E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Joseph M Shekiro, Jr

Stephen Erwin Lyke

John James Barnes

Dat Nguyen

Isao Kobayashi

Akira Uragami

Jodi Lynn Witt

Guangliang Gary Liu

Mitsutaka Hino

Thomas Peter Battle

Xuqing Gu

Steve Mirabella

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

The disclosure is directed to a process for isolating solids from a purification purge stream comprising an impurity present as a solid, wherein the purification purge stream is substantially free of chlorides other than titanium tetrachloride and vanadium chloride, the process comprising the steps of: (a) atomizing the purification purge stream comprising titanium tetrachloride as a liquid and an impurity present as a solid; (b) drying solids in the atomized purification purge stream by contacting the atomized stream with a titanium tetrachloride vapor stream such that the combined streams reach a temperature of at least about 140&#xb0; C. to vaporize the liquid titanium tetrachloride, wherein the titanium tetrachloride vapor is substantially free of chlorides other than those of titanium and vanadium, and substantially free of non-condensable gases comprising CO, CO, N, or mixtures thereof; and (c) separating the impurity present as a solid from the vaporized titanium tetrachloride. The separated vanadium solids may be further processed to recover valuable by products.

Process for separating solids from a purification purge stream

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Newark, DE, United States of America

Joseph M Shekiro, Jr