Technique for upgrading ilmenite ore via triva-lent titanium ion

A new technique for upgrading ilmenite ore to pure titanium was proposed and investigated. In this technique, the ilimenite ore is reduced to Fe and Ti₂O₃, which are then dissolved in an acid solution. After that, TiO₂ is extracted from the solution by aeration. In this paper, the thermodynamic background of reduction of the complex oxide of titanium and iron, FeTiO₃, and dissolution of titanium oxide in acid solution is discussed. We demonstrated the hydrometallurgical steps of the technique. As an example of the results, we successfully extracted 99.95 mass% TiO₂ from the solution containing 0.1 mol L^-1 Fe ²⁺ and 0.1 mol L^-1 Ti³⁺ through the oxidation by aeration at condition of pH 0.5 and at 75 °C over 24 hours.