Scandium International Mining Corporation

Nigel Ricketts

A method is provided for forming a metal alloy. The method includes preparing a mixture of scandium oxide and a flux, thereby obtaining a flux-oxide mixture, wherein the flux contains less than 20% fluoride by weight, based on the total weight of the flux; mixing the flux-oxide mixture with molten aluminum, thereby obtaining a flux-metal mixture; cooling the flux-metal mixture; and separating at least a portion of the flux from the flux-metal mixture, thereby obtaining a metal alloy.

Direct scandium alloying

A method is provided for forming a scandium-bearing aluminum alloy. The method includes preparing a mixture of scandium oxide and a first flux, thereby obtaining a flux-oxide mixture; mixing the flux-oxide mixture with a first portion of molten metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys, thereby obtaining a flux-metal mixture; obtaining a scandium-containing master alloy from the flux-metal mixture by performing the steps, in any order, of (a) cooling the flux-metal mixture, and (b) separating at least a portion of the flux from the flux-metal mixture; adding the scandium-bearing master alloy to a second portion of molten metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys, thereby obtaining a second metal mixture; and cooling the second metal mixture to obtain a scandium-bearing aluminum alloy; wherein the first flux contains less than 20% fluoride by weight, based on the total weight of flux added to the molten metal.

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Mount Crosby, Australia

Nigel Ricketts