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Extractive metallurgy of titanium

Dr. Dmitri Kopeliovich

Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s crust.

The ores used for commercial production of titanium are:

  • Rutile (titanium dioxide TiO2),
  • Ilmenite (FeTiO3).

Titanium is produced by the Kroll process developed by William Justin Kroll in 1946:

  • Concentrating - separation of titanium dioxide from the gangue and iron oxide (in ilmenite).
  • Carbochlorination - chemical treatment of titanium dioxide in fluid bed reactor with chlorine and petroleum coke at the temperature 1650°F (900°C) resulted in formation of impure titanium tetrachloride:

TiO2 + Cl2 + C = TiCl4 + CO2

  • Purification of the liquid impure titanium tetrachloride using fractional distillation and precipitation to remove iron chloride and other impurities.
  • Titanium sponge production – reaction of pure titanium tetrachloride with magnesium in a stainless retort at 2010°F (1100°C) under argon atmosphere:

TiCl4 + 2Mg = Ti + 2MgCl2

The resulted magnesium chloride is liquid and it is separated from the solid titanium which is obtained in form of porous sponge.

  • Melting of titanium sponge in vacuum arc furnace or under inert atmosphere and casting the melt to ingots.

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extractive_metallurgy_of_titanium.txt · Last modified: 2023/12/13 by dmitri_kopeliovich
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