Electron Microscopic Studies of Ilmenite from the Chhatrapur Coast, Odisha, India, and Their Implications in Processing

Abstract

Ilmenite from the Chhatrapur coast, Odisha, India, was studied using optical microscope, X-ray diffraction, particle size analysis, and electron microprobe to decipher their micromorphology, texture(s), and elemental composition. The micromorphological features by electron microscope indicate that weathering processes such as mechanical and chemical, affected the placer heavy mineral ilmenite. These detrital ilmenites contain TiO 2 in the range of 50.25% to 55.41% and FeO 42.72% to 49.99% in addition to Al 2 O 3 , MgO, MnO, CaO, Na 2 O, Cr 2 O 3 , NiO, ZnO, ZrO 2 , V 2 O 5 , and HfO 2 (0 to 0.034%). Ti/(Ti + Fe) ratio in the ilmenite varied from 0.413 to 0.5, which indicates the effect of weathering/oxidation confirming microscopic observations. All the results revealed that these ilmenite grains were derived from the gneissic/granitic, basic and high grade metamorphic rocks, belonging to the Eastern Ghats Group of the Precambrian complex of coastal Orissa.

Mineralogy, geochemistry and monazite U-Th-Pb geochronology of the Hakimpur banded iron formation deposit, Bangladesh: a petrogenetic study

“…Redistribution of FeO and Fe 2 O 3 in ilmenite is based on the charge balance and stoichiometry of ilmenite and magnetite, respectively, using the method of LePage Different magnifications of the image are due to the small size of the grains significantly lower than for pure stoichiometric ilmenite which contains 52.75 wt.% TiO 2 (Deer, 1985), and 37.21-57.54 wt.% (45.21 wt.% in average) FeO(T). A higher content of TiO 2 than the stoichiometric value occurs when Ti is leached with other cations during low-temperature diagenesis; conversely, a lower TiO 2 content indicates the existence of hematite and/or magnetite that is exsolved with ilmenite (Rao et al 2014). The latter phenomenon is predominantly witnessed in petrographic studies with magnetite lamellae (Fig.…”

Naturally derived FeTiO3 nanoparticles: analysis of optical properties

“…In India, it is found in the east coast beach sands of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu in south India. Additionally, it is found in the west coastal area of Kerala [1][2][3].…”

Theoretical Modeling of Defects, Dopants, and Diffusion in the Mineral Ilmenite

“…The extraction of Ti and Fe from ilmenite has been reported in order to apply those metals in industries [8,9]. Electron microscopic studies on ilmenite by Rao et al [10] indicate that the weathering/oxidation process can introduce trace amounts of oxides, including MnO, MgO, ZnO, and Al 2 O 3 , in FeTiO 3 . Modification of this material by physical and chemical processes has been well-studied and -documented [11][12][13][14].…”