Highly efficient photonic furnace for metal production

Abstract

The present invention relates to a photonic furnace comprising one or more light sources generating a light beam, the light beam having a wavelength less than 600 nm, a reaction chamber having a precursor material inlet, and a product outlet, and a method for producing a metal product from a precursor material, such as a metal oxide, using the photonic furnace, wherein the one or more light sources are capable of providing a power density at a beam impingement region of the light beam sufficient to increase the temperature of the beam impingement region and thereby cause the reduction of the precursor material to a metal.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 374,330, filed September 1, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 487,811, filed March 1, 2023, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. [Background technology]

[0002] In addition to consuming large amounts of energy to convert raw materials into usable metal products, the production of steel and the smelting of metals contribute significantly to annual atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases, including CO. Therefore, more efficient furnaces and methods for producing metals from raw materials are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a more cost-effective way to produce metal products. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one aspect, described herein is a photonic furnace for producing a metal product from a precursor material. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace comprises one or more light sources generating a light beam. In some embodiments, the light beam has an emission wavelength less than about 600 nm. In some embodiments, the wavelength is between about 425 nm and about 475 nm. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace comprises a reaction chamber. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace comprises a precursor material inlet providing access to the reaction chamber. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace comprises a product outlet.

[0004] In some embodiments, the light beams of the one or more light sources can provide a power density at a beam impingement region of the light beam sufficient to raise the temperature of the beam impingement region to at least the reaction temperature in less than about 5 seconds (e.g., about 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second, 0.5 seconds, or 0.1 seconds). In some embodiments, the beam impingement region is located within the reaction chamber or within a preheat chamber, the preheat chamber being connected between the material inlet and the reaction chamber.

[0005] In some embodiments, interaction of the precursor material with the beam impact region facilitates conversion of the precursor material to a metal product. In some embodiments, heating of the precursor material by interaction with the beam impact region can convert the precursor material to a metal product. In some embodiments, the metal product can be collected from the photonic furnace through a product outlet. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is the melting temperature of at least one component of the precursor material. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is the temperature required to cause a reducing agent in the reaction chamber to reduce a metal oxide in the reaction chamber.

[0006] In some embodiments, the reducing agent is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, ammonia, carbon, carbon monoxide, and combinations of two or more thereof.

[0007] In some embodiments, the reducing agent and the metal oxide are heated separately.

[0008] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber comprises steel lined with a refractory ceramic coating, the refractory ceramic coating being selected from the group consisting of magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, graphite, silicon oxide, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the furnace is configured to remove impurities from the precursor material during production of the metal product. In some embodiments, the precursor material is combined with at least one alloying element during production of the metal product. In some embodiments, the metal product is steel, a non-steel alloy containing iron, or metallic iron, and the precursor material is iron ore. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is at least about 1600°C (e.g., at least 1600°C, 1700°C, 1800°C, 1900°C, 2000°C, or 2200°C). In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is about 5 to 24 GJ / ton of metal product (e.g., about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 GJ / ton of steel).

[0009] In some embodiments, the amount of electricity consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is about 1-6 MWhr / ton of metal product. In some embodiments, operation of the photonic furnace to produce steel consumes about 30-70% (e.g., 30%, 35%, 40%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, or 70%) less energy than operation of a blast furnace and a basic oxygen furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from production of the metal product by the furnace are at least 40% (e.g., about 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, or 99%) less than the same metal product produced by a blast furnace.

[0010] In some embodiments, the furnace is capable of producing at least about 178 (e.g., about 200, 500, 1000, 10,000, or 15,000) tons of steel per day. In some embodiments, the furnace is designed to operate in a flow-through mode. In some embodiments, the furnace is capable of continuous production of metal products. In some embodiments, the one or more light sources comprise a laser or an electroluminescent light emitting diode. In some embodiments, the laser comprises a laser diode. In some embodiments, the one or more light sources are operated with a continuous duty cycle.

[0011] In some embodiments, the one or more light sources are operated with a pulsed duty cycle. In some embodiments, the light beam of the one or more light sources comprises multiple wavelengths. In some embodiments, the maximum intensity of each light beam of the one or more light sources is at a single wavelength. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace comprises at least two light sources generating light beams, each light beam having an emission wavelength shorter than about 600 nm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources are at substantially the same point. In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by at least 20% (e.g., at least 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%). In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 15% or less (e.g., 10%, 5%, or 1% or less).

[0013] In some embodiments, the photonic furnace further comprises a lens configured to focus or shape a profile of a beam impingement area of ​​the one or more light sources. In some embodiments, the furnace provides a substantially uniform power density at the beam impingement area of ​​the one or more light sources. In some embodiments, the furnace provides a power density of about 5 kW / m 3 ~Approx. 1600kW / m 3 provides a total power to reactor volume ratio of

[0014] In some embodiments, the throughput to reactor volume ratio is at least about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume (e.g., about 10 g / sm 3 , 12g / sm 3 , 14g / sm 3 , 16g / sm 3 , 18g / sm 3 , 20g / sm 3 , or 100g / sm 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least 5 kW / m 3 (e.g., at least 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, or 160 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to the beam impingement region is at least 100 W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to the beam impingement region is at least 60 kW / cm 2 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least 600 kW / m 3 (e.g., at least 600, 800, 1000, 1200, or 1600 kW / m 3 )

[0015] In another aspect, methods for producing a metal product from precursor materials are described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes providing a photonic furnace as described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes introducing one or more precursor materials into a precursor material inlet of the photonic furnace. In some embodiments, the method includes rapidly heating at least one of the one or more precursor materials to a reaction temperature using interaction of a light beam from one or more light sources of the photonic furnace with at least one of the one or more precursor materials. In some embodiments, the method includes reacting the one or more precursor materials to obtain a metal product. In some embodiments, the method includes recovering the metal product from a product outlet of the photonic furnace.

[0016] In some embodiments, the one or more precursor materials comprise one or more metal oxides. In some embodiments, the one or more precursor materials comprise a reducing agent. In some embodiments, the reducing agent is hydrogen, or comprises carbon, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ammonia, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the method further comprises preheating at least one of the one or more precursor materials in a preheat chamber of the photonic furnace.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials prior to its introduction into the material inlet. In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials after its introduction into the material inlet and before reaction. In some embodiments, the method further comprises removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials prior to its introduction into the material inlet during or after reaction.

[0018] In some embodiments, the one or more precursor materials include one or more alloying elements. In some embodiments, the one or more precursor materials include particles of iron oxide. In some embodiments, the one or more precursor materials include particles having an average diameter in the range of 10 μm to 10 cm.

[0019]

[0013] Further aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein only illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described. As will be realized, the present disclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

[0020] Incorporation by Reference All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned herein are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. In the event that the publications and patents or patent applications incorporated by reference conflict with the disclosure contained herein, the present specification is intended to supersede and / or supersede any such conflicting material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings (also referred to herein as "Figure" and "FIG."). [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the absorption spectra of exemplary metal precursor materials (iron oxide hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4)) overlaid with the blackbody spectral intensity of a blackbody light source at two different temperatures. As shown in the figure, a 445 nm light source (e.g., a blue laser) is efficiently absorbed by iron oxide. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary metal precursor (iron oxide) in particulate form. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows an example of an array-based light source suitable for use in the photonic furnaces and methods described herein. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary workflow of the flow-through photonic reactor described herein. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a photonic furnace described herein. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the maximum measured surface temperature of an iron ore sample versus time as measured with a two-color pyrometer while varying the laser power density of the photonic furnace described herein between 50 and 250 W / cm. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 shows a prototype photonic furnace utilizing a 125 watt laser diode array as the light source for the laser processing of iron ore described herein. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A shows images of iron ore before and after laser heating using the prototype furnace of FIG. [Figure 8B] Figure 8B shows the X-ray diffraction patterns of unheated ore (hematite) and ore (majority wustite with magnetite) processed in the laser furnace of Figure 7 under rough vacuum at a pressure of approximately 0.26 rr. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It is understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed.

