Pure metal extraction from molten oxide slag by short-circuit galvanic cell

The oxygen-ion-permeable membrane galvanic short-circuit method has been developed, in which pure metal was directly extracted from the molten oxide slag, and no external voltage is applied. The galvanic cell employed in the experiment was as follows: graphite rod|[O]_{Fe+C saturation}|ZrO₂(MgO)|(FeO)_(siag)|Fe rod. The reduction current in the galvanic cell consisted of an external short-circuit current and an interior short-circuit current in the oxygen-ion-permeable membrane. The real-time variation of external circuit reduction ratio of the molten slag could be obtained from the curve of the external circuit current to the time.