Non-Waste Processing of Ilmenite and Titanomagnetite Concentrates

Fundamental potential of single-stage processing of ilmenite concentrate to synthetic rutile of commercial quality has been shown experimentally and by thermodynamic computations. The method has its origins in selective chloridation of iron and impurity of magnesium, chrome, manganese, sulphur, and vanadium by chlorine with no use of any reducer. Possibility to extract vanadium without reduction smelting and without loss of titanium and other target ingredients of the concentrate was revealed for high-titanium titanomagnetite concentrate. The other target ingredients can be later isolated by the reduction chlorination. It has been found that the great bulk of iron and vanadium can be extracted from titanium concentrates for 10 min at a temperature of 1373 K and under atmospheric pressure.