Process for making titanium metal from titanium ore

A process for the preparation of titanium metal from an ore wherein titanium is present as an oxide of titanium which comprises

• (a) fluorinating said ore, in the presence of SiF.sub.4, to convert the oxide of titanium to a fluoride of titanium,
• (b) leaching said fluoride of titanium from said fluorinated ore to provide a solution of said fluoride of titanium,
• (c) recrystallizing said fluoride of titanium from said solution,
• (d) reducing said recrystallized fluoride of titanium to titanium metal.

A process for the preparation of titanium metal from an ilmenite ore comprising titanium oxides and iron oxides which comprises

• (a) fluorinating said ore by heating to a temperature of from about 600.degree. to about 1000.degree. C., in the presence of a fluosilicate salt, to convert said oxides to fluorides of titanium and iron,
• (b) contacting said fluorinated ore with an aqueous leaching solution to leach said fluorides from the ore and provide an aqueous solution of said fluorides,
• (c) oxidizing and hydrolyzing said fluoride of iron to an iron hydroxide which is insoluble in said aqueous solution,
• (d) separating said insoluble iron hydroxide from said aqueous solution to yield a substantially iron-free aqueous solution,
• (e) recrystallizing said fluoride of titanium from said substantially iron-free aqueous solution,
• (f) recovering said recrystallized fluoride of titanium, and
• (g) reducing said recovered fluoride of titanium to convert said recovered fluoride of titanium to titanium metal.

A process for the preparation of titanium metal from an ore comprising from about 25 to about 50%, by weight, titanium and from about 14 to about 36%, by weight iron, both titanium and iron being present in the form of an oxide, which comprises

• (a) fluorinating said ore by contacting with an alkali metal fluosilicate at a temperature of from about 600.degree. to about 1000.degree. C., to yield a fluorinated ore including the fluorides of iron and titanium,
• (b) leaching said fluorides of iron and titanium from said fluorinated ore by contacting said fluorinating ore with an aqueous solution comprising from about 1 to about 10%, by weight, HF,
• (c) separating an aqueous solution including said fluorides of iron and titanium dissolved therein from said ore,
• (d) oxidizing and hydrolyzing said fluoride of iron to an iron hydroxide which is insoluble in said separated solution by treating said solution with oxygen,
• (e) separating said insoluble iron hydroxide from said treated solution to yield a substantially iron-free solution,
• (f) recrystallizing said fluoride of titanium from said substantially iron-free solution,
• (g) recovering said recrystallized fluoride of titanium,
• (h) reducing said recovered fluoride of titanium to titanium metal by contacting said recovered fluoride of titanium with a zinc-aluminum alloy, in the molten state, at conditions sufficient to yield an immiscible, molten mixture of aluminum fluoride and the titanium metal in the form of an titanium-zinc alloy,
• (i) separating said titanium-zinc alloy from said aluminum fluoride, and
• (j) distilling zinc, in an inert atmosphere, from said separated titanium-zinc alloy to recover a titanium metal sponge.