Reduction-segregation of ilmenite: Iron and titanium co-products from solid-state processing

Ilmenite (iron titanate) is the source of over 90% of all the titanium produced in the world today. At some point during production of titanium dioxide or titanium metal the iron impurity must be removed Too often it becomes a waste instead of a product DuPont and MINPRO have developed a solid-state process which separates the iron and titanium components of ilmenite into different high-purity powders, which can be separated using conventional mineral processing techniques. The main reactor in this process is a unique high-temperature ball mill, where the iron segregates from the ilmenite lattice with the assistance of catalytic quantities of HCl. The results of lab, pilot plant, theoretical, and scale-up studies are presented and discussed.