Mineral raw materials for titanium production

The minerals used for its production are anatase, rutile, ilmenite (which contains 52.8% titanium in combination with iron), brookite, leucoxene (a product of ilmenite weathering), arizonite, and pseudobrookite.

Types of deposits of titanium raw materials

Titanium deposits are subdivided into magmatogene, alluvial, and lateritic.

At the moment, about 300 deposits of titanium raw materials are known:

Alluvial deposits - 230 (69 % of world deposits);

Magmatic (bed-rocks) - 70 (19,5 %);

Lateritic - 10 (11,5 %).

The content of titanium dioxide in titaniferous ores is as follows:

Rutile – 93-96 %;

Ilmenite – 44-70 %;

Leucoxene – 90 %.

Titanium ores undergo beneficiation, resulting in concentrates with an increased TiO2 content. Low-grade ores are enriched using electromagnetic and other methods, producing a concentrate containing up to 50% TiO2 and around 35% Fe2O3 and FeO. Titanium ores are subjected to dressing, resulting in a higher TiO2 content in the concentrate. Poor ores are dressed by electromagnetic and other methods, with the resulting concentrate which contains up to 50% TiO2 and about 35% Fe2O3 and FeO.

Only 5% of all extracted titanium ore is used to directly produce metallic titanium. The remaining 95% are used to produce titanium dioxide pigment and plastics, coloring materials, rubber substances, paper products, and so on.

Major producers of titanium concentrate and metallic titanium

China, which has the largest deposits of titanium ore. China mines it from maltogenic and ilmenite-titanomagnetite deposits, producing 22% of the global ilmenite concentrates;

Japan;

Russia;

Kazakhstan;

The USA;

Australia;

Norway;

Republic of South Africa;

Vietnam;

India;

Ukraine. Both alluvial and magmatogenic deposits have been explored in the country. Still, only alluvial and near-shore marine deposits located in the northern part of the Ukrainian Shield are actively being developed.

Madagascar and Mozambique have alluvial deposits. Such countries as Canada, Australia, Norway, Chile, and Finland make active geologic explorations. A massive complex of titaniferous deposits was found in Paraguay.