Assessment of the possibility of using leucoxene-quartz concentrate as raw material for production of aluminium and magnesium titanates

Abstract

Leucoxene-quartz concentrate is a large-tonnage by-product of development of the Timan oil-titanium field (oil-saturated sandstones) which is not commercially used at present. High content of titanium compounds (to 50 % by weight) and lack of industrial, cost-effective, and safe technologies for its processing determine a high relevance of the work. Conventional processing technologies allow increasing the concentration of TiO2, but they are only a preparation for complex and hazardous selective chlorination. The process of pyrometallurgical conversion of leucoxene-quartz concentrate into aluminium and magnesium titanates was investigated. It was ascertained that the temperature of solid-phase reaction in Al2O3-TiO2-SiO2 system necessary for the synthesis of aluminium titanate (Al2TiO5) is 1,558 °С, and for MgO-TiO2-SiO2 system – 1,372 °С. Scaling up the process made it possible to synthesize a significant number of samples of titanate-containing products, the phase composition of which was studied by X-ray phase analysis. Two main phases were identified in the products: 30 % aluminium/magnesium titanate and 40 % silicon dioxide. In products of pyrometallurgical processing in the presence of aluminium, phases of pseudobrookite (3.5 %) and titanite (0.5 %) were also found. It was ascertained that in magnesium-containing system the formation of three magnesium titanates is possible: MgTiO3 – 25, Mg2TiO4 – 35, MgTi2O5 – 40 %. Experiments on sulphuric acid leaching of samples demonstrated a higher degree of titanium compounds extraction during sulphuric acid processing. An integrated conceptual scheme for processing leucoxene-quartz concentrate to produce a wide range of potential products (coagulants, catalysts, materials for ceramic industry) was proposed.

Scientific fundamentals for the use of serpentinized rocks from the eastern region of Cuba

“…Also to The Gibbs -Helmholts equation was obtained, for the possible chemical reactions, at the temperature in which they occur [14], [15]. The thermodynamic study of the behavior of this material in the temperature range between 1500-1900°C was carried out using the Thermodynamic software, [16].…”