[0023] Whenever the terms "at least," "greater than," or "greater than or equal to" precede the first number in a series of two or more numbers, the term "at least," "greater than," or "greater than or equal to" applies to each and every number in the series. For example, 1, 2, or 3 or more is equivalent to 1 or more, 2 or more, or 3 or more.

[0024] Whenever the term "no more than," "less than," or "less than or equal to" precedes the first number in a series of two or more numbers, the term "no more than," "less than," or "less than or equal to" applies to each and every number in the series. For example, 3, 2, or 1 or less is equivalent to 3 or less, 2 or less, or 1 or less.

[0025] Certain invention embodiments herein contemplate numerical ranges. When a range is present, it includes the endpoints of the range. Furthermore, all subranges and values ​​within the ranges exist as if explicitly written out. The terms "about" or "approximately" can mean within an acceptable error range for a particular value, which depends in part on how the value is measured or determined, e.g., the limitations of the measurement system. For example, "about" can mean within one or more standard deviations, in accordance with the practice in the art. Alternatively, "about" can mean a range of up to 20%, up to 10%, up to 5%, or up to 1% of a given value. When a particular value is described in this application and claims, unless otherwise specified, the term "about" can be assumed to mean within an acceptable error range for that particular value.

[0026] As used herein, a "tonne" is a unit of mass that generally refers to a metric ton or 1000 kg.

[0027] As used herein, "flux" generally refers to a material added to a reaction to facilitate the removal of impurities from a metal precursor or from a mixture containing molten metal. Examples of fluxes include limestone, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium fluoride, magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate, calcium magnesium carbonate, calcium fluoride, silicon oxide, sodium borate, manganese oxide, lithium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, ammonium chloride, zinc chloride, sodium hexafluoroaluminate, barium chloride, and combinations thereof.

[0028] As used herein, "base metal" generally refers to the metal that makes up the bulk of the material in an alloy.

[0029] As used herein, "alloy" generally refers to a material containing a metal and an additional element (which may be a metal, provided that the additional element is different from the base metal). Metal alloys may contain one or more additional metals, as well as impurities, including, but not limited to, the same metal in multiple oxidation states. Examples of metal alloys include stainless steels such as 316 or 316L, austenitic steels such as 304 or 304L, ferritic steels such as 430 or 434, martensitic steels such as 44, high-carbon steels such as 1080, low-carbon / mild steels such as A36, medium-carbon / high-strength steels such as 4140 and 4340, alloy steels such as 6150 and 8620, titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, and nickel alloys such as 625 and 718.

[0030] As used herein, "steel" generally refers to an alloy containing the base metal of iron.

[0031] As used herein, "impurity" generally refers to any element or compound that is not the desired metal or metal alloy.

[0032] As used herein, "metal precursor" generally refers to a composition or compound that can be used to produce a metal product. Examples include metal ores, metal oxides, reducing agents, and / or alloying agents.

[0033] As used herein, "metal product" generally refers to a composition or material that includes elements bound together by metallic bonds. For example, metal products can be produced by thermal or chemical conversion of precursor materials that directly convert raw ores, or in a stepwise process in which the level of metallic bonds in the material is increased by thermal or chemical conversion.

[0034] Described herein are photonic furnaces capable of efficiently producing metal products from one or more precursor materials. The photonic furnaces described herein can use one or more light sources to provide heat to one or more precursor materials. Heating the precursor materials can facilitate or initiate metal-producing reactions that result in the conversion of the one or more precursor materials to metal products.

[0035] Metal products can include structural materials, powders, ingots, or other solid objects made from metals such as beryllium, lithium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, potassium, calcium, scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, germanium, arsenic, rubidium, strontium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, indium, tin, antimony, cesium, barium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold, mercury, thallium, lead, bismuth, polonium, and / or alloys thereof.

[0036] The one or more precursor materials can include metal oxides, metal salts, metal-bearing rocks, and / or other types of metal ores. The one or more precursor materials can include reducing agents, fluxes, and / or alloying elements.

[0037] Metal oxides include iron(II) oxide - wustite (FeO) or magnetite (Fe3O4), iron(III) oxide - alpha phase hematite (Fe2O3), beta phase, (Fe2O3), gamma phase maghemite (Fe2O3), epsilon phase, (Fe2O3), beryllium oxide, sodium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, potassium oxide, calcium oxide, scandium oxide, titanium oxide, vanadium oxide, chromium oxide, manganese oxide, cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, copper oxide, zinc oxide, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, arsenic oxide, The oxides may include rubidium oxide, strontium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, molybdenum oxide, technetium oxide, ruthenium oxide, rhodium oxide, palladium oxide, silver oxide, cadmium oxide, indium oxide, tin oxide, antimony oxide, cesium oxide, barium oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, tungsten oxide, rhenium oxide, osmium oxide, iridium oxide, platinum oxide, gold oxide, mercury oxide, thallium oxide, lead oxide, bismuth oxide, and / or polonium oxide.

[0038] The reducing agent can include hydrogen, carbon (eg, in the form of hydrocarbons or carbon monoxide) and / or electrons (eg, electrical current utilized in electrochemical reduction).

[0039] The alloying elements may include aluminum, bismuth, boron, carbon, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, zinc, zirconium, and / or combinations thereof.

[0040] Suitable light sources can include lasers or light emitting diodes. Incandescent and blackbody light sources can also be used, provided they deliver the appropriate power density at the ideal wavelength for the particular metal-producing reaction.

[0041] The photonic furnaces described herein can provide improved heat transfer efficiency because the wavelength of the light source can be directed to one or more maximum absorbance wavelengths of the metal precursor material. For example, as shown in Figure 1, when converting iron oxide precursor to metallic iron or steel, a 445 nm light source will efficiently heat the iron oxide because this wavelength is close to the absorbance maximum.

[0042] When one or more light sources include lasers, the lasers may be selected from a variety of lasers, depending on the wavelength and power density required to perform the desired reaction, including CO2 lasers (9,200-11,400 nm), Xe-He lasers (2000-4000 nm), He-Ne lasers (533-633 nm, 1152-3391 nm), Er:YAG lasers (2900-2940 nm), dye lasers (380-1000 nm), InGaAs lasers (904-1065 nm), AlGaIn / AsSb lasers (1870-2200 nm), Ti:Sapphire lasers (650-1130 nm), Ruby lasers (694 nm), and C Lasers that emit laser light include fluoride lasers (780-850 nm), alexandrite lasers (700-800 nm), GaAlAs lasers (750-850 nm), InGaAlP lasers (630-685 nm), GaN lasers (515-520 nm), copper vapor lasers (510.5 nm), Ar lasers (488-515 nm), InGaN lasers (370-493 nm), Nd:YAG lasers (946-1319 nm), Nd:Glass lasers (1,054-1,062 nm), nitrogen lasers (337 nm), fiber lasers (500-2100 nm), and / or combinations thereof.

