Extractive Metallurgy Division - Preparation and Chlorination of Titaniferrous Slag from Idaho Ilmenites

DURING the past few years, a considerable tonnage of ilmenite has been produced as a byproduct of a monazite dredging operation and stockpiled near Boise, Idaho. This ilmenite has not been marketed because of the long distance from ilmenite-consuming areas and its comparatively low TiO2 content. Production of monazite from the alluvial sand deposits of Idaho is a mar- ginal venture when it is the only marketable product, and it will be necessary to establish a byproduct market before the operation becomes economically stable. Early in 1954, the Bureau of Mines Northwest Electrodevelopment Laboratory at Albany, Ore., conducted a series of tests which demonstrated that arc furnace smelting could be utilized to produce commercial quality pig iron and a high titanium content slag from these ilmenites. Additional studies showed that the slag chlorinated readily to produce a satisfactory yield of TiCl4. The investigation was carried out by two research teams. The Ferrous Metals Branch, with adequate