Abstract: The invention provides methods of forming lower alkyls and alcohols from carbon sources thermally and/or electrolytically.

Abstract: The invention provides efficient and effective processes for recovering metals such as aluminum, magnesium and lithium from mixed waste sources such as auto shredder residue, aluminum cans, waste particles of aluminum alloy and municipal waste. The metal-waste source is dissolved in a more noble metal solvent at a temperature at which contaminants do not dissolve. The purified metal is then recovered from the solvent, preferably by electrorefining.

Abstract: A fuel cell in which carbon and water react to form hydrogen or water. The cells utilize electrolyte materials that hold or coordinate water to allow the useful reaction of carbon and water at moderate temperatures without the use of expensive pressure reactors. Activated carbon or carbon recovered from organic waste is used to fuel these cells to produce hydrogen gas or carbon dioxide and power at moderate temperatures and at very low cost.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of forming lower alkyls and alcohols from carbon sources thermally and/or electrolytically.

Abstract: Methods of enhancing the segregation roast through the use of microwave radiation and chloride ions are disclosed. The processes provide means of recovering metals trapped in ores and slags by reaction of these materials with carbon, chloride and water using microwave radiation as the primary energy source. The metals may be present in starting materials such as metallic sulfides, slags, metallic oxides such as laterites, magnetites, iron oxides, silicates and carbonates. The metals are reduced and can be recovered by separation from the gangue. Water, carbon and chloride can be recycled to the reaction to reduce costs.

Abstract: The invention provides efficient and effective processes for recovering metals such as aluminum, magnesium and lithium from mixed waste sources such as auto shredder residue, aluminum cans, waste particles of aluminum alloy and municipal waste. The metal-waste source is dissolved in a more noble metal solvent at a temperature at which contaminants do not dissolve. The purified metal is then recovered from the solvent, preferably by electrorefining.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for extracting energy from organic materials through the production of carbon and water by contacting the organic material with a carbon-oxide gas such as carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide at a temperature between about 200° C. and about 600° C. The reactions may be enhanced through the use of microwave irradiation, catalysts and pressure. These methods are helpful in the production of energy while utilizing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases and limiting the landfill of organic materials.

Abstract: The invention provides methods for extracting energy from organic materials through the production of carbon and water by contacting the organic material with a carbon-oxide gas such as carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide at a temperature between about 200° C. and about 600° C. The reactions may be enhanced through the use of microwave irradiation, catalysts and pressure. These methods are helpful in the production of energy while utilizing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases and limiting the landfill of organic materials.

Abstract: Pyritic ores are heated with microwave energy in a fluidized bed to a temperature in the range of approximately 573 degrees Kelvin to 823 degrees Kelvin with a controlled amount of oxygen to promote the oxidation of the pyritic ores according to the reaction: 2FeS.sub.2 +3/2 O.sub.2 .fwdarw.Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 +4S, thereby preventing the production of sulphur dioxide.

Abstract: A method for the recovery of copper from copper-containing materials, for example, scrap, ores or dust. An aqueous cupric tetrammine sulfate lixiviant is contacted with the copper-containing material to produce a leachate containing cuprous, nickel, and zinc ions, ammonium sulfate and free ammonia. Copper can be recovered from the leachate by electrolysis. Nickel and zinc can be precipitated from the resulting spent electrolyte by oxidizing substantially all of the cuprous ions in the copper ammine sulfate solution to cupric ions and lowering the pH of the solution to a range from about pH 7.5 to about pH 8.0 in order to form a precipitate. Alternatively, copper sulfate can be added to the cupric ammine sulfate-containing solution in order to form nickel and/or zinc containing precipitate.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of anhydrous zinc chloride from aqueous solutions containing zinc chloride and typical impurities, comprising: extracting zinc chloride onto a suitable organic extractant such as TBP; stripping the organic extractant with an organic reagent immiscible in the extractant, such as ethylene glycol; adding ammonia or other ammine donor to the loaded organic strip to precipitate a zinc chloride-ammine composition which may be decomposed to anhydrous zinc chloride by heating. The anhydrous zinc chloride is of high purity suitable for fused salt electrolysis to produce elemental zinc.

