Patent ID: 8142542

Claim:
A method for producing metal comprising (A) feeding carbonaceous matter and an oxide of at least one base metal to a reactor and forming therein, fully reduced base metal and offgas that comprises carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; (B) removing carbon dioxide from at least a portion of said offgas to produce a product stream comprising carbon dioxide, and a carbon dioxide-depleted offgas comprising carbon monoxide; and (C) contacting at least a portion of the carbon dioxide-depleted offgas with a reactor metal oxide in which the reactor metal is at a first oxidation state, to produce reactor metal or a reactor metal oxide in which the oxidation state of the reactor metal has been reduced to a second lower oxidation state by reaction of oxygen from the reactor metal oxide with carbon monoxide in the carbon dioxide-depleted offgas to produce a carbon dioxide-augmented stream, and subsequently contacting said reactor metal or reactor metal oxide at said second oxidation state with steam to produce a hydrogen-containing stream separate from said carbon dioxide-augmented stream and oxidize said reactor metal or reactor metal oxide to said first oxidation state.