A Novel Process for Recovery of Rhenium from Superalloy Material

Rhenium, a rare and high value element, is added in considerable amounts to nickel-based superalloy compositions due to its ability to enhance creep performance. Besides the economic incentives, the limited availability of rhenium, along with the growing demand for superalloys, raises concerns that demand may outpace supply. Reducing or eliminating rhenium from superalloy compositions is not a viable solution; therefore, work has gone into the development of effective recovery techniques. Superalloy scrap, with its high rhenium content, is a rich source of rhenium compared to primary ores, making it an attractive source for recovery. Various routes have been attempted to recover rhenium from superalloy scrap, including many routes that capitalize on the high volatility of rhenium oxide. However, the absence of a widely accepted industrial process to recover rhenium from superalloy material, highlights the need for improvement in this area. The initial development of a novel high temperature recycling approach to recover metallic rhenium from contaminated superalloy material will be presented. Preliminary tests of this process show no loss of rhenium or any other high value elements during melting, supporting its continued development.