[0043] Various lasers can be used to target wavelengths within the absorption band of the metal precursor. In some embodiments, the wavelength can range from about 180 nm to about 10,600 nm. In some embodiments, the wavelength can range from about 300 nm to about 10,000 nm. In some embodiments, the wavelength can range from about 400 nm to about 9,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the laser wavelength can range from about 500 nm to about 8,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the laser wavelength can range from about 600 nm to about 7,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the laser wavelength can range from about 700 nm to about 6,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the laser wavelength can range from about 800 nm to about 5,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the laser wavelength can range from about 900 nm to about 4,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the wavelength can range from about 1,000 nm to about 3,000 nm. In still other embodiments, the wavelength can range from about 425 nm to about 475 nm. In yet other embodiments, the wavelength may range from about 300 nm to about 700 nm.

[0044] The metal product precursor can be introduced as a solid, fluid, gas, or powder. For example, iron oxide can be introduced in powder form as shown in Figure 2 or in raw ore form. The metal product precursor can be introduced by gravity, vacuum, pump, or entrained in a flowing carrier fluid. The carrier fluid can be a liquid, gas, or free-flowing powder. Carrier fluids can include nitrogen, argon, oxygen, water, compressed air, dry air, methane, ethane, propane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and / or combinations thereof. In addition to being used as carrier or purge fluids, these fluids can be used to control the concentration of the metal precursor in the reaction chamber and / or to adjust the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics. In some embodiments, these fluids can be contained in an inert gas chamber for final mixing with the metal product precursor. In other embodiments, these fluids can be utilized to transport materials between one or more chambers of the photonic furnace.

[0045] An example of a light source suitable for use in a photonic furnace is shown in Figure 3. A primary array 301 can comprise multiple smaller secondary arrays 302. Each of the secondary arrays can comprise multiple individual light sources, e.g., multiple lasers or light emitting diodes. For example, a blue 1 MW laser diode array can be used to focus power into the beam impingement region, causing heating of a material that absorbs the light from the single beam or multiple beams.

[0046] An exemplary workflow for producing steel or iron from iron oxide using a continuous-flow photonic furnace employing an array-based light source, such as that detailed in Figure 3, is shown in Figure 4. The iron oxide falls through the path of the light source, heating as it falls. Hydrogen is provided as a reducing agent. The reaction of the heated iron oxide with the reducing agent produces metallic iron. In addition to reduced CO2 emissions from the furnace and process used due to more efficient heating, which leads to lower energy costs, further carbon savings are realized by using hydrogen because the by-product of the reduction is HO rather than CO2 (which is produced using carbon-based reducing agents). Fluxes are added, and impurities are removed in the form of slag. Further alloying elements can be added to produce the desired steel alloy, which can be used directly or further processed.

[0047] An exemplary configuration of a photonic furnace with multiple light sources is shown in Figure 5. The photonic furnace may include an optional preheat chamber 501, a reaction chamber 503, one or more light sources 505, and one or more beam impingement regions of the one or more light sources 507 that may vary based on the presence and location of precursor material. The photonic furnace may further include a precursor material inlet 509 and an optional shutter, divider, or valve 511 to isolate the optional preheat chamber 501 from the reaction chamber 503. The photonic furnace may further include a product outlet 513.

[0048] In some embodiments, the photonic furnace may be equipped with multiple additional inlets and / or outlets positioned to allow for the introduction of additional metal precursors, such as reducing agents or fluxes or alloying agents, and / or to allow for the removal of slag and other by-products from the reactor at any stage desired.

[0049] The one or more light sources in the photonic furnace can be arranged in a variety of layouts. The light sources can be focused onto a point, defocused, or split into many beams using a system of optics comprising mirrors, lenses, and fibers. In some embodiments, there may be an array of light sources arranged on a flat or curved panel.

[0050] The photonic furnace may include one or more light sources having wavelengths tuned to be in the absorption bands of one or more metal precursor inputs. Photonic furnaces can exist in many configurations. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace can include a single light source (e.g., a single collimated beam laser). In other embodiments, the photonic furnace can include multiple light sources (e.g., an array of collimated beam lasers or light emitting diodes). In another embodiment, the light source may include an array of laser diodes.

[0051] In some embodiments, the photonic furnace can be configured so that particles of a falling metal precursor (e.g., a metal oxide) pass through the beam of at least one light source. The particles can absorb the energy of the beam, causing them to heat to a target temperature as they fall. For example, the metal oxide can fall through a drop tube into the beam path of one or more light sources along with a reducing agent to form an intermediate metal product. The reducing agent can be preheated to a reaction temperature by the light source or another heat source. The intermediate metal product has a higher percentage of metal than the metal oxide, having about 50 to about 99% metallization (i.e., about 50% to about 99% metal), with the remainder comprising the metal oxide and impurities inherent in the metal oxide.

[0052] In some embodiments, the rotary kiln can reach a target temperature by periodically exposing a metal precursor (e.g., metal oxide) in bulk or particulate form to the beam of at least one light source. In some embodiments, a fixed or moving bed of metal precursor can be exposed to the light beam to reach the target temperature.

[0053] The reducing agent and metal oxide can be heated separately or simultaneously before mixing to produce the intermediate metal product. In some embodiments, the reducing agent and metal oxide are heated to the same temperature. In other embodiments, the reducing agent and metal oxide are heated to different temperatures. In some embodiments, the reducing agent is heated to a target temperature before contacting the metal oxide in a photonic furnace. In some embodiments, the metal oxide is heated to a target temperature in a laser furnace and then contacted with the reducing agent.

[0054] In some cases, the photonic furnaces described herein may comprise one or more vacuum manifolds that may be fluidly or otherwise operably coupled to one or more vacuum pumps that operate to reduce pressure within the photonic furnace, the reaction chamber, the preheat chamber, and / or any combination thereof.

[0055] In some embodiments, the one or more vacuum pumps can include rotary vane, turbine, syringe, liquid ring, scroll, diaphragm, claw, screw, root, and / or turbomolecular vacuum pumps. The vacuum pumps can be configured to reduce the pressure within the photonic furnace, reaction chamber, preheat chamber, and / or any combination thereof to a pressure of less than about 500 rr, less than about 100 rr, less than about 1 rr, or less than about 1 m rr.

[0056] Reducing the pressure in a photonic furnace, reaction chamber, or preheat chamber can facilitate heating of the metal precursor through interaction with the beams of one or more light sources. Reducing the pressure in a photonic furnace, reaction chamber, or preheat chamber can reduce or even eliminate the need for an external reducing agent to convert the metal precursor to a metal product. For example, applying a vacuum to the reaction chamber of a photonic furnace can help remove O2 and / or other molecular gases from the heated metal precursor (e.g., iron oxide) into an exhaust connected to one or more vacuum manifolds, leaving the reduced metal product in the furnace.

[0057] Reducing the pressure in the photonic furnace, reaction chamber, and preheat chamber can further reduce the total energy consumption of the furnace, reduce the waste generated by the furnace, reduce the cost of operating the furnace, and / or reduce the complexity of operating the furnace to produce metal products from metal precursors (e.g., by eliminating the need for the introduction or use of external reducing agents).

[0058] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber and / or preheat chamber of the photonic furnace can have a rectangular, square, hexagonal, octagonal, triangular, or other polygonal cross-sectional shape. In some embodiments, the reaction chamber and / or preheat chamber of the photonic furnace can be an irregular shape adapted to accommodate the input and output material flows. In some embodiments, the body of either chamber can be made from steel or another suitable structural material lined with a refractory ceramic coating on its interior surface.

[0059] The refractory ceramic coating can be several materials. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be aluminum oxide. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be zirconium oxide. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be silicon carbide. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be graphite. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be magnesium oxide. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be silicon oxide. In some embodiments, the refractory ceramic coating can be a combination of aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, graphite, magnesium oxide, and silicon oxide. In some embodiments, the body of either chamber can be made entirely from a ceramic refractory material. In some embodiments, either chamber can have a non-polygonal cross-sectional shape (e.g., including curved surfaces, etc.) designed to facilitate focusing the energy density of the light beams of one or more light sources onto the beam impact region.

