Cerium extraction by metallothermic reduction using cerium oxide powder injection

This work presented the feasibility of cerium recovery by Al-Mg alloy through the metallothermic reduction of CeO2 to obtain a master alloy Al-4%Ce. The master alloy obtained in this investigation was for the grain refinement and modification of Al-Si alloys. The reagent was incorporated into a molten alloy using the submerged powder injection technique, and metallic samples were obtained during injection. Chemical and microstructural analyses (by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively) confirmed the possibility of Ce uptake in the bath (0 to 4 wt.%), as CeO2 was reduced through metallothermic reactions in the molten alloys. Based on the characterization of reaction products, the sequence of the reaction was proposed.