Upgrading of raw vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate

Abstract

In view of the continuous depletion of titanium, rutile, and ilmenite mineral deposits, the search for cost-effective practices for titanium production using vanadium titanomagnetite as raw material has become increasingly important. In this study, vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate obtained from the Panzhihua area in China was upgraded via fine grinding followed by magnetic separation to produce high-quality vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate. The potential utilization of this concentrate was investigated. Mineral liberation analysis and electron microprobe analysis were used to investigate the deportment of the impurities and major minerals. Experimental results showed that magnetic separation increased the Fe grade by 4% compared with the raw concentrate, while the total content of Al2O3, SiO2, MgO, and CaO impurities decreased from 12.35% to 7.73%. Process mineralogy studies confirmed that the proportion of titanomagnetite in the high-quality vanadium titanomagnetite concentrate increased to 95.84%. Spinel and sphene were enclosed in the titanomagnetite particles at the nanometre scale, which would make them practically impossible to remove through mineral processing techniques.