US 11,753,700 B2
Process for reducing the content of oxygen in metallic copper
Artem Tarasenko, Moscow Region (RU); Niklas Bengt Jakobsson, Kågeröd (SE); Bengt Peter Gustav Blennow, Humlebæk (DK); and Casper Hadsbjerg, Holte (DK)
Assigned to HALDOR TOPSØE A/S, Kgs. Lyngby (DK)
Appl. No. 16/608,941
Filed by HALDOR TOPSØE A/S, Kgs. Lyngby (DK)
PCT Filed Apr. 16, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/059659
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 28, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/206237, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 15, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. PA 2017 00293 (DK), filed on May 10, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0190625 A1, Jun. 18, 2020
Int. Cl. C22B 15/00 (2006.01); C25B 1/23 (2021.01)
CPC C22B 15/006 (2013.01) [C25B 1/23 (2021.01)] 10 Claims
 
1. A process for reducing the content of oxygen, present as copper oxide, in molten metallic copper, which is subjected to a copper refining process, the process comprising:
feeding a fed gas comprising carbon dioxide to a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) stack to produce a product gas comprising carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide;
injecting the product gas into the molten metallic copper through an injection system that disperses the product gas in bubbles throughout the molten metallic copper, wherein the carbon monoxide removes the oxygen from the molten metallic copper according to the equation:
CuO+CO→Cu+CO2
thereby increasing the purity of the molten metallic copper,
wherein the product gas from the SOEC stack is compressed and wherein the injection system disperses the product gas in bubbles throughout the molten metallic copper to enhance a contact surface between the product gas and the molten metallic copper.