Electro-desulfurization of metal sulfides in molten salts.

A review emphasized on the electro-desulfurization mechanism of sulfides as cathodes or anodes in molten salts. [Display omitted] • The research advance of metal or alloy prepared by molten salt electro-desulfurization is reviewed for the first time in this paper. • This review provides a comprehensive insight into the electrode reaction mechanism of various metal sulphides in molten salts. • The challenges in molten salt electro-desulfurization technology are summarized and the future research direction is pointed out. Sulfide is one of the most abundant minerals in the earth's crust and a major raw material for metal extraction. The traditional pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy process is relatively lengthy, and will produce CO 2 and SO 2 with greater hazards for environment. Electro-desulfurization is a metal extraction method developed in the past 20 to 30 years, which is considered to be an environmentally friendly and simple process. In electro-desulfurization process, sulfide is used as electrode and raw material, and molten salt is used as electrolyte. Metal and elemental sulfur are extracted at the cathode and anode respectively after current is introduced, meanwhile CO 2 and SO 2 are not produced. In this paper, the recent research of electro-desulfurization in molten salts is summarized, including the electrode reaction process when sulfide is used as cathode or anode, electrolytic products and factors affecting current efficiency and energy consumption. It is expected to provide suggestions for future direction and enhance the theoretical support for the clean development of sulfides through the comprehensive analysis of molten salt electro-desulfurization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]