Ilmenite ore

Lest you suppose that titanium is a metal for all purposes, we should point out one of its limitations. It is far more expensive than aluminum or steel, selling for about 50 a kilogram in 2007. The high cost of extracting the metal from ilmenite ore makes it very, very unlikely that you will ever see lawnmowers or kitchen sinks made out of titanium. 

By far the most important compound of titanium is the dioxide (TiOz). About 94% of the ilmenite ore processed annually is converted to titanium dioxide as compared with only 4% for the metal itself. Putting it another way, the yearly production of titanium dioxide is about 2 x 106 metric tons as compared with only 105 metric tons of titanium. 

Two processes are used in the manufacture of titanium dioxide pigments the sulfate process and the chloride process. The chemistry of the sulfate process, the longer established of the two methods, is illustrated schematically in Scheme 9.1. In this process, crude ilmenite ore, which contains titanium dioxide together with substantial quantities of oxides of iron, is digested with concentrated sulfuric acid, giving a solution containing the sulfates of Ti(iv), Fe(m) and Fe(n). Treatment of this... 

Practices in beneficiation of ilmenite ores using flotation... 

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

In the late 1990s, extensive research work was carried out on a number of complex ilmenite ores resulting in the development of new technology capable of producing good-quality ilmenite concentrate with a respectable recovery. This section describes the treatment process that was developed for apatite-ilmenite ores using new technology [9]. 

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... 

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. 

The other 6% of the product is made by taking ilmenite ore (45-60% Ti02) and treating it with sulfuric acid for digestion and filtration. Hydrolysis of the sulfate and final heating gives pure titanium dioxide. 

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