Synthesis of Copper-Nickel and Iron-Nickel Alloys by Hydrogen Reduction of Mixtures of Metal Oxide Powders

The vast majority of metals production is based on the use of carbon as a reductant and/or a heating fuel. This results in a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions and should be minimized to limit global warming. In this study, powders of copper-nickel alloy and iron-nickel of varying compositions were produced in a single step by reduction of mixtures of Cu2O-NiO and Fe2O3-NiO powders, respectively, using hydrogen as a reductant. Reduction was performed in a horizontal tube furnace at 700 degrees C for 45 min. All processing was in the solid state and alloys were produced directly from elemental metal oxides. Exhaust gases were analyzed using a gas analyzer to measure the water content to track the progress of the reduction. Reduction was declared complete when the water content in exhaust gases matched the level before hydrogen was introduced. Both copper-nickel and iron-nickel alloys were produced successfully. X-ray diffractometry confirmed the absence of oxides in the product and the presence of solid phases in agreement with the relevant binary phase diagram. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a scanning electron microscope showed macroscopic homogeneity at the expected composition for each powder mixture directly after reduction, with microscopic fluctuations of the order of several mass percent, within the limits of fluctuations observed following typical casting processes. These promising results warrant further investigation to apply this concept to more chemistries and to scale up the process to a pilot scale.