Pyrochemical process for electrochemically base metals in molten halides combined countercurrent electromigration and electrowinning methods

On reprocessing spent metallic fuels in molten salts it is indispensable to develop a pyrochemical process for the electrochemically base elements like alkali metal, alkaline-earth, rare-earth elements in order to use the melt baths repeatedly. For this purpose we have investigated the internal mobility of each cation from the electromigration methods and the electrochemical behavior of these base elements by electrochemical techniques. These experimental results allow us to conclude that the rare-earth, alkaline-earth, alkali metal halides were concentrated in the migration tubes and separated one another through electromigration process. In addition, in the following electrowinning process, each metal was selectively recovered in the liquid metallic cathodes. Furthermore, we suggested an originated pyrochemical process combined the countercurrent electromigration and the electrowinning methods in order to separate these elements effectively and recover them selectively each other. The characteristics of this process have the availability for the difference of the physicochemical properties such as the internal mobility and the decomposition potential for the electrochemically base metals in the molten halide baths. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.