"UPGRADING OF TITANIUM BEARING ORE"

Abstract

Titanium is the most abundant fourth element of metals or the metal which is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and is found in the nature in the form of several minerals. Besides, it occurs as primary minerals in some igneous rocks, and the secondary origin is (beach or placer deposits); the first is the most important deposit and in the second titanium occurs as heavy minerals that accumulate in association with zircon, magnetite, monazite and garnet. These deposits are mainly found in Australia, America, South Africa, Egypt and India. In these deposits the content of titanium is about 40-65%. Other minerals include titanium content around 95% such as rutile, anatase, leucoxene, brookite and sphene. In the Arab Republic of Egypt we can extract titanium from ilmenite ore that consists of oxides of iron and titanium, and the ore occurs in the area of Rashid and occurs as lenses and veins in gabbro rocks in Abu Ghalaga South Eastern Desert. Titanium dioxide is most widely used as pigment in the paints also in welding rods industry, paper and textile industries. Because of the lack of toxicity it is used in cosmetics, protective for skin from the sun's rays and is also used in the glass, rubber and plastics industries and in whitening leather and ceramic industry. Metal titanium is used in industries that require high hardness such as missiles and aircraft, where it features as corrosion resistant. On the other hand, titanium diboride (TiB2) is one of the compounds for high temperature structural applications and also for control rod elements in high temperature nuclear reactors.

The preparation of titanium dioxide is carried out via two conventionally main routes, namely the sulfate route and the chloride route, each with different feedstock requirements. In the first, ilmenite or slag-bearing titanium ore is used. The method is characterized as a low-cost. On the other hand, in the chloride route natural or synthetic rutile, anatase, concentrates or else chlorinatable titanium slag are suitable for this process. However the increasing lack of natural rich rutile mineral deposits has led to increasing interest in the low grade ilmenite deposits whose large reserves are by far greatly distributed in several parts of the world. This ore to be suitable for chlorination, it should first be upgraded in titanium content

by conversion to synthetic rutile via a number of processes or else to titanium slag.