Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2022 number 3

Beneficiation of ilmenite ores from the Ha Tinh deposit (Vietnam) is studied by means of electromagnetic, electrostatic separation, and flotation. The dependences of the mass of the obtained magnetic fraction on the current strength and on benefication degree are determined for different numbers of the stages of magnetic separation. The conditions for the change in the concentration of the titanium product depending on the voltage on the electrodes in the process of electrostatic separation are studied. It is shown that separation brings the heavy magnetic fraction apart from the waste rock, while subsequent flotation provides a high efficiency of rutile separation from impurity components. For flotation concentration of the product after separation processes, it is established that process efficiency depends on titanium concentration in the product to be concentrated. As a result of beneficiation, ilmenite concentrate containing more than 50% TiO₂ is obtained, which meets the most stringent requirements of the market. The design of the laboratory facility and the fluorination reactor is described, as well as the materials used to manufacture them. The research methodology is described in detail. During the fluorination of the obtained concentrate with elemental fluorine, the dependences of conversion degree on the time and temperature of fluorination are investigated (S-shaped curves). It is determined that the process is complete (conversion degree is more than 98 %) within 5 min at 700 °C. The features of the fluorination of the obtained concentrate are analyzed on the basis of kinetic equations. The activation energy and preexponential factor in the Yander kinetic equation are determined. It is shown that fluorination kinetics are limited by diffusion processes (supply and removal of reagents) rather than by the rate of the chemical reaction itself.