At the heart of IET is a proven electrochemical process in which a metal oxide is reduced to metal. The electrolyte is a molten salt maintained at high temperature that acts as a transport medium for the passage of ions. This process may be termed as Direct Molten Salt Electrolysis (DMSE). The process is driven by electric power, using low voltage and high amperage, and generates zero or low emissions. Mixtures of metal oxides may often be reduced directly to alloys that are difficult to attain via conventional processes.

The electrolytic cells in DMSE are modular and can be connected to multi-unit cells to increase production, and several of these can be utilised to form an industrial plant. In this way, the process can produce small quantities of material, such as for the rare earths, or produce a few hundred kilogrammes per day, or potentially up to several metric tonnes. The electrochemical cell unit for DMSE is generic and specifically designed by Faradic.

Depending on customer demands, oxide reduction may be followed by established refinement processes, such as vacuum arc remelting (VAR), vacuum induction melting (VIM), electro slag remelting (ESR), or combinations thereof. This is for trimming composition and controlling microstructure to satisfy international specifications. Such units are readily available from industrial organisations.

The schematics below illustrate the electrochemical process as well as the refinement processes.