Effective extraction of titanium from rutile by a low-temperature chlorideprocess

The carbochlorination of rutile is carried out at high temperatures (800-1, 500 degrees C) in the commercial chloride processes of the pigment industry . Chlorination at high temperatures results in high energy consumption, rap id corrosion of the equipment, pipeline and control system, and agglomerati on of solid reactants in the reactor. In a typical chloride process, rutile is used as a primary reactant, Cl-2 as a chlorinating agent, and carbon as a reductant. The thermodynamic equilibrium simulation of the reaction syst em shows that a complete conversion of rutile is feasible at a temperature as low as 200 degrees C. Kinetic and diffusion barriers, however, make the reaction practically impossible at low temperatures. In the study, these ba rriers were removed by intensifying the rutile-carbon solid-solid contact. In the low-temperature chloride process developed, reaction temperatures ar e reduced to 350-450 degrees C. The conversion rate of the rutile at 385 de grees C is 30% higher than that at 1,000 degrees C. The conversion rate of the rutile at 385 degrees C is 30% higher than that at 1,000 degrees C. A f luidized-bed reactor was used for the chlorination process. It was conclude d that the formation of an activated TiO2-C-Cl complex on the TiO2/C interf ace accounts for the gas-solid-solid reaction mechanism.