Tio₂ Purification From Ilmenite The Tin Industry By-Product For Pigment

Abstract

Ilmenite deposits, a by-product of the tin industry in Bangka, cause environmental problems. Ilmenite is very abundant and has great potential because it still contains 53.83% titanium oxide. One of TiO2 benefits is for pigment. TiO2 pigment in Indonesia still imported. TiO2 pigment can be applied to various industrial sectors such as paints, coatings, fillers, semiconductor materials. This research aims to extract TiO2 from ilmenite with purity level above 80%. The TiO2 extraction used repeated leaching methods with sulfuric acid. Then followed by the hydrolysis process with the addition of seed and calcined. TiO2 products were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The content of TiO2 obtained in this process is 83.36% and is in the form of rutile crystals. The purity and crystal formed of this TiO2 product suitable with the minimum standards of TiO2 pigments required by ASTM D 476 (2015). This research can be the alternative to solve environmental problems in the tin industry while increasing the economic value as TiO2 products that has great market potential in Indonesia since there is no TiO2 industry in Indonesia.

Methods of Extracting TiO2 and Other Related Compounds from Ilmenite

“…Among a diverse range of dense mineral reserves found across the world, only ilmenite and rutile ores are capable of yielding titanium compounds, specifically titanium dioxide, through industrial processes. Since titanium containing compounds possess the capability to be applied in numerous applications, such as environmental remediation, energy technologies, the pharmaceutical industry, paint industry and textile industry, exploration of the ability of these ore materials to yield titanium species is highly significant in the field of research as well as the industrial sector [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Ilmenite and rutile exhibit a major contrast in their chemical compositions, where ilmenite comprises a significant fraction of both titanium dioxide and ferrous oxide, represented as FeTiO 3 or FeO.TiO 2 , and rutile primarily consists of TiO 2 [1,2].…”

“…Ilmenite and rutile exhibit a major contrast in their chemical compositions, where ilmenite comprises a significant fraction of both titanium dioxide and ferrous oxide, represented as FeTiO 3 or FeO.TiO 2 , and rutile primarily consists of TiO 2 [1,2]. Being more abundant and less expensive, ilmenite has gained higher merits as a superior raw material compared to rutile for the aforementioned purpose [3,14].…”