[0060] Impurities can be removed from the intermediate metal product, metal, or metal alloy at any step. A flux can be used to react with and remove impurities from the intermediate metal product, metal, or metal alloy and / or to facilitate the removal of impurities. In some embodiments, impurities are not removed from the intermediate metal product. In some embodiments, impurities are not removed from the metal. In one embodiment, impurities are not removed from the metal alloy.

[0061] The photonic furnace can include a preheating system that heats the metal precursor before it enters the reaction chamber. The preheating system can be located before or within the preheating chamber of the photonic furnace. The preheating system can be composed of several components, such as an induction heater, a resistance heater, an electron beam, an electric arc, a microwave, a heat pump, a heat exchanger, a plasma heater, and / or a combination thereof.

[0062] Photonic furnaces can be configured as falling particle designs, shaft furnaces, stationary kilns, rotary kilns, and / or fluidized bed designs. Photonic furnaces can be configured to operate in continuous flow-through or batch modes.

[0063] In some embodiments, a flux is added to the molten metal or molten metal precursor to facilitate the removal of impurities.

[0064] In some embodiments, a series of optics may be used to focus one or more light sources.

[0065] The absorption spectrum of the metal oxide can be used to determine the optimal light source wavelength to use for heating. Light beams from multiple light sources can be combined to provide high power density and rapid, efficient heating of the metal oxide. The metal oxide can be reduced by interacting the light source with the metal oxide to reach a reaction temperature and / or by heating a reducing agent to the reaction temperature. The metal oxide and reducing agent can be heated to the same or different reaction temperatures. The reducing agent can be combined with the metal oxide to produce an intermediate metal product from the reduction of the metal oxide. Impurities can be removed from the intermediate metal product and / or alloying elements can be added to create the metal product. The molten metal or alloy can be sprayed to produce a metal powder or cast, rolled, extruded, or otherwise formed into a solid metal object or building material.

[0066] In some embodiments, the metal oxide powder may have a rounded or spherical shape. In some embodiments, the metal oxide powder may have a size ranging from 10 micrometers to 20 mm in diameter. In some embodiments, the metal powder may have a size ranging from 10 to 6,300 micrometers in diameter. In some embodiments, the metal powder may have a size ranging from 20 to 75 micrometers in diameter. In some embodiments, the metal powder may have a size ranging from 45 to 150 micrometers in diameter.

[0067] In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in about 0.1 seconds to about 10 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in about 0.1 seconds to about 0.5 seconds, about 0.1 seconds to about 1 second, about 0.1 seconds to about 2 seconds, about 0.1 seconds to about 3 seconds, about 0.1 seconds to about 4 seconds, about 0.1 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 0.1 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 1 second, about 0.5 seconds to about 2 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 3 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 4 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 1 second, about 0.5 seconds to about 2 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 3 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 4 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 10 ...10 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 0 The reaction temperature is reached in about 0.5 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 1 second to about 2 seconds, about 1 second to about 3 seconds, about 1 second to about 4 seconds, about 1 second to about 5 seconds, about 1 second to about 10 seconds, about 2 seconds to about 3 seconds, about 2 seconds to about 4 seconds, about 2 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 2 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 3 seconds to about 4 seconds, about 3 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 3 seconds to about 10 seconds, about 4 seconds to about 5 seconds, about 4 seconds to about 10 seconds, or about 5 seconds to about 10 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in about 0.1 seconds, about 0.5 seconds, about 1 second, about 2 seconds, about 3 seconds, about 4 seconds, about 5 seconds, or about 10 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in at least about 0.1 seconds, about 0.5 seconds, about 1 second, about 2 seconds, about 3 seconds, about 4 seconds, or about 5 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in a maximum of about 0.5 seconds, about 1 second, about 2 seconds, about 3 seconds, about 4 seconds, about 5 seconds, or about 10 seconds.

[0068] In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in about 10 seconds to about 1,000 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in about 10 seconds to about 20 seconds, about 10 seconds to about 50 seconds, about 10 seconds to about 100 seconds, about 10 seconds to about 200 seconds, about 10 seconds to about 500 seconds, about 10 seconds to about 1,000 seconds, about 20 seconds to about 50 seconds, about 20 seconds to about 100 seconds, about 20 seconds to about 200 seconds, about 20 seconds to about 500 seconds, about 20 seconds to about 1,000 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in about 10 seconds, about 20 seconds, about 50 seconds to about 100 seconds, about 50 seconds to about 200 seconds, about 50 seconds to about 500 seconds, about 50 seconds to about 1,000 seconds, about 100 seconds to about 200 seconds, about 100 seconds to about 500 seconds, about 100 seconds to about 1,000 seconds, about 200 seconds to about 500 seconds, about 200 seconds to about 1,000 seconds, or about 500 seconds to about 1,000 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in at least about 10 seconds, about 20 seconds, about 50 seconds, about 100 seconds, about 200 seconds, about 500 seconds, or about 1,000 seconds. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is reached in a maximum of about 20 seconds, about 50 seconds, about 100 seconds, about 200 seconds, about 500 seconds, or about 1,000 seconds.

[0069] In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is about 500° C. to about 3,500° C. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is about 500° C. to about 1,000° C., about 500° C. to about 1,500° C., about 500° C. to about 1,600° C., about 500° C. to about 1,700° C., about 500° C. to about 1,800° C., about 500° C. to about 2,000° C., about 500° C. to about 2,200° C., about 500° C. to about 2,500° C., about 500° C. to about 3,000° C., about 500° C. to about 3,500° C., about 1,000° C. to about 1,500° C., about 1,000° C. to about 1,600° C., about 1,000° C. to about 1,700° C., or about 1,000° C. to about 1,800° C. , about 1,000°C to about 2,000°C, about 1,000°C to about 2,200°C, about 1,000°C to about 2,500°C, about 1,000°C to about 3,000°C, about 1,000°C to about 3,500°C, about 1,500°C to about 1,600°C, about 1,500°C to about 1,700°C, about 1,500°C to about 1,800°C, about 1,500°C to about 2,000°C, about 1,500°C to about 2,200°C, about 1,500°C to about 2,500°C, about 1,500°C to about 3,000°C, about 1,500°C to about 3,500°C, about 1,600°C to about 1,700°C 00°C, about 1,600°C to about 1,800°C, about 1,600°C to about 2,000°C, about 1,600°C to about 2,200°C, about 1,600°C to about 2,500°C, about 1,600°C to about 3,000°C, about 1,600°C to about 3,500°C, about 1,700°C to about 1,800°C, about 1,700°C to about 2,000°C, about 1,700°C to about 2,200°C, about 1,700°C to about 2,500°C, about 1,700°C to about 3,000°C, about 1,700°C to about 3,500°C, about 1,800°C to about 2,000°C, about 1,800°C to about 2,200°C, about 1,800°C to about 2,500°C, about 1,800°C to about 3,000°C, about 1,800°C to about 3,500°C, about 2,000°C to about 2,200°C, about 2,000°C to about 2,500°C, about 2,000°C to about 3,000°C, about 2,000°C to about 3,500°C, about 2,200°C to about 2,500°C, about 2,200°C to about 3,000°C, about 2,500°C to about 3,000°C, about 2,500°C to about 3,500°C, or about 3,000°C to about 3,500°C.In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is about 500° C., about 1,000° C., about 1,500° C., about 1,600° C., about 1,700° C., about 1,800° C., about 2,000° C., about 2,200° C., about 2,500° C., about 3,000° C., or about 3,500° C. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is at least about 500° C., about 1,000° C., about 1,500° C., about 1,600° C., about 1,700° C., about 1,800° C., about 2,000° C., about 2,200° C., about 2,500° C., or about 3,000° C. In some embodiments, the reaction temperature is up to about 1,000°C, about 1,500°C, about 1,600°C, about 1,700°C, about 1,800°C, about 2,000°C, about 2,200°C, about 2,500°C, about 3,000°C, or about 3,500°C.

