US2007068344A1PendingUtilityA1

Ore reduction process and titanium oxide and iron metallization product

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Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Aug 30, 2005Filed: Aug 30, 2006Published: Mar 29, 2007
Est. expiryAug 30, 2025(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:John James BarnesStephen Erwin LykeDat NguyenAkira UragamiIsao KobayashiMitsutaka Hino
C21B 13/006C21B 13/105C21B 13/0046Y10T428/12056C21B 3/04Y02W30/50
56
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Claims

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a process for producing separable iron and titanium oxides from an ore containing titanium oxide and ferric oxide, comprising: (a) forming agglomerates comprising carbon-based materials and the ore, the quantity of carbon of the agglomerates being sufficient for, at an elevated temperature, reducing ferric oxide to ferrous oxide and forming a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag, (b) introducing the agglomerates onto a carbon bed of a moving hearth furnace; (c) heating the agglomerates in the moving hearth furnace to a temperature sufficient for reducing and melting the agglomerates to produce a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag; (d) metallizing the ferrous oxide of the molten slag by reaction of the ferrous oxide and the carbon of the carbon bed at a furnace temperature sufficient for maintaining the slag in a molten state; and (e) solidifying the slag after metallization of the ferrous oxide to form a matrix of titanium oxide-rich slag having a plurality of metallic iron granules distributed there through; and (f) separating the metallic iron granules from the slag, the slag comprising greater than 85% titanium dioxide based on the entire weight of the matrix after separation of the metallic iron. The disclosure is also directed to a metallization product of a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A process for producing separable iron and titanium oxides from an ore containing titanium oxide and ferric oxide, comprising: 
 (a) forming agglomerates comprising carbon-based materials and the ore, the quantity of carbon in the agglomerates being sufficient for, at an elevated temperature, reducing ferric oxide to ferrous oxide and forming a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag,    (b) introducing the agglomerates onto a carbon bed of a moving hearth furnace;    (c) heating the agglomerates in the moving hearth furnace to a temperature sufficient for reducing and melting the agglomerates to produce a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag;    (d) metallizing the ferrous oxide of the molten slag by reaction of the ferrous oxide and the carbon of the carbon bed at a furnace temperature sufficient for maintaining the slag in a molten state;    (e) solidifying the slag after metallization of the ferrous oxide to form a matrix of titanium oxide-rich slag having a plurality of metallic iron granules distributed there through; and    (f) separating the metallic iron granules from the slag, the slag comprising greater than 85% titanium dioxide based on the entire weight of the matrix after separation of the metallic iron.    
   
   
       2 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the ore is a low grade ore rich in titanium oxides and ferric oxide.  
   
   
       3 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the agglomerates have a quantity of carbon that is less than a stoichiometric quantity.  
   
   
       4 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the ore contains about 30 to about 50% iron oxides.  
   
   
       5 . The process of  claim 4  wherein the amount of carbon of the agglomerates ranges from about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent, based on the entire weight of the agglomerates.  
   
   
       6 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the ore is ilmenite.  
   
   
       7 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the ore is ilmenite sand and the amount of carbon of the agglomerates ranges from about 1.0 to about 8.0 weight percent, based on the entire weight of the agglomerates.  
   
   
       8 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the ore is ilmenite rock and the amount of carbon of the agglomerates ranges from about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent, based on the entire weight of the agglomerates.  
   
   
       9 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the agglomerates comprise a plurality of ore particles ranging in average particle size diameter from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mm.  
   
   
       10 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for producing the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag ranges from about 1300° C. to about 1800° C.  
   
   
       11 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for producing the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag ranges from about 1400° C. to about 1750° C.  
   
   
       12 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for producing the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag ranges from about 1500° C. to about 1700° C.  
   
   
       13 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for metallizing the ferrous oxide and maintaining the slag in a molten state ranges from about 1500° C. to about 1800° C.  
   
   
       14 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for metallizing the ferrous oxide and maintaining the slag in a molten state ranges from about 1600° C. to about 1750° C.  
   
