and high purity to increase its value when used directly in applications such as making ceramics and fire retardant composite materials .
Alternatively, aluminium may be recovered from the solution used in step (c) by transferring aluminium ions into an ionic liquid and thereafter recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid.
The term "ionic liquid" is understood to herein to mean a liquid that substantially consists of ions and can be used in a temperature range of 0-100°C. Preferably the process comprises recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid by applying a potential across an anode and a cathode positioned so that at least the cathode is in contact with the ionic liquid and depositing aluminium on the cathode.
The transfer of the aluminium ions into the ionic liquid may be directly from the solution into an ionic liquid in the same compartment.
In such a situation, preferably the ionic liquid is hydrophobic with a high affinity for aluminium and is stable in the presence of water.
The transfer of the aluminium ions into the ionic liquid may also be indirectly from the solution.
For example, the transfer may be from the solution contained in one compartment into the ionic liquid contained in another compartment via a membrane, diaphram or other suitable means that is permeable to aluminium ions and separates the compartments . In this arrangement the driving force for the transfer of aluminium ions from the compartment containing the solution to the other compartment containing the ionic liquid can be either by concentration gradient or by having the anode in the aqueous compartment and the cathode in the ionic liquid compartment.
Preferably the membrane, diaphram or other suitable means that is permeable to aluminium ions is resistant to attack by the solution and the ionic liquid and is impermeable to other constituents of the solution and the ionic liquid.
Alternatively, the process may comprise producing the alumina or aluminium hydroxide or other aluminium-containing materials precipitated directly from the aluminium complex or from the solution as described above in a solid form and thereafter dissolving the solid material in the ionic liquid directly or indirectly and recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid as described above .
Another, although by no means the only other, possible option for recovery step (c) comprises displacing the aluminium ions directly from the aluminium complex by transferring aluminium ions into an ionic liquid and thereafter recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid, for example electrolytically as described above. The process allows the use of a wide range of aluminium-containing materials as feed materials , including currently difficult-to-treat impure dross and waste materials from smelters, and can produce higher purity aluminium as a value added product for use in specialist applications such as capacitors and compact discs .
The present invention is described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying flowsheet of one embodiment of the process of the invention . The process shown in the flowsheet is suitable for producing aluminium from a wide range of aluminium- containing feed materials such as bauxite, kaolin, dross, and desilication products .
With reference to the figure, the key steps in the embodiment of the process are as follows .
1. Leaching aluminium-containing feed material .
This step comprises leaching aluminium from a suitable feed material , for example bauxite , and forming an aqueous solution containing aluminium ions . Typically, leaching is accomplished using a leach liquor comprising a caustic liquor at high pH or a dilute acid at pH 3-4.
Because the aluminium is subsequently recovered by solvent extraction, as described below, the leaching step does not have to be at high temperatures and pressures. Specifically, there is no requirement to achieve supersaturation to promote subsequent precipitation. This leaves open a much wider operating range of dissolution conditions, especially when using non-bauxitic feed materials .
2. Extraction . This step comprises extracting aluminium from the leach solution using an organic reagent of the type described in International application PCT/AU02/00243. The aluminium is selectively extracted and forms an aluminium complex, thereby avoiding issues of purification .
3. Aluminium stripping
This step comprises stripping aluminium from the aluminium complex, ie the loaded organic phase containing the aluminium ions, by contacting the aluminium complex with a suitable solution.
One option is to carry out this step using a solution that is more acidic than the initial leach liquor (and may be neutral or slightly basic) and has low solubility for aluminium, whereby the aluminium is displaced from the aluminium complex and precipitates immediately as a solid aluminium-containing material .
Another option is to carry out this step using a moderate strength hydrochloric acid solution, whereby the hydrogen ions displace the aluminium from aluminium complex, with the result that the aluminium transfers to the hydrochloric acid solution and regenerates the organic reagent. The regenerated organic reagent can be recycled to extract more aluminium.
Another option is to directly transfer the aluminium from the aluminium complex into an ionic liquid electrolyte .
Aluminium recovery.
One option to recover aluminium from the hydrochloric acid solution is to use thermal dissociation to drive off water and hydrochloric acid leaving a pure alumina powder for sale as a product and/or for use in electrolysis cells to produce high purity aluminium.
Another option to recover aluminium from the hydrochloric acid solution is to transfer the aluminium from the hydrochloric acid solution into an ionic liquid electrolyte and produce high purity aluminium metal via electrolysis of aluminium ions in the ionic liquid.
The form of the electrolysis step depends in part upon the nature of the ionic liquid used. One approach with this option is to use a cell which is set up so that aluminium transfers from the aqueous acidic solution into the ionic liquid through an ion selective membrane . Another approach with this option is to use a hydrophobic ionic liquid with a high affinity for aluminium that is stable in the presence of water and acid whereby the aluminium transfers into the ionic liquid directly. This approach may be assisted by adding chemical additives to the ionic liquid to improve the aluminium affinity of the ionic liquid. Chemical additives include, by way of example, complexing reagents to improve the aluminium affinity of the ionic liquid. Another option is to separate the aluminium in the form of a solid aluminium-containing material such as alumina, aluminium trihydrate and/or aluminium chloride and dissolve the solid material into the ionic liquid to provide the source of aluminium.