[0070] In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is from about 5 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton of metal product. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is from about 5 GJ / ton to about 6 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 5 GJ / ton to about 8 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 5 GJ / ton to about 10 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 5 GJ / ton to about 12 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 5 GJ / ton to about 14 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 5 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 6 GJ / ton to about 8 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 6 GJ / ton to about 10 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 6 GJ / ton to about 12 GJ / ton of metal product, from about 6 GJ / ton to about 14 GJ / ton of metal product, The metal product is about 6 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton, about 8 GJ / ton to about 10 GJ / ton, about 8 GJ / ton to about 12 GJ / ton, about 8 GJ / ton to about 14 GJ / ton, about 8 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton, about 10 GJ / ton to about 12 GJ / ton, about 10 GJ / ton to about 14 GJ / ton, about 10 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton, about 12 GJ / ton to about 14 GJ / ton, about 12 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton, about 14 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton, or about 16 GJ / ton to about 16 GJ / ton. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is about 5 GJ / ton, about 6 GJ / ton, about 8 GJ / ton, about 10 GJ / ton, about 12 GJ / ton, about 14 GJ / ton, or about 16 GJ / ton. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is at least about 5 GJ / ton, about 6 GJ / ton, about 8 GJ / ton, about 10 GJ / ton, about 12 GJ / ton, or about 14 GJ / ton.In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is at most about 6 GJ / ton of metal product, about 8 GJ / ton of metal product, about 10 GJ / ton of metal product, about 12 GJ / ton of metal product, about 14 GJ / ton of metal product, or about 16 GJ / ton of metal product.

[0071] In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is between about 16 GJ / ton metal product and about 24 GJ / ton metal product. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is between about 16 GJ / ton metal product and about 18 GJ / ton metal product. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is between about 18 GJ / ton metal product and about 20 GJ / ton metal product. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is between about 18 GJ / ton metal product and about 22 GJ / ton metal product. In some embodiments, the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is between about 22 GJ / ton metal product and about 24 GJ / ton metal product.

[0072] In some embodiments, the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of the metal product by the photonic furnace are between about 40% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace and about 99% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace. In some embodiments, the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of the metal product by the photonic furnace are between about 40% and about 50% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 40% and about 60% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 40% and about 70% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 40% and about 80% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 40% and about 90% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 40% and about 95% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 40% and about 99% lower than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, between about 50% and about Approximately 60% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 50% to 70% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 50% to 80% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 50% to 90% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 50% to 95% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 50% to 99% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 60% to 70% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 60% to 80% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, approximately 60% to 90% higher than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace,Approximately 60% to 95% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 60% to 99% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 80% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 90% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 95% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 99% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 95% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 99% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace; approximately 70% to 99% of the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace Therefore, the metal product produced is about 80% to about 90% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 80% to about 95% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 80% to about 99% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 90% to about 95% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 90% to about 99% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, or about 95% to about 99% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace. In some embodiments, the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of the metal product by the photonic furnace are about 40% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 50% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 60% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 70% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 80% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 90% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 95% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, or about 99% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace. In some embodiments, the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of the metal product by the photonic furnace are at least about 40% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 50% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 60% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace,The total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of the metal product by the photonic furnace are about 70% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 80% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 90% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, or about 95% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace. In some embodiments, the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of the metal product by the photonic furnace are up to about 50% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 60% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 70% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 80% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 90% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, about 95% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace, or about 99% less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace.

[0073] In some embodiments, the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during production of metal product is between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced. In some embodiments, the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during production of the metal product is between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 2 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, About 1 MWhr / ton of metal products produced to about 6 MWhr / ton of metal products produced, about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal products produced to about 2 MWhr / ton of metal products produced, about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal products produced to about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal products produced, about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal products produced to about 3 MWhr / ton of metal products produced, about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal products produced to about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal products produced, from about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, from about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, from about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, from about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, from about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced,About 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 2.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 3MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 3.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced About 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2 MWhr / ton to about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2 MWhr / ton to about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton to about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton to about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton to about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced ton to about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced,About 3.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 6MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 4.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4MWhr / ton of metal product produced to about 5.5MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, between about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, or between about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced and about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced. In some embodiments, the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during production of the metal product is about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, or about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced. In some embodiments, the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during production of the metal product is at least about 1 MWhr / ton of metal product produced,about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, or about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced. In some embodiments, the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during production of the metal product is at most about 1.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 2.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 3.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 4.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, about 5.5 MWhr / ton of metal product produced, or about 6 MWhr / ton of metal product produced. In some embodiments, operation of the photonic furnace to produce steel consumes between about 50% less energy than operation of a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 70% less energy than operation of a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel requires between about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel; between about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel; between about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel; between about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 70% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel; between about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel;Consumes about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to about 70% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to about 70% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, or about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to about 70% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 70% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes at least about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes up to about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 70% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel.

[0074] In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel requires between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. Approximately 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, approximately 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, approximately 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel to approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steelApproximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel Approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steelApproximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel ~ approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel Approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 65% ​​less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel, approximately 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steel to approximately 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equal amount of steelThe photonic furnace consumes between about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or between about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel and about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes between about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes at least about 20% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. In some embodiments, operating a photonic furnace to produce steel consumes up to about 25% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 30% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 35% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel.Consumes about 40% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 45% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 50% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 55% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, about 60% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel, or about 65% less energy than operating a blast furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel.

[0075] In some embodiments, the photonic furnace is capable of producing between about 100 tons of metal product per day and about 15,000 tons of metal product per day. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace is capable of producing between about 100 tons of metal product per day and about 200 tons of metal product per day, between about 100 tons of metal product per day and about 500 tons of metal product per day, between about 100 tons of metal product per day and about 1,000 tons of metal product per day, between about 100 tons of metal product per day and about 10,000 tons of metal product per day, between about 100 tons of metal product per day and about 15,000 tons of metal product per day, between about 200 tons of metal product per day and about 500 tons of metal product per day, between about 200 tons of metal product per day and about 1,000 tons of metal product per day, between about 200 tons of metal product per day and about 1,000 tons of metal product per day, between about 200 tons of metal product per day and about 1,000 tons of metal product per day. About 10,000 tons of metal product, about 200 tons per day to about 15,000 tons of metal product, about 500 tons per day to about 1,000 tons of metal product, about 500 tons per day to about 10,000 tons of metal product, about 500 tons per day to about 15,000 tons of metal product, about 1,000 tons per day to about 10,000 tons of metal product, about 1,000 tons per day to about 15,000 tons of metal product, or about 10,000 tons per day to about 15,000 tons of metal product can be produced. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace is capable of producing about 100 tons of metal product per day, about 200 tons of metal product per day, about 500 tons of metal product per day, about 1,000 tons of metal product per day, about 10,000 tons of metal product per day, or about 15,000 tons of metal product per day. In some embodiments, the photonic furnace is capable of producing at least about 100 tons of metal product per day, about 200 tons of metal product per day, about 500 tons of metal product per day, about 1,000 tons of metal product per day, or about 10,000 tons of metal product per day.In some embodiments, the photonic furnace can produce up to about 200 tons of metal product per day, about 500 tons of metal product per day, about 1,000 tons of metal product per day, about 10,000 tons of metal product per day, or about 15,000 tons of metal product per day.

