Na2CO3 induced crystal growth assisted ilmenite reduction and cyclic wet magnetic separation coupling to achieve efficient separation of titanium and iron

In this study, we employed a Na 2 CO 3 -enhanced reduction process coupled with cyclic wet grinding and magnetic separation for effective utilization of low-grade ilmenite. The process was designed to produce a high-grade titanium-rich product. This study systematically investigated the effects of carbon addition, Na 2 CO 3 dosage, reduction temperature, and holding time on the reduction behavior and slag–iron separation performance. The findings indicate that both higher reduction temperatures and extended holding times facilitate the reduction reaction and the aggregation and growth of metallic iron phases. The presence of Na 2 CO 3 further enhances this effect, thereby facilitating subsequent slag–iron separation. However, the excessive addition of Na 2 CO 3 and carbon is detrimental to slag–iron separation. After cyclic wet grinding and magnetic separation, 99 % of the titanium slag particles were smaller than 60 μm. Under conditions of 13 wt% carbon, 6 wt% Na 2 CO 3 , a reduction temperature of 1400 °C, and a holding time of 60 min, 98.4 wt% of the metallic iron particles had diameters greater than 60 μm. The resulting high-titanium slag had a TiO 2 grade of 87.07 % and a recovery rate of 95.94 %, whereas the iron concentrate had an Fe grade of 94.92 % and a recovery rate of 94.34 %.