High-Titanium Slag Preparation Process by Carbothermic Reduction of Ilmenite and Wet-Magnetic Separation

Abstract

As the titanium industry rapidly develops, low-grade ilmenite resources are drawing global attention. The direct use of low-grade ilmenite can result in low production efficiency and heavy pollution. In addition, the production of high-titanium slag via electric furnace melting consumes significant energy and possesses low production efficiency. Therefore, a novel process with low energy consumption is necessary for producing ultra-grade slag (UGS) for chlorination. For low-grade ilmenite, semi-molten reduction and magnetic separation were suggested in this study. The effects of carbon content, reduction time, and Na 2 CO 3 addition on the reduction and separation behavior were studied. The results showed that the addition of Na 2 CO 3 favored the formation of a semi-molten state, which was more conducive for the diffusion, aggregation, and growth of the metal phase. In this regard, excess carbon was not helpful, and it weakened the growth of the metal phase. Wet grinding and magnetic separation were used for beneficiation of the reduced sample for efficiently separating the slag iron and preventing the formation of agglomerates between slag and metal. For the sample with a carbon dosage of 13 pct, Na 2 CO 3 dosage of 8 pct, reduction temperature of 1673 K (1400°C), and 90 minutes holding time, high-titanium slag with a TiO 2 grade of 81.63 pct and iron content of 4.53 pct was produced, with the TiO 2 recovery rate of 93.43 pct and the yields of 55.37 pct. High-titanium slag can be used as a high-quality raw material to produce UGS for chlorination by leaching.

Migration and Enrichment Behaviors of Ca and Mg Elements during Cooling and Crystallization of Boron-Bearing Titanium Slag Melt

“…The Panxi area in southwestern China holds 870 million tons of ilmenite reserves, accounting for 35.17% of the world's ilmenite reserves [14,15]. At present, ilmenite is mainly upgraded to titanium-rich material by several commercialized processes, such as reduction smelting [16], Becher [17], sulfuric acid leaching [18], and hydrochloric acid leaching [19]. The product of the former process is called titanium slag, while the product of the latter three processes is called synthetic rutile.…”

Processing of Titanium-Containing Ores for the Production of Titanium Products: A Comprehensive Review

“…When titanium slag is sintered with sodium hydroxide, titanium, silicon, vanadium and aluminum form titanates, vanadates, silicates, aluminates, which dissolve in water, while titanium remains in the precipitate, which dissolves in sulfuric or hydrochloric acid with further isolation of titanic acid. The resulting product is converted into a white titanium dioxide pigment by calcination [51,52].…”

Grinding heat theory based on trochoid scratch model: Establishment and verification of grinding heat model of trochoid cross point

“…This method allows for the investigation of high speed, continuity, self-intersection, mutual interference, variable curvature, and strain rate on the material removal mechanism. The study identified the intersection effect [28], curvature effect [29,30], and strain rate effect. However, the cup wheel end face grinding heat based on the trochoid model remains unstudied.…”