E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Dat Nguyen

John James Barnes

Stephen Erwin Lyke

Joseph M Shekiro, Jr

Isao Kobayashi

Akira Uragami

Peter Hill

Guangliang Gary Liu

Jay Scott Schickling

Mitsutaka Hino

Thomas Peter Battle

The disclosure relates to a refractory which is resistant to corrosion which degrades the refractory during titanium-ore beneficiation in a furnace, particularly a rotary hearth furnace. In particular, the disclosure relates to a layered refractory lining for a furnace, for use in a titanium ore beneficiation process wherein a titanium oxide-rich molten slag is formed, comprising:

Refractory lining for titanium ore beneficiation

The present invention is one or more processes for producing separable iron and titanium oxides from an ore comprising titanium oxide and iron oxide, comprising: (a) forming agglomerates comprising carbon-based material and the ore, the quantity of carbon of the agglomerates being at least sufficient for forming a ferrous oxide-containing molten slag, at an elevated temperature; (b) introducing the agglomerates onto a bed of carbon-based material in a moving hearth furnace, wherein the carbon-based materials used for both the agglomerates and the bed have a low sulfur content; (c) heating the agglomerates in the moving hearth furnace to a temperature sufficient for liquefying the agglomerates to produce a liquid comprising ferrous oxide-containing slag; (d) metallizing the ferrous oxide of the 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 liquid 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.

Ore reduction process using carbon based materials having a low sulfur content and titanium oxide and iron metallization product therefrom

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.

Ore reduction process and titanium oxide and iron metallization product

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Chadds Ford, PA, United States of America

Dat Nguyen