US 4,389,391 AGranted

Process for beneficiating titaniferous ores

OwnerWendell E. Dunn, Jr.inventor

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Abstract

An improved method of beneficiating ilmenite using two chlorinators in order to oxidize by-product iron chlorides to chlorine in the vapor phase and eliminate the necessity of separating the chlorine from combustion gas by cryogenic methods comprising using a first stage which produces beneficiated ore, and, inter alia, carbon dioxide, iron chlorides, predominantly ferrous chloride, which are condensed to gain the separation from CO.sub.2 ; solid iron chlorides are fed to an oxidation zone in the void above the second stage beneficiator and reacted with oxygen; heat required for vaporization of the condensed chlorides is supplied in part by beneficiation within the second stage. The fluidized bed overflow of the second stage beneficiator is magnetically separated to separate practically pure T.sub.1 O.sub.2, useful as a starting material for T.sub.1 O.sub.2 pigment and a recycle stream of magnetic partially beneficiated ore.

Claims8

Dependent claims

In a process for beneficiation of titaniferous ore by chlorination under fluidizing and reducing conditions in the presence of a carbonaceous material at elevated temperatures comprising converting the iron oxide portion of the ore to vaporized iron chloride or a mixture of vaporized iron chlorides and producing carbon dioxide and producing thereby a product comprising essentially polycrystalline rutile:

the improvement consisting of:
(a) chlorinating the ore in a first reactor to form a partially beneficiated ore-carbon mixture and a gaseous by-product comprising carbon dioxide, traces of carbon monoxide, iron chlorides and diluent gases;
(b) condensing the iron chloride in the gaseous by-product and exiting the said carbon dioxide, traces of carbon monoxide, and diluent gases in said gaseous by-product;
(c) passing the condensed iron chlorides and partially beneficiated ore carbon mixture to a second reactor;
(d) subjecting the partially beneficiated ore-carbon mixture to chlorine and at elevated temperatures to further beneficiate said ore forming vaporized iron chloride and vaporizing iron chlorides introduced from the first reactor exiting said further beneficiated ore from the second reactor and thereafter cooling and separating the product from unreacted carbon;
and
(e) subjecting the vaporized iron chloride or mixture of iron chlorides and the carbon dioxide to oxygen to oxidize the iron chlorides to chlorine and iron oxide.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.