Producing metallic titanium through electro-refining of titanium nitride anode

•A novel process for titanium extraction through electro-refining TiN was proposed.•The electrochemical dissolution mechanism of TiN was investigated.•The titanium ion species is changed depending on the dissolving potentials of TiN.•Pure titanium powders were prepared by the TiN electro-refining.

Titanium nitride (TiN) was used as consumable anode to produce metallic titanium in molten salts. The electrochemical dissolution of TiN was investigated. It was found that nitrogen (N2) was monitored at the anode during electrolysis. The titanium ion species was changed between Ti2 + and Ti3 + depending on the electrochemically dissolving potentials of TiN. Furthermore, the product on the cathode was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that pure titanium powders can be prepared by the TiN electro-refining in a molten salt bath.