An Innovative Process for Production of TiO2 from Low Grade Raw Materials

Abstract

Conventionally TiO2 is produced from Ilmenite ore by carbothermic reduction followed by leaching of iron to produce high purity TiO2 which leads to loss of metallic iron and disposal of effluents. Therefore, an attempt has been made to develop a process for production of TiO2 utilizing low grade raw materials. Ilmenite ore pellets of an average size of 12–14 mm were prepared by mixing 2% molasses using disk pelletizer. Reduction of green ilmenite ore pellets were carried at temperature range from 1100°C to 1300°C in bed of low grade coal at a time intervals of 60 minutes from 1 to 5 hours. The activation energy for reduction of ilmenite ore pellets with lean grade coal was found to be 52.3 kJ/mole, this value corresponds to solid diffusion control reaction. Semi-empirical correlation was developed for prediction of % metallization. Reduced Ilmenite Pellets (RIP) were melted in 10 kg air as well as vacuum induction furnaces. It was observed that the total recovery of TiO2 in slag was up to 85% and the separation of iron from TiO2 was more than 90%.