Fundamental Studies on Electrochemical Separation Process for Titanium from Mixed Scrap

这笔赠款将支持基础研究，这些研究将贡献与电化学制造过程相关的新知识，促进科学进步和促进国家繁荣。随着运输行业对钛需求的增加，需要开发一种低成本、高能效、对环境友好的替代技术。该奖项支持使用离子液体电解液在低温(约100摄氏度)下从家庭金属来源(即废料)中电化学制造钛的新途径的研究。电化学研究将与计算过程建模相结合。可以预见，这种新的低温电化学制造钛的工艺将是一种环境友好的工艺，与传统工艺相比，大大降低了能耗和成本。因此，这项研究的成果将有益于美国的经济和社会。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括电化学、冶金和材料工程、计算科学和制造。在制造技术研究和培训计划中采用多学科方法，将教育学生，建设未来的劳动力队伍，扩大代表不足的学生群体参与研究活动，并对STEM和工程项目产生积极影响。本文研究的电化学制造新工艺可以克服轻金属制造过程中存在的高温热过程中存在的金属价值高损失、高能耗和温室气体产生的局限性。然而，要实现电化学制造过程的全部潜力，还需要克服一些科学和工程上的障碍。本研究旨在填补对钛金属制造技术基础知识的认识空白。将进行实验和电化学模拟研究。这项研究将使人们对电解液和电极材料的热力学和传输性质，以及电活性物质的扩散系数有基本的了解。这也将大大提高我们对复杂化学物种的分离和电化学反应机理的基本理解。这将为电化学过程(CFD)模型的开发提供输入。该模型考虑了电极电荷转移反应和物种的反应动力学。将对电极上的电场、流体流动、电流密度和物种分布作为施加电压、温度和物种浓度的函数进行建模。该模型将利用实验结果进行验证。将模型结果与实验参数结果进行关联，并对金属制造过程进行过程建模和优化。这项研究的结果对轻金属制造过程具有潜在的变革性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This grant will support fundamental research that will contribute new knowledge related to an electrochemical manufacturing process, promoting the progress of science and advancing national prosperity. The increase in demand for titanium in transportation industries has created a need for the development of an alternate technology that is low cost, energy-efficient and environmentally benign. This award supports research to enable a novel pathway for the electrochemical manufacturing of titanium from domestic metal sources (i.e. scrap) using ionic liquid electrolytes at low temperatures (about 100 degree centigrade). Electrochemical studies will be combined with computational process modeling. It is envisioned that this new low temperature electrochemical manufacturing of titanium will be an environmentally benign process with significant reduction in energy consumption and cost as compared to the conventional process. Therefore, results obtained from this research will benefit the U.S. economy and society. This research involves several disciplines including electrochemistry, metallurgical and materials engineering, computational science and manufacturing. The multi-disciplinary approach in research and training program on manufacturing technology will educate students, build a future work force, broaden participation of underrepresented student groups in research activities and positively impact STEM and engineering programs.The new electrochemical manufacturing process studied in this work can overcome several limitations existing in the lightweight metals manufacturing process involving high temperature thermal process resulting high losses of metal values, high energy consumption and generation of greenhouse gases. However, some scientific and engineering barriers are yet to be overcome to realize the full potential of electrochemical manufacturing process. This research is to fill the knowledge gap on fundamental understanding of science of titanium metal manufacturing technology. Both experimental and electrochemical modeling studies will be conducted. The research will generate fundamental understanding of thermodynamic and transport properties of electrolytes and electrode materials, and diffusion coefficients of the electro-active species. It will also significantly enhance our fundamental understanding of separation of complex chemical species and electrochemical reaction mechanisms. This will be input to the development of the electrochemical process (CFD) model. The electrode charge-transfer reactions and the reaction kinetics for species will be incorporated into this new model. The electric field, fluid flow, current density and species distribution at the electrodes as a function of applied voltages, temperatures and species concentrations will be modeled. The model will be validated using the experimental results. Correlations of model results verified with experimental parameters results, as well as process modeling and optimization for the metal manufacturing process will be carried out. Results of this research are potentially transformative to lightweight metals manufacturing processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.