Rutile Concentration by Reduction of Titanium Ore - Laterite Mixture Using Biomass

Abstract

Rutile is a mineral which is used in making paints, ointments, tooth paste, sunscreens, just to mention a few products. Titanium metal makes alloys with less density and resistance to corrosion, which are used in making aircraft and marine vessels. Rutile is obtained from ores by concentration method using chemicals, a process which is very expensive. In this paper, we have investigated on alternative method of concentrating rutile from titanium ores. This was done by reduction of the mixture of titanium ore and laterite using biomass. The titanium ores were obtained from Maragwa location in Tharaka Nithi County and mineralogical and chemical composition carried using XRD and AAS. The mixture of 25 g of the ore, 2 g of laterite and 1.0 g of ground dry biomass was put into clay pots. The samples were placed in a charcoal burner and heated at temperature range 800 - 900°C for two hours and the temperature monitored using a thermocouple. After two hours the sample mixtures were cooled to room temperature and serial magnetic separation done. The samples were digested and analyzed for rutile using AAS and XRD. The results show that rutile composition increased from about 0.40% in raw ore to about 2.62%, which represents 2.22% increase. This percentage increase varies depending on the ore mineralogy and chemical composition. Therefore, titanium ores with low concentration of iron can be concentrated using laterite rich in iron. Besides obtaining rutile, the method offers a successful way of cleaning the environment by using biomass from municipal waste