Separation of titanium halides from aqueous solutions
OwnerVaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan, Ramamritham Sridhar +2inventors
InventorsVaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan, Ramamritham Sridhar, Marc Murray Rishea, Robert Joseph de Laat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for the production of titanium metal from titanium-bearing ore. The method comprises leaching said ore or a concentrate thereof with an aqueous solution of a hydrogen halide; separating solids from the leach solution, to provide a leachate solution. The leachate solution may be subjected to extraction with an immiscible organic phase. Titanium halide is separated from the organic phase by stripping. Preferably, the titanium halide is titanium tetrachloride.
Claims12
A method for the separation of titanium from titanium-bearing ore, comprising the steps of:
- a) leaching said ore or a concentrate thereof with an aqueous solution of an hydrogen halide at a temperature of at least 90° C. to provide a leach solution containing titanium halide;
- b) separating solids from the leach solution to provide a leachate solution;
- c) subjecting the leachate solution to extraction with an immiscible organic phase to form an organic phase containing titanium halide, wherein said organic phase and titanium halide have boiling points that differ by at least 50° C.;
- and
- d) stripping titanium halide from said organic phase containing titanium halide by heating to volatilize titanium halide and effect separation of said titanium halide from the organic phase.
A method of separating a titanium halide from a concentrated aqueous solution of the titanium halide, said titanium halide being in a concentration such that the titanium halide is stable in said aqueous solution, comprising:
- a) admixing said aqueous solution with an organic phase having a boiling point that differs from the boiling point of the titanium halide by at least 50° C. to form an organic phase containing titanium halide;
- b) separating said organic phase containing titanium halide from the aqueous solution;
- and
- c) heating the organic phase to strip titanium halide therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.