[0076] In some embodiments, the beam impingement areas of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 20% to about 90%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement areas of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 20% to about 30%, about 20% to about 40%, about 20% to about 50%, about 20% to about 60%, about 20% to about 70%, about 20% to about 80%, about 20% to about 90%, about 30% to about 40%, about 30% to about 50%, about 30% to about 60%, about 30% to about 70%, about 30% to about 80%, about 3 ...90%, about 30% to about 100%, about 30% to about 110%, about 30% to about 120%, about 30% to about 130%, about 30% to about 140%, about 30% to about 150%, about 30% to about 160%, about 30% to about 170%, about 30% to about 180%, about 30% to about 190%, about 30% to about 210%, about 30% to about 220%, about 30% to about 230%, about 30% to about 240%, about 30% to about 250%, about 30% to about 260%, about 30% to about 270%, about 30% to about 280%, about 30% to about 390%, about In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 20%, about 30%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, about 80%, or about 90%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement areas of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by at least about 20%, about 30%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, or about 80%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement areas of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by at most about 30%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, about 80%, or about 90%.

[0077] In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 1% to about 15%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 1% to about 5%, about 1% to about 10%, about 1% to about 15%, about 5% to about 10%, about 5% to about 15%, or about 10% to about 15%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, or about 15%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by at least about 1%, about 5%, or about 10%. In some embodiments, the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by at most about 5%, about 10%, or about 15%.

[0078] In some embodiments, the throughput to reactor volume ratio is about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume. In some embodiments, the throughput to reactor volume ratio is about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 6 ...70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, About 10 g of metal product per second to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter to about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume;About 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume;About 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 50 g of metal product per second to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 50 g of metal product per second to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 50 g of metal product per second to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 50 g of metal product per second to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 60 g of metal product per second to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume;about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume; or about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume to about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume. In some embodiments, the throughput to reactor volume ratio is about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, or about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume. In some embodiments, the throughput to reactor volume ratio is at least about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume,About 90 grams of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, or about 95 grams of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume. In some embodiments, the throughput to reactor volume ratio is at most about 20 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 30 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 40 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 50 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 60 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 70 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 80 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 90 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, about 95 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume, or about 100 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume.

[0079] In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 5 kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 5 kW / m 3 against approximately 10kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 15kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 20kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 25kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 30kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 35kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , approximately 5kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3, about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 15kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 20kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 25kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 30kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 35kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 20kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 25kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 30kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 35kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 25kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 30kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 35kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 30kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 35kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 against approximately 35kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 against approximately 40kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3 against approximately 45kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 45kW / m 3 against approximately 50kW / m 3 , about 45kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 45kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , about 50kW / m 3 against approximately 55kW / m 3 , about 50kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 , or about 55 kW / m 3 against approximately 60kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 5 kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3 , about 45kW / m 3 , about 50kW / m 3 , about 55kW / m 3 , or about 60 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least about 5 kW / m 3 , about 10kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3 , about 25kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3 , about 45kW / m 3 , about 50kW / m 3 , or about 55 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at most about 10 kW / m 3 , about 15kW / m 3 , about 20kW / m 3, about 25kW / m 3 , about 30kW / m 3 , about 35kW / m 3 , about 40kW / m 3 , about 45kW / m 3 , about 50kW / m 3 , about 55kW / m 3 , or about 60 kW / m 3 is.

[0080] In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 60 kW / m 3 against approximately 160kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 60 kW / m 3 against approximately 80kW / m 3 , about 60kW / m 3 against approximately 100kW / m 3 , about 60kW / m 3 against approximately 120kW / m 3 , about 60kW / m 3 against approximately 140kW / m 3 , about 60kW / m 3 against approximately 160kW / m 3 , about 80kW / m 3 against approximately 100kW / m 3 , about 80kW / m 3 against approximately 120kW / m 3 , about 80kW / m 3 against approximately 140kW / m 3 , about 80kW / m 3 against approximately 160kW / m 3 , approximately 100 kW / m 3 against approximately 120kW / m 3 , approximately 100 kW / m 3 against approximately 140kW / m 3 , approximately 100 kW / m 3 against approximately 160kW / m 3 , about 120kW / m 3 against approximately 140kW / m 3 , about 120kW / m 3 against approximately 160kW / m 3 , or about 140 kW / m 3 against approximately 160kW / m 3In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 60 kW / m 3 , approximately 80kW / 3 , approximately 100 kW / m 3 , about 120kW / m 3 , about 140kW / m 3 , or approximately 160 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least about 60 kW / m 3 , about 80kW / m 3 , approximately 100 kW / m 3 , about 120kW / m 3 , or about 140 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at most about 80 kW / m 3 , approximately 100 kW / m 3 , about 120kW / m 3 , about 140kW / m 3 , or approximately 160 kW / m 3 is.

[0081] In some embodiments, the optical power density delivered to the impingement region is about 50 W / cm 2 ~about 600W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total optical power delivered to each beam impingement area is about 50 W / cm 2 ~about 100W / cm 2 , about 50W / cm 2 ~About 200W / cm 2 , about 50W / cm 2 ~About 300W / cm 2 , about 50W / cm 2 ~about 600W / cm 2 , about 100W / cm 2 ~About 200W / cm 2 , about 100W / cm 2 ~About 300W / cm 2 , about 100W / cm 2 ~about 600W / cm 2 , about 200W / cm 2 ~About 300W / cm 2 , about 200W / cm2 ~about 600W / cm 2 , or about 300 W / cm 2 ~about 600W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is about 50 W / cm 2 , about 100W / cm 2 , about 200W / cm 2 , about 300W / cm 2 , or about 600 W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is at least about 50 W / cm 2 , about 100W / cm 2 , about 200W / cm 2 , or about 300 W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is up to about 100 W / cm 2 , about 200W / cm 2 , about 300W / cm 2 , or about 600 W / cm 2 is.

[0082] In some embodiments, the optical power density delivered to the beam impingement region is about 60 W / cm 2 ~Approx. 120W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is about 60 W / cm 2 ~about 80W / cm 2 , approximately 60W / cm 2 ~Approx. 120W / cm 2 , or about 80 W / cm 2 ~Approx. 120W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is about 60 W / cm 2 , about 80W / cm 2 , or about 120 W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is at least about 60 W / cm 2 , or about 80 W / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is up to about 80 W / cm2 , or about 120 W / cm 2 is.

[0083] In some embodiments, the optical power density delivered to the beam impingement region is about 0.5 kW / cm 2 ~about 20kW / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is about 0.5 kW / cm 2 ~Approx. 1kW / cm 2 , about 1kW / cm 2 ~approx. 5kW / cm 2 , approximately 5kW / cm 2 ~about 10kW / cm 2 , or about 10 kW / cm 2 ~about 20kW / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is about 1 kW / cm 2 , approximately 0.5kW / cm 2 , or about 20 kW / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is at least about 0.5 kW / cm 2 , or about 10 kW / cm 2 In some embodiments, the total power delivered to each beam impingement region is up to about 10 kW / cm 2 , or about 20 kW / cm 2 is.

