A TECHNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF SYNTHETIC RUTILE BY SELECTIVE CHLORINATION OF ILMENITE

A new process for synthetic rutile by selective chlorination of ilmenite in a chlori-nator with a certain amount of air or oxygen has been investigated. The chlorinatingtemperature and the partial pressure ratio between carbon monoxide and dioxide in thechlorinator are the main factors concerned which are analyzed thermodynamically fromthe point of view of separating iron from titanium. Owing to the fact that the heat evolvedof selective chlorination is insufficient to keep it at temperatures necessary for the reac-tion to be colltinued, a certain excess of carbon was mixed with the ilmenite to provideadditional heat for chlorination. With a view to establish such a new process flow-sheet,operahon condihons including the chlorination temperatures, various ratios of carbonmixed, rates of fiow of oxygen and chlorine, the chlorinating time, particle-sizes of rawmaterials, etc. were examined in laboratory experiments as well as tested on a pilot plantscale and finally checked in industrial practice. The crude rutile obtained was further con-centrated by tabling and magnetic separation. Such a process showed the advantageof being simple, cheap and capable of producing high quality synthetic rutile, besides,the ferric chloride as by-product was also of high-grade.