Abstract: Anhydrous zinc chloride is produced from an aqueous feed solution containing zinc chloride from an aqueous feed solution containing zinc chloride. The zinc chloride is extracted onto an organic extractant known to the art such as tributyl phosphate, primary, secondary or tertiary amines, and quaternary amine salts. The loaded extractant is then stripped with aqueous stripping solution containing ammonium chloride and ammonium hydroxide. The zinc ammine chloride formed in this aqueous stripping solution is separated from the stripping solution and can then be heated to form anhydrous zinc chloride and ammonia. This anhydrous zinc chloride is suitable as a feed material to a fused salt electrolysis process for the production of zinc.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of copper from its ores by conventional procedures requiring heat in which the source of heat is microwave energy. The microwave energy is used to selectively heat the copper compounds, such as sulfidic and oxidic compounds, in the ore, as respects the gangue, to convert the compounds into other compounds, such as oxides and chlorides, from which copper is more readily recoverable.

Abstract: Copper powder is produced from brass by reacting the brass with hydrochloric acid in an oxygen-free atmosphere at a temperature of at least 70.degree. C. until the non-copper metals and impurities of the brass are dissolved, oxidizing at least 10 percent by weight of the resulting copper to copper oxides, grinding the copper-copper oxide to a powder and removing the copper oxides of the powder to obtain a pure copper powder.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of molybdenum and rhenium from their sulfide ores which comprises subjecting the ores to microwave energy in the presence of oxygen to selectively heat the sulfides to convert them to oxides, and recovering the formed oxides. Alternatively, the sulfides in the ore are selectively heated with microwave energy in the presence of chlorine to convert them to the corresponding chlorides, and the metals recovered from the chlorides.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of nickel, cobalt or manganese from their oxides or silicates wherein such process, which requires the application of heat, is improved by utilizing microwave energy as the source of heat. The microwave energy may be utilized to cause the reduction of these values enabling such reduced values to then be recovered by conventional leaching processes. The microwave energy may also be used in conjunction with the chlorination of such values to produce their chlorides which are subsequently separated from the gangue and then processed by conventional means to obtain the metal values.

Abstract: A process for forming a metal chloride of a metal or its compound comprising forming a liquid fused salt bath mixture of at least two metal chlorides with one of the chlorides being selected from the group consisting of ferric chloride, ferrous chloride, cupric chloride and cuprous chloride, and introducing the metal or compound into the liquid fused salt bath in the presence of a chlorine source to form the metal chloride and elemental sulfur, and recovering the formed chloride from the liquid fused salt bath mixture. Chlorine gas or sulfur chloride may be introduced into the bath as an additional source of chlorine for reaction with the metal and for the generation of a portion of the ferrous chloride or cuprous chloride into ferric chloride or cupric chloride.

Abstract: A process for forming a metal chloride of a metal or its compound comprising forming a liquid fused salt bath mixture of at least two metal chlorides, the bath having the property of dissolving the formed metal chloride, and introducing the metal or compound into the liquid fused salt bath in the presence of chlorine to form the metal chloride and recovering the formed chloride from the liquid fused salt bath mixture. The metals which may be chlorinated are those from groups 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 5a and 8 of the periodic table and the rare earth metals. Compounds from which the metals may be chlorinated are the sulfides, oxides, carbonates and sulfates. Chlorine may be introduced as such or its source may be a chlorine donor such as ferric chloride or sulfur chloride. The chlorides for the liquid fused salt bath are those of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, ammonia, zinc, and ferric iron. The chlorination can be performed within a temperature range of 150.degree. C.-1000.degree. C.

Abstract: A process for recovering the metals manganese, nickel, and cobalt from their oxides and silicates in which the metal oxide or silicate is heated with ferric chloride in the absence of air and in the presence of a volatility depressant salt which is preferably an alkaline metal chloride or ammonium chloride to form the soluble chloride of the metal followed by dissolving the metal chloride from the residue and recovering the metal from the chloride solution by electrolysis, cementation or other standard recovery procedure.

Abstract: The desulfurization of both inorganic and organic sulfur constituents of coal by treating the coal in a liquid fused salt bath in the presence of chlorine to react the sulfur containing constituents with chlorine to form chlorides and elemental sulfur. The liquid fused salt bath is comprised of the chlorides of ferric iron, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, ammonia, and zinc.