Novel metallurgical process for titanium production

In this work, a consumable anode composed of a solid solution of titanium carbide and titanium monoxide was prepared via carbothermic reduction of TiO2. Upon electrolysis, the anode fed Ti2+ into solution and carbon monoxide was generated; no excess carbon remained to contaminate the melt. On the cathode, high-purity titanium (>99.9%) was produced. Our results suggest anode and cathode current efficiencies of 93.5% and 89% respectively, indicating that the method is viable and extremely cost-effective, potentially dropping the cost of titanium to near that of aluminum.