To employ moving plasma with excellent energy efficiency in a dissolution method in which metal powder is dissolved and separated from a mixture of a metal salt and metal powder, and a dissolution apparatus used for the method.
A inner face member 15 comprising a second metal is inserted to cover side faces and upper edges of the side faces of a bath 10 comprising a first metal. Then, the mixture 1 comprising the metal salt and the metal powder is introduced into a mixture introduction region 16 of the bath 10 partitioned by a skimmer 13, and maintaining a state that the whole of the mixture 1 has been dissolved using plasma 19a, two layers comprising an upper layer (molten salt 6 where the metal salt has been molten) and a lower layer (molten metal 7) are formed as a result of a difference in specific gravity. The formation of a molten salt layer which is an insulator formed by the solidification of the molten salt 6 on the inner face of the bath 10 is prevented by maintaining the temperature of the portion of the inner face member 15 brought into contact with the molten salt 6 not lower than the melting point of the molten salt 6.
YAMAGUCHI MAKOTO
NATSUME YOSHITAKE
UENISHI TORU
