The main problem of processing of ores with a high content of titanium oxides is refractory slag based on TiO2, which makes it difficult to melt. The methods of processing of titanomagnetite and ilmenite ores were analyzed. It is shown that the existing scheme of processing does not meet the requirements of complex use of materials. The paper presents the results of laboratory studies on reduction of ilmenite concentrate and subsequent pyrometallurgical separation of reduction products without addition of flux or slag-forming materials. Solid-phase reduction of iron enabled to extract iron selectively from the ilmenite crystal lattice, not diluting the oxide phase with the reducing agent ash. Using the advantages of solid-phase reduction, the possibility of obtaining pure iron and slag with a high content of titanium oxides was shown.
In this work the solid-phase reduction of iron from the Suroyam titanomagnetite ore was studied during metallization in a rotary kiln. The technique of preparation of the ore and reducing agent for metallization and the process of continuous processing of materials in a rotary kiln were described in detail. For metallization the temperature was chosen 1150°C, due to low melting point of apatite from one of the components. The results of the electron microscope analysis of the initial ore and samples subjected to metallization for 1-hour reduction time were presented. The reduction of iron occurred despite absence of pores and contact with a reducing agent in the grains of titanomagnetite. Iron in the grains of titanomagnetite surrounded by apatite was reduced to wustite; whereas, iron surrounded by clinopyroxene was reduced to metallic iron. This indicated the effect of composition of the gangue materials on the reduction process.
Processing of titanium-containing ores with extraction of all the major elements is an urgent task of minerals rational use. It is shown that none of the existing processing schemes allows extracting of all the major useful elements at the same time from titanium-containing iron ores, i.e. – iron, titanium and vanadium. This problem can be solved using selective extraction of these elements based on new ideas about electronic reduction mechanism. Propagation of the process of solid-phase selective reduction of iron with the powder of carbon-containing material deep into the layer of grains of ilmenite concentrate from the surface of its contact was experimentally studied. The results of determining the amount of metal phase released as it moves away from the concentrate – reducing agent contact boundary are presented. Based on the results concerning amount of precipitated metal phase, a conclusion was made about diffusion processes in a layer of concentrate grains contacting only between themselves, limiting process of iron reduction. It is shown that near the plane of contact of solid reducing agent with the layer of concentrate grains, the rate of iron reduction is higher than the rate of high iron content phase precipitation from ilmenite. In depth of ilmenite concentrate layer, process of iron reduction is preceded by formation of iron-containing silicate phase from concentrate grains, where iron is reduced earlier than in ilmenite grains. Formation of iron-containing silicate phase contributes ilmenite grains sintering. It was concluded that in the concentrate layer in contact with solid reducing agent layer in absence of contact of each ilmenite grain with solid reducing agent, the point contact of grains and presence of voids between them in the layer do not prevent propagation of reduction process in the layer of grains contacting with each other only.
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