The reaction at the electrolysis cell cathode produces aluminium metal . The corresponding anode reaction most probably generates chlorine gas or oxygen. The chlorine gas could be recycled to the process after conversion to hydrochloric acid and the oxygen that could be captured as a separate product.
The above-described electrolytic recovery of aluminium for the ionic liquid containing aluminium ions also applies to recovering aluminium from ionic liquid containing aluminium ions derived directly from the aluminium complex.
Many modifications may be made to the embodiment of the present invention described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS :
1. A process of producing aluminium and aluminium- containing materials from a solid aluminium-containing feed material that comprises :
(a) leaching the aluminium-containing feed material with a leach liquor and forming an aqueous solution containing aluminium ions ;
(b) extracting aluminium ions from the aqueous solution by contacting the aqueous solution with an organic reagent and loading aluminium ions onto the organic reagent and forming an aluminium complex; and
(c) recovering aluminium or an aluminium- containing material from the aluminium complex .
2. The process defined in claim 1 wherein the aluminium-containing material comprises any one or more of alumina, aluminium hydroxide, aluminium trihydrate, and aluminium chloride in any suitable solid form.
3. The process defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the recovery step (c) comprises displacing aluminium ions from the aluminium complex by contacting the aluminium complex with an aqueous solution and thereafter recovering aluminium or an aluminium-containing material.
4. The process defined in claim 3 wherein the solution used in step (c) is a more acidic solution than the initial leach liquor used in step (a) and has limited solubility for aluminium and step (c) comprises displacing aluminium ions from the aluminium complex by precipitating the solid aluminium or aluminium-containing material from the solution.
5. The process defined in claim 4 wherein step (c) comprises recovering the precipitated solid aluminium or aluminium-containing material from the solution.
6. The process defined in claim 3 wherein the solution used in step (c) is an acidic solution and step (c) comprises displacing aluminium ions from the aluminium complex into solution.
7. The process defined in claim 6 wherein the acidic solution is a hydrochloric acid solution.
8. The process defined in claim 7 wherein the hydrochloric acid solution has a pH of 1-6.
9. The process defined in any one of claim 6 to 8 wherein step (c) comprises recovering the solid aluminium or aluminium-containing material from the solution by heating the solution and causing thermal dissociation to drive off water and hydrochloric acid in gaseous forms and produce alumina in a solid form.
10. The process defined in claim 6 wherein step (c) comprises recovering the solid aluminium or aluminium- containing material from the solution by transferring aluminium ions into an ionic liquid.
11. The process defined in claim 10 comprises recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid.
12. The process defined in claim 11 comprises recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid by applying a potential across an anode and a cathode positioned so that at least the cathode is in contact with the ionic liquid and depositing aluminium on the cathode.
13. The process defined in any one of claims 10 to 12 comprises transferring aluminium ions into the ionic liquid directly from the solution.
14. The process defined in claim 13 wherein the ionic liquid is hydrophobia with a high affinity for aluminium and is stable in the presence of water.
15. The process defined in any one of claims 10 to 12 comprises transferring aluminium ions into the ionic liquid indirectly from the solution.
16. The process defined in claim 15 comprises transferring aluminium ions from the solution contained in one compartment into the ionic liquid contained in another compartment via a membrane, diaphram or other suitable means that is permeable to aluminium ions and separates the compartments .
17. The process defined in claim 16 wherein the driving force for the transfer of aluminium ions from the compartment containing the solution to the other compartment containing the ionic liquid is either by concentration gradient or by having an anode in the aqueous compartment and a cathode in the ionic liquid compartment.
18. The process defined in claim 3 wherein step (c) comprises displacing aluminium ions from the aluminium complex by precipitating solid material, dissolving precipitated solid material in an ionic liquid directly or indirectly, and recovering the solid aluminium or aluminium-containing material from the ionic liquid.
19. The process defined in claim 3 wherein step (c) comprises displacing the aluminium ions directly from the aluminium complex by transferring aluminium ions into an ionic liquid and recovering aluminium from the ionic liquid.
20. An aluminium or aluminium-containing material produced by the process defined in any one of the preceding claims .
EP05706240A 2004-02-16 2005-02-16 Aluminium production process Withdrawn EP1716261A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2004900768A AU2004900768A0 (en) 2004-02-16 Aluminium production process
PCT/AU2005/000192 WO2005078145A1 (en) 2004-02-16 2005-02-16 Aluminium production process

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1716261A1 true EP1716261A1 (en) 2006-11-02
EP1716261A4 EP1716261A4 (en) 2008-09-17

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US (1) US20070278106A1 (en)
EP (1) EP1716261A4 (en)
CN (1) CN100406588C (en)
BR (1) BRPI0507748A (en)
CA (1) CA2556613A1 (en)
RU (1) RU2363748C2 (en)
WO (1) WO2005078145A1 (en)

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RU2006133309A (en) 2008-03-27
CN1930313A (en) 2007-03-14
CA2556613A1 (en) 2005-08-25
RU2363748C2 (en) 2009-08-10
US20070278106A1 (en) 2007-12-06
WO2005078145A1 (en) 2005-08-25
BRPI0507748A (en) 2007-07-10
EP1716261A4 (en) 2008-09-17

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