Production of Synthetic Rutile from Molten Titanium Slag with the Addition of B2O3

Abstract

A new process of producing synthetic rutile from molten titanium slag with the addition B2O3 is proposed. The process includes a molten modification process and a leaching process. The molten modification process was conducted by adding B2O3 into molten slag. The leaching process was conducted by adding hydrochloric acid and subsequent NaOH. The results show that CaO and MgO are leached out by hydrochloric acid and that synthetic rutile is further improved by NaOH. The optimized conditions are 2% B2O3 amount, 5% hydrochloric concentration, 80°C leaching temperature, and 30 min leaching time. The synthetic rutile with 86.77% TiO2 and 1.23% (CaO + MgO) was prepared. From x-ray diffraction results, thermodynamic calculation and the theory of bond parameter function, with the addition of B2O3, calcium silicate is transformed into calcium borate and anosovite is transformed into magnesium borate. Calcium borate and magnesium borate are leached out by hydrochloric acid, leading to the enrichment of rutile.