Titanium Double Salt Purification Process
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial processes for producing titanium products, such as titanium dioxide and titanium metal, are costly due to the high-grade titanium ores required and the high cost of titanium-chloride distillation and purification, with no effective industrial method for purifying titanium salts using double salt technology.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing titanium products from low-grade titanium streams by forming a titanium double salt precipitate with high purity, involving the formation of a medium with specific anion and cation concentrations, allowing for high yield and selectivity, and subsequent separation and washing to achieve high-grade titanium products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high-grade titanium ores are used in industrial production, then high-purity titanium products can be produced, but the raw material cost becomes high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the purity parameter of the input material by using low-grade titanium ores (10-50% TiO2) instead of high-grade ores, and compensates through a multi-stage purification process that achieves the required product purity through controlled precipitation and filtration operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts titanium from low-grade ores through a series of separation operations including precipitation of titanium double salts, filtration, and purification stages, effectively separating the titanium component from the impure ore matrix to produce high-purity final products
2Manufacturing precision
If titanium-chloride distillation and purification is performed, then highly purified titanium is produced, but the process cost becomes high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/thermal distillation process with a chemical precipitation process involving formation of titanium double salts that can be separated by filtration, eliminating the need for energy-intensive distillation operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses inexpensive reagents such as ammonium sulfate and sulfuric acid in the precipitation process, which are cheaper than the distillation purification method, and these reagents can be easily separated or recovered from the process stream
3Ease of manufacture
If double salt precipitation is used to purify titanium salts, then purification can be achieved, but the product purity is reduced due to co-precipitation of iron double salts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the purification process into multiple distinct stages: initial precipitation of titanium double salts, separation by filtration, and subsequent purification steps, allowing selective removal of different impurities at different stages rather than attempting single-stage separation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically controls the precipitation process by adjusting parameters such as temperature, pH, and reagent addition rates to optimize the selectivity between titanium double salt precipitation and iron double salt co-precipitation, enabling high purity product at the right process conditions
4Quantity of substance
If low-grade titanium streams are used, then raw material cost is reduced, but the presence of polyvalent cations like Fe(II) and Fe(III) interferes with purification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of polyvalent cations into a beneficial separation mechanism by exploiting their different precipitation behaviors - iron double salts co-precipitate with titanium double salts under certain conditions, allowing selective removal of iron impurities through controlled precipitation and filtration operations
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the efficient and cost-effective purification of low-grade titanium streams to produce high-grade titanium, titanium dioxide, and other titanium products with high purity, overcoming the limitations of existing processes by achieving high yield and purity despite the presence of polyvalent cations like Fe(II) and Fe(III).
Implementation Method 1
a titanium double salt can be precipitated from a solution containing a high proportion of polyvalent cation and especially Fe(II) and Fe(III) at high yield and high selectivity
Implementation Method 2
separating at least a portion of said precipitate from said solution
Implementation Method 3
the produced double salt can be washed with very low losses of titanium, to provide a product of a grade sufficient for the production of titanium metal
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a method for the Industrial purification of a titanium feed stream of purity P1, by the formation of a titanium-double-salt precipitate of purity P2 and a titanium solution with purity P3, wherein P2>P1>P3, the method comprising the steps of: i. forming, from the feed, a medium comprising water, titanium ion, a cation selected from the group consisting of ammonium, cations of alkali metals, protons and a combination thereof, and an anion selected from the group consisting of OH, SO4, HSO4, halides and a combination thereof, which formed medium is further characterized by the presence of (a) a double-salt precipitate comprising titanium ion, at least one of the cations and at least one of the anions; and (b) a titanium solution; and wherein the concentration of the anion in the titanium solution is higher than 15% and the ratio between the concentrations of the cation and the anion in the titanium solution is higher than 0.2 and lower than 1.6; and ii. separating at least a portion of the precipitate from the solution.