   
       15 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for metallizing the ferrous oxide and maintaining the slag in a molten state ranges from about 1600° C. to about 1700° C.  
   
   
       16 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the reducing and melting of the agglomerates occurs simultaneously.  
   
   
       17 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the metallizing is carried out under conditions sufficient for small molten iron metal droplets formed in the molten slag to coalesce into large molten iron metal droplets.  
   
   
       18 . The process of  claim 17  wherein the large molten iron metal droplets range in average diameter from about 0.05 to about 10 mm.  
   
   
       19 . The process of  claim 1  wherein the furnace is a tunnel furnace, a tube furnace or a rotary hearth furnace.  
   
   
       20 . A metallization product of a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag, comprising: a matrix of a titanium oxide-rich slag having a plurality of metallic iron granules distributed there through, the metallic iron granules being mechanically separable from the matrix of titanium oxide, the matrix comprising greater than 85% titanium oxides based on the entire weight of the matrix after mechanical separation of the mechanically separable portion of the metallic iron.  
   
   
       21 . The metallization product of  claim 20  wherein the metallization product is made by a process comprising: 
 (a) forming agglomerates comprising carbon-based materials and an ore containing titanium oxide and iron oxides, the quantity of carbon of the agglomerates being sufficient for, at an elevated temperature, reducing ferric oxide to ferrous oxide and forming a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag;    (b) introducing the agglomerates onto a carbon bed of a moving hearth furnace;    (c) heating the agglomerates in the moving hearth furnace to a temperature sufficient for reducing and melting the agglomerates to produce a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag;    (d) metallizing the ferrous oxide of the molten slag by reaction of the ferrous oxide and the carbon of the carbon bed at a furnace temperature sufficient for maintaining the slag in a molten state; and    (e) solidifying the slag after metallization of the ferrous oxide to form the metallization product.    
   
   
       22 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the ore is a low grade ore rich in titanium oxides and iron oxides.  
   
   
       23 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the agglomerates have a quantity of carbon that is less than a stoichiometric quantity.  
   
   
       24 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the ore contains about 30 to about 50% iron oxides.  
   
   
       25 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the amount of carbon of the agglomerates ranges from about 0.5 to about 10 weight percent, based on the entire weight of the agglomerates.  
   
   
       26 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the ore is ilmenite.  
   
   
       27 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the ore is ilmenite sand and the amount of carbon of the agglomerates ranges from about 1.0 to about 8.0 weight percent, based on the entire weight of the agglomerates.  
   
   
       28 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the ore is ilmenite rock and the amount of carbon of the agglomerates ranges from about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent, based on the entire weight of the agglomerates.  
   
   
       29 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the agglomerates comprise a plurality of ore particles ranging in average particle size diameter from about 0.1 to about 1.0 mm.  
   
   
       30 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for producing the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag ranges from about 1300° C. to about 1800° C.  
   
   
       31 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for producing the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag ranges from about 1400° C. to about 1750° C.  
   
   
       32 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for producing the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag ranges from about 1500° C. to about 1700° C.  
   
   
       33 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for metallizing the ferrous oxide and maintaining the slag in a molten state ranges from about 1500° C. to about 1800° C.  
   
   
       34 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for metallizing the ferrous oxide and maintaining the slag in a molten state ranges from about 1600° C. to about 1750° C.  
   
   
       35 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the temperature inside the furnace for metallizing the ferrous oxide and maintaining the slag in a molten state ranges from about 1600° C. to about 1700° C.  
   
   
       36 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the reducing and melting of the agglomerates occurs simultaneously.  
   
   
       37 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the metallizing is carried out under conditions sufficient for small molten iron metal droplets formed in the molten slag to coalesce into large molten iron metal droplets.  
   
   
       38 . The metallization product of  claim 37  wherein the large molten iron metal droplets range in average diameter from about 0.05 to about 10 mm.  
   
   
       39 . The metallization product of  claim 21  wherein the furnace is a tunnel furnace, a tube furnace or a rotary hearth furnace.

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