[0084] In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 600 kW / m 3 ~approx. 1,600kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 600 kW / m 3 ~approx. 800kW / m 3 , approximately 600 kW / m 3 ~Approx. 1,000kW / m 3 , approximately 600 kW / m 3 ~Approx. 1,200kW / m 3 , approximately 600 kW / m 3 ~approx. 1,600kW / m 3 , approximately 800 kW / m3 ~Approx. 1,000kW / m 3 , approximately 800 kW / m 3 ~Approx. 1,200kW / m 3 , approximately 800 kW / m 3 ~approx. 1,600kW / m 3 , approximately 1,000kW / m 3 ~Approx. 1,200kW / m 3 , approximately 1,000kW / m 3 ~approx. 1,600kW / m 3 , or approximately 1,200 kW / m 3 ~approx. 1,600kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is about 600 kW / m 3 , approximately 800 kW / m 3 , approximately 1,000kW / m 3 , approx. 1,200kW / m 3 , or approximately 1,600 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least about 600 kW / m 3 , approximately 800 kW / m 3 , approximately 1,000kW / m 3 , or approximately 1,200 kW / m 3 In some embodiments, the ratio of the total power output of the one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at most about 800 kW / m 3 , approximately 1,000kW / m 3 , approx. 1,200kW / m 3 , or approximately 1,600 kW / m 3 is. [Example]

[0085] Example 1: Efficient production of carbon steel or metallic iron from iron oxide using the photonic furnace described herein The hydrogen, carbon, or carbon monoxide reductant is heated to a temperature in the range of at least 1500°C by the preheating system of the flow-through photonic furnace described herein. The iron oxide is heated to a temperature of at least 1600°C within 5 seconds by interaction with a 445 nm light source. The iron oxide metal precursor is dropped through the reaction chamber in the form of particles having a particle size ranging from about 1 micron to about 6.3 mm. After iron production, alloying elements are added to the iron to produce steel. Steel alloys are produced, including, but not limited to, stainless steels such as 316 or 316L, austenitic steels such as 304 or 304L, ferritic steels such as 430 or 434, martensitic steels such as 440, high-carbon steels such as 1080, low-carbon / mild steels such as A36, medium-carbon / high-strength steels such as 4140 and 4340, and alloy steels such as 6150 and 8620.

[0086] Example 2: Efficient production of carbon steel or metallic iron from iron oxide using a photonic furnace equipped with a vacuum manifold as described herein A prototype photonic furnace incorporating a laser diode array light source and a vacuum manifold configured to reduce the pressure in the prototype furnace's reaction chamber to less than 1 Torr was constructed as described herein. The prototype laser furnace was used to reduce iron ore to iron metal using thermal decomposition at the point of interaction between the light beam and the iron ore at temperatures exceeding 2084°C through the decomposition of iron oxide into molten iron metal and oxygen gas, eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from the reduction process for iron production. Heating of the iron ore was achieved at heating rates exceeding 1500°C / s, facilitated by careful selection of the light source emission wavelength, as shown in Figure 1, combined with focusing the light source to a high power density at the beam impingement point, as shown in Figure 6. The prototype furnace used in Example 2 is shown in Figure 7.

[0087] The rapid heating rate of the laser allows for 1) the use of intermittent electricity to power the laser furnace, and 2) high iron ore throughput in a small reactor volume that can be pumped down by existing industrial vacuum. Gang material can be separated as slag from molten iron metal using the photonic furnace described herein, allowing low-grade hematite and taconite ore fines to be used as metal precursors for iron production. Reduction of such metal precursors was demonstrated using a prototype furnace, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B.

[0088] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. The present invention is not intended to be limited by the specific examples provided herein. While the present invention has been described with reference to the foregoing specification, the description and illustration of the embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions, configurations, or relative proportions set forth herein, which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the present invention also encompasses any such alternatives, modifications, variations, or equivalents. The following claims define the scope of the invention, and it is intended that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby. Exemplary embodiments: 1. A photonic furnace for producing a metal product from a precursor material, comprising: one or more light sources that generate a light beam, the light beam having an emission wavelength of less than about 600 nm; a reaction chamber; a precursor material inlet providing access to the reaction chamber; a product outlet; the light beams of the one or more light sources can provide a power density at a beam impingement region of the light beam sufficient to raise the temperature of the beam impingement region to at least the reaction temperature in less than about 5 seconds (e.g., about 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second, 0.5 seconds, or 0.1 seconds); The beam impingement region is located within the reaction chamber or within the preheat chamber, and the preheat chamber is connected between the material inlet and the reaction chamber; heating of the precursor material by interaction with the beam impact region can convert the precursor material to a metal product; The photonic furnace, wherein the metal product is recoverable from the photonic furnace through the product outlet. 2. The photonic furnace of embodiment 1, wherein the reaction temperature is the melting temperature of at least one component of the precursor material. 3. The photonic furnace of embodiment 1, wherein the reaction temperature is a temperature required to cause the reducing agent in the reaction chamber to reduce the metal oxide in the reaction chamber. 4. The photonic furnace of embodiment 3, wherein the reducing agent is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, ammonia, carbon, carbon monoxide, and combinations of two or more thereof. 5. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 3-4, wherein the reducing agent and the metal oxide are heated separately. 6. The photonic furnace according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the wavelength is from about 425 nm to about 475 nm. 7. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-6, wherein the reaction chamber comprises steel lined with a refractory ceramic coating, the refractory ceramic coating being selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, graphite, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, and combinations thereof. 8. The photonic furnace of any one of embodiments 1 to 7, configured to remove impurities from the precursor material during production of the metal product. 9. The photonic furnace of embodiments 1-8, wherein the precursor material is combined with at least one alloying element during production of the metal product. 10. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-9, wherein the metal product is steel, a non-steel alloy containing iron, or metallic iron, and the precursor material is iron ore. 11. The photonic furnace of embodiment 10, wherein the reaction temperature is at least about 1600°C (e.g., at least 1600°C, 1700°C, 1800°C, 1900°C, 2000°C, or 2200°C). 12. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 10-11, wherein the amount of energy consumed by the furnace during production of the metal product is about 2-12 GJ / ton of metal product (e.g., about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 GJ / ton of steel). 13. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 10-12, wherein the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during production of the metal product is about 1-6 MWhr / ton of metal product. 14. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-13, wherein operation of the photonic furnace to produce steel consumes about 30-70% (e.g., 30%, 35%, 40%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, or 70%) less energy than operation of a blast furnace and a basic oxygen furnace to produce an equivalent amount of steel. 15. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-14, wherein the total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the production of a metal product by said photonic furnace are at least 40% (e.g., about 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, or 99%) less than the equivalent metal product produced by a blast furnace. 16. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-15, capable of producing at least about 178 (e.g., about 200, 500, 1000, 10,000, or 15,000) tons of steel per day. 17. The photonic reactor of any of embodiments 1-16, designed to operate in a flow-through mode. 18. The photonic furnace of embodiment 17, wherein the photonic furnace is capable of producing a continuous metal product. 19. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-18, wherein the one or more light sources comprise a laser or an electroluminescent light emitting diode. 20. The photonic furnace of embodiment 19, wherein the laser comprises a laser diode. 21. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-20, wherein one or more light sources are operated with a continuous duty cycle. 22. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-21, wherein one or more light sources are operated with a pulsed duty cycle. 23. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-22, wherein the light beam of one or more light sources comprises multiple wavelengths. 24. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-23, wherein the maximum intensity of each of the light beams of the one or more light sources is contained at a single wavelength. 25. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-24, comprising at least two light sources generating light beams, each light beam having an emission wavelength of less than about 600 nm. 26. The photonic furnace of embodiment 25, wherein the beam impingement regions of the light beams of the at least two light sources are at substantially the same point. 27. The photonic furnace of embodiment 25, wherein the beam impingement regions of the light beams of at least two light sources overlap in space by at least 20% (e.g., at least 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%). 28. The photonic furnace of embodiment 25, wherein the beam impingement regions of the light beams of the at least two light sources overlap in space by at least about 15% (e.g., 10%, 5%, or 1% or less). 29. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-28, further comprising a lens configured to focus or shape the profile of the beam impingement area of ​​the one or more light sources. 30. The photonic furnace of any one of embodiments 1-29, providing a substantially uniform power density in the beam impingement region of the one or more light sources. 31. A throughput to reactor volume ratio of at least about 10 g of metal product per second per cubic meter of reactor volume (e.g., about 10 g / sm 3 , 12g / sm 3 , 14g / sm 3 , 16g / sm 3 , 18g / sm 3 , 20g / sm 3 , or 100g / sm 3 31. The photonic furnace according to any one of embodiments 1 to 30, wherein 32. The ratio of the total power of one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least 5 kW / m 3 (e.g., at least 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, or 160 kW / m 3 32. The photonic furnace according to any one of embodiments 1 to 31, wherein 33. The total power delivered to the beam impingement region is at least 100 W / cm 2 33. The photonic furnace according to any one of embodiments 1 to 32, wherein: 34. The total power delivered to the beam impingement region is at least 60 kW / cm 2 34. The photonic furnace according to any one of embodiments 1 to 33, wherein 35. The ratio of the total power output of one or more light sources to the volume of the reactor is at least 600 kW / m 3 (e.g., at least 600, 800, 1000, 1200, or 1600 kW / m 3 35. The photonic furnace according to any one of embodiments 1 to 34, wherein 36. The photonic furnace of any of embodiments 1-35, comprising a vacuum manifold operably coupled to a vacuum pump and configured to reduce the pressure in the reaction chamber of the photonic furnace to less than about 1 Torr. 37. A method for producing a metal product from a precursor material, comprising: Providing a photonic reactor according to any one of embodiments 1 to 36; introducing one or more precursor materials into a precursor material inlet; rapidly heating at least one of the one or more precursor materials to a reaction temperature using interaction of a light beam from one or more light sources with at least one of the one or more precursor materials; reacting one or more precursor materials to obtain a metal product; recovering the metal product from a product outlet of the photonic furnace; A method comprising: 38. The method of embodiment 1, wherein the one or more precursor materials comprise one or more metal oxides. 39. The method of any one of embodiments 36-38, wherein one or more precursor materials comprises a reducing agent. 40. The method of embodiment 39, wherein the reducing agent is hydrogen or comprises carbon, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ammonia, or a combination thereof. 41. The method of any one of embodiments 37-40, further comprising preheating at least one of the one or more precursor materials in a preheat chamber of a photonic furnace. 42. The method of any one of embodiments 37-41, further comprising removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials before introducing it into the material inlet. 43. The method of any one of embodiments 37-42, further comprising removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials after introduction into said material inlet and prior to reaction. 44. The method of any one of embodiments 37-43, further comprising removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials after introduction into said material inlet during or after the reaction. 45. The method of any one of embodiments 37-44, wherein the one or more precursor materials comprise one or more alloying elements. 46. ​​The method of any one of embodiments 37-45, wherein the one or more precursor materials comprise particles of iron oxide. 47. The method of any one of embodiments 37-46, wherein the one or more precursor materials comprise particles having an average diameter in the range of 10 μm to 10 cm. 48. The method of any one of embodiments 37-47, comprising reducing the pressure of the reaction chamber to less than 500 Torr (e.g., less than 100 Torr, less than 1 Torr, or less than 500 mTorr) before, during, and / or immediately after (e.g., within 1 s, 500 ms, 100 ms or less) interaction of the beam of the one or more light sources with the metal precursor.

