Beneficiation of ilmenite

Practices in beneficiation of ilmenite ores using flotation... 

Benilite [Beneficiation of ilmenite] Also called the Wah Chang process. A process for increasing the titanium content of ilmenite by extracting some of the iron with hot hydrochloric acid. The ore is pretreated by reduction in a rotary kiln. The extraction takes place in a rotating, spherical, iron... 

A large portion of monazite production comes from mineral sand deposits. In the beneficiation of monazite from mineral sand deposits that contain garnet, ilmenite, shell and silicates, the physical concentration and combination of physical preconcentration-flotation is used. Several reagent schemes using flotation were developed throughout various studies [8-10] and some have been confirmed in continuous pilot plants. 

The reagent scheme used at the Titania A/S plant is shown in Table 25.5. The major problem associated with beneficiation of this ore was the fact that the apatite tended to float with the ilmenite concentrate. Two options were examined to control apatite flotation (a) apatite flotation in the pyrite circuit using small amounts of tall oil, and (b) use of NaF to... 

Beneficiation of apatite-ilmenite ores (Sept lies Mine, Canada)... 

The reagent scheme that was developed for beneficiation of this apatite-ilmenite ore is shown in Table 25.6. 

Reagent scheme developed for beneficiation of apatite-ilmenite ore from the Sept lies mine... 

The ilmenite production from heavy mineral sands exclusively utilizes a physical separation method using magnetic separation, gravity concentration and electrostatic separation. Flotation is practiced mainly for beneficiation of fine mineral sands containing rutile, ilmenite and zircon. The ilmenite that is produced in a number of operations in Western Australia, India and the USA is high in chromium, which makes the ilmenite unusable. This section discusses a new process that was developed for chromium removal from ilmenite concentrates. 

Figure 25.18 Flowsheet developed for beneficiation of the Guadalajara (Mexico) hard rock rutile ilmenite ore.

Bulatovic, S., Process Development for Beneficiation of Apatite, Ilmenite Ore from Quebec, Canada, Report of Investigation, p. 320, July 2001. 

Gilman, S.K. Taylor, R.K.A. (2001) The Future of ilmenite beneficiation technologies. In Heavy Mineral Conference 2001, Melbourne Australia. 

The success of the carbonaceous reduction of iron oxide has opened doors for the beneficiation of other minerals that coexist with oxides of iron also known as mineral sands. Examples of these ores are ilmenite, containing titanium dioxide and laterite ore, containing nickel oxide. Titanium dioxide (Ti02) is one of the most important inorganic materials used as a pigment for paper, plastics, paints, textile, and so on. 

The resultant slag, a complex mixture of titanates, may contain 70—85% Ti02- The slag route is particularly useful when ilmenite is closely associated with haematite, from which it cannot economically be separated mechanically. Because the iron content of the slag is low, its use reduces the quantity of iron sulfate in the Hquid effluent of sulfate process plants. Slag used as a feedstock for TiCl production must be low in magnesium and calcium. A variety of other ilmenite beneficiation or synthetic mtile processes have been pursued, primarily to provide alternative chloride process feedstocks. Low grade ilmenite... 

Manufacture. Titanium chloride is manufactured by the chlorination of titanium compounds (1,134—138). The feedstocks usually used are mineral or synthetic mtile, beneficiated ilmenite, and leucoxenes. Because these are all oxygen-containing, it is necessary to add carbon as well as coke from either coal or fuel oil during chlorination to act as a reducing agent. The reaction is normally carried out as a continuous process in a fluid-bed reactor (139). The bed consists of a mixture of the feedstock and coke. These are fluidized by a stream of chlorine iatroduced at the base (see Fluidization). The amount of heat generated in the chlorination process depends on the relative proportions of CO2 or CO that are formed (eqs. 1 and 2), and the mechanism that... 

Musro [Murphy ores, CSIRO] Also written Murso. A process for beneficiating ilmenite by a combination of oxidation, reduction, and pressure leaching with hydrochloric acid. Invented in Australia in 1967 and developed jointly by Murphyores Pty and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, but not commercialized then. Further developed in 1992 by Pivot Mining NL, Queensland. 

Wendell Dunn A family of chlorine beneficiation processes based on selective chlorination of ores in a fluidized bed. Developed by W. E. Dunn of Chlorine Technology in Australia in the 1970s, primarily for beneficiating ilmenite. The first such commercial ilmenite beneficiation plant, completed in 1991, was that of Bene-Chlor Chemicals Private, Madras. 

Woodall-Duckham Also called the Babcock W-D process. A process for recovering hydrochloric acid and metal oxides from spent metal chloride solutions, such as those obtained from metal pickling and ilmenite beneficiation. The liquor is first concentrated by evaporation, and then atomized in a heated spray-tower. Water evaporates from the droplets in the upper part of the tower, and chlorides are converted to oxides in the hotter, lower part. Developed by Woodall-Duckham in the 1960s by 1992, over 150 installations were in use worldwide. Now offered by Babcock Woodall-Duckham, United Kingdom. 

EARS [Enhanced acid regeneration system] A process for recovering hydrochloric acid from the ERMS ilmenite beneficiation process. It may be used also for recovering waste pickle liquor. The acid liquor containing ferrous chloride is evaporated at low temperature to form iron chloride pellets, which are fed to a pyrohydrolysis reactor. This generates hydrochloric acid and iron oxide pellets, which can be used for steel production or disposed of as inert landfill. Developed by E. A. Walpole at the University of Newcastle, Australia, from the early 1990s and piloted by Austpac Gold (now Austpac Resources). 

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