Preparation of Fe–Ni Alloy Containing Low Cr and Ti from Red Mud Through Molten Salt Electrolysis

The paper reports the preparation of iron–nickel alloy with low chromium (Cr) and titanium (Ti) from pre-treated red mud through molten salt electrolysis. The pre-treatment of red mud involves the heat treatment of red mud with Na 2 CO 3 in a graphite crucible at a temperature of 1000 °C for 1 h followed by water leaching and drying. The electrolysis of pre-treated red mud is carried out in a molten CaCl 2 bath at a temperature of 1000 °C taking heat-treated red mud as cathode and graphite as anode. The electrolysis of pre-treated red mud is carried out at a constant cell voltage of 3 V for 1 h in a molten CaCl 2 bath at a temperature of 1000 °C to produce the iron–nickel alloy containing low chromium and titanium. The partially metalized phases (α-Fe, CrTi and NiTi) present in the pre-treated red mud accelerate the cathodic reduction during molten salt electrolysis to produce the said alloy and ultimately decrease the time period of electrolysis.