Claims

1. A photonic furnace for producing metal products from precursor materials, Reaction chamber and A precursor material inlet providing access to the reaction chamber, A product outlet adapted to facilitate the recovery of the metal product from the photonic furnace, A preheating chamber connected between the precursor material inlet and the reaction chamber, One or more light sources that generate light beams having emission wavelengths of approximately 180 nm to approximately 10,600 nm, wherein the light beams of the one or more light sources are focused into a beam collision region located within the reaction chamber or the preheating chamber, and as a result, the focused beams of the one or more light sources provide a substantially uniform power density in the beam collision region, and the beam collision region is configured to facilitate the conversion of the precursor material into the metal product, and A photonic furnace, including one.

2. A method for producing a metal product from a precursor material, A step of providing a photonic furnace including a reaction chamber, a precursor material inlet, and a product outlet, The process of introducing one or more precursor materials into the precursor material inlet, A heating step comprising: heating at least one of the one or more precursor materials to a reaction temperature associated with at least one of the one or more precursor materials, using the interaction between a light beam from one or more light sources of the photonic furnace and at least one of the one or more precursor materials, wherein the light beam has an emission wavelength of about 180 nm to about 10,600 nm, and the reaction temperature is at least about 500°C; A step of reacting one or more precursor materials to obtain the metal product, A step of recovering the metal product from the product outlet of the photonic furnace. Methods that include...

3. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the reaction temperature is the melting temperature of at least one component of the precursor material, or the reaction temperature is the temperature required to reduce the at least one component of the precursor material in the reaction chamber with a reducing agent in the reaction chamber.

4. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 3, wherein the reducing agent is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, ammonia, carbon, carbon monoxide, and two or more combinations thereof.

5. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 4, wherein the reducing agent and the metal oxide are heated separately.

6. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the emission wavelength is about 400 nm to about 475 nm or about 700 nm to 6000 nm.

7. The photonic furnace according to claim 5, wherein the reaction chamber comprises steel lined with a refractory ceramic coating, the refractory ceramic coating being selected from the group consisting of magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon carbide, graphite, silicon oxide, and combinations thereof.

8. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 5, wherein the metallic product is steel, a non-steel alloy containing iron, or metallic iron, and the precursor material is iron ore.

9. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 8, wherein the reaction temperature is at least about 1600°C.

10. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 9, wherein the amount of energy consumed by the photonic furnace during the production of the metal product is less than about 18 GJ / ton of metal product, or the amount of electricity consumed by the photonic furnace during the production of the metal product is about 1 to 6 MWhr / ton of metal product, or the operation of the photonic furnace for producing steel consumes at least 20% less energy than the operation of a blast furnace and / or basic oxygen converter for producing an equal amount of steel.

11. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the photonic furnace is designed to operate in a flow-through manner and is capable of continuous production of metal products.

12. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more light sources include a laser or an electroluminescent light-emitting diode.

13. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 12, wherein the laser includes a laser diode.

14. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the photonic furnace comprises at least two light sources that generate light beams, the emission wavelength of each light beam being shorter than about 6,000 nm, and the beam collision areas of the light beams of the at least two light sources overlap by at least 20% in space.

15. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 14, further comprising a lens configured to focus or shape the profile of the beam collision region of the one or more light sources.

16. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the photonic furnace provides a substantially uniform power density in the beam collision region of the one or more light sources and a total power to reactor volume ratio of at least 600 kW / m³.

17. The photonic furnace according to claim 1 or the method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more precursor materials comprise one or more metal oxides.

18. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 17, wherein one or more of the precursor materials include a reducing agent.

19. The photonic furnace or method according to claim 18, wherein the reducing agent is hydrogen gas, or comprises carbon, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, ammonia, or a combination thereof, and the one or more precursor materials further comprises one or more alloying elements.

20. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of preheating at least one of the one or more precursor materials in the preheating chamber of the photonic furnace.

21. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials before introducing the one or more precursor materials into the material inlet, or after introducing them into the material inlet and before the reaction step, and further comprising a step of removing impurities from at least one of the one or more precursor materials during or after the reaction step, after introducing the one or more precursor materials into the material inlet.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the one or more precursor materials include particles containing iron and impurities.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the one or more precursor materials include particles having an average diameter in the range of 10 μm to 10 cm.

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