See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/346442720

A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial

Applications

Article in AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES · October 2020

DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

CITATION READS

1 560

5 authors, including:

El-Sayed R. E. Hassan Mohamed A Abdel Khalek

Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute
26 PUBLICATIONS 287 CITATIONS 92 PUBLICATIONS 828 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Khaled Selim Nagui Abdel-Khalek

Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute
41 PUBLICATIONS 320 CITATIONS 90 PUBLICATIONS 1,112 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by El-Sayed R. E. Hassan on 28 November 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
2020 September; 14(9): pages 12-21
DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2
Original paper AENSI Publications

A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for

Industrial Applications
El-Sayed R.E. Hassan, M.A. Youssef, M.A. Abdel-Khalek, K.A. Selim and N.A. Abdel-Khalek
Mineral Beneficiation and Agglomeration Department, Mineral Technology Division, Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute (CMRDI), P.O.
Box 87 Helwan, 11722 Cairo, Egypt

Correspondence Author: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan, Mineral Beneficiation and Agglomeration Department, Mineral Technology Division, Central Metallurgical
Research and Development Institute (CMRDI), P.O. Box 87 Helwan, 11722 Cairo, Egypt.
E-mail:- [email protected]

Received date: 28 July 2020, Accepted date: 19 September 2020, Online date: 13 October 2020

Copyright: © 2020 El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Ilmenite is a very important source for titanium. Egyptian ilmenite ore contains 26.20 % TiO 2, 50.09 % Fe2O3 and
14.35 % SiO2. Ore contaminates of silica and iron oxides should be removed to achieve a suitable ilmenite grade.
This study aims at upgrading Abu Ghouson ilmenite deposits at the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Beneficiation of fine
low grade ilmenite ore was successfully performed using Falcon SB40 concentrator. Falcon SB40 was tested for
different ilmenite size fractions. It is displayed that falcon separation efficiency increased with decreasing feed size
as well as with narrow size fractions while falcon is limited to size fraction less than 25 micron. Results of ilmenite
feed -80+25 micron showed that a concentrate of 40.60 % TiO 2 with 86.00 % recovery and 2.43 % SiO 2 was
achieved. Applying magnetic separation on the falcon heavy fraction, a final concentrate with 46.31 % TiO2 and
1.78 % SiO2 was obtained. The produced ilmenite concentrate coincide the standard specifications required for
different industrial applications.

Keywords: Ilmenite, Titanium dioxide, Falcon concentrator, Box-Behnken design

INTRODUCTION

Egypt possesses a massive capacity of mineral resources that would be utilized to cover a part of the industrial requirements.
Naturally occurring titanium ores are the raw materials for many commercial products. Ilmenite, FeTiO 3, is considered as the most
widespread titanium bearing mineral and is composed of about 43-65% titanium dioxide (TiO2) (Heikal et al. 2019). However,
ilmenite ore contains unacceptable contents of gangue minerals such as silicates and iron oxides that make them undesirable for
use in industrial processes without purification.
Titanium (Ti) metal has strong corrosion resistance and strength to weight ratio. Therefore it is alloyed with metals such as
vanadium and aluminium for use in aircraft, spacecraft, jet engines and space applications (Abdou et al. 2011) Titanium is also
used in chemical, marine, medical and ceramic industries. The major use of titanium in the industry is in its oxide form. Titanium
dioxide, TiO2, is employed as a white pigment for rubber, plastics, paints and paper industries (Xu et al. 2014; Gázquez et al.
2014).
In Egypt, ilmenite resources are found in rock and beach deposits. The rock deposit occurs in Abu Ghalaga and Abu Ghouson
in Eastern Desert while the beach deposit occurs in Rosetta, east Alexandria (Heikal et al. 2019). Abu Ghouson Ilmenite ore
includes a high content of iron oxides and silicates. Therefore it is considered as low grade titanium ore with TiO2 of lower than
28%.
Ore beneficiation to an industrial feedstock grade is favourable before chemical processes as it minimizes size and energy
requirements as well as it significantly reduces the complexity of chemical processes and increasing their efficiency (Hassan et al.
2020). Beneficiation processes of titanium minerals include gravity, magnetic, electrostatic and flotation separation techniques
(Abd El-Rahman et al. 2006; Fan and Rowson 2002).

Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences

ISSN: 1991-8178, EISSN: 2309-8414
Journal home page: www.ajbasweb.com
13
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

Abd El-Rahman et al.(2006) studied the upgrading of Egyptian Ilmenite ore using shaking table concentrator followed by wet
high-intensity magnetic separator and a final concentrate of 39% TiO 2 and 2.48% SiO2 was obtained. Applying sequential
operations, thermal heating, attrition scrubbing and desliming, on the magnetic concentrate increased the TiO2 to 43% and
decreased silica to 2%. Fan and Rowson (2002) studied the surface modification of ilmenite using microwave radiation. They
observed an increase of ilmenite recovery by 20 %. This is probably due to the conversion of Fe +2 on ilmenite surface into Fe+3
which enhanced ilmenite floatability.
Nowadays, falcon gravity concentrator is used to recover very fine minerals (Kroll-Rabotin and Sanders 2014). Falcon SB40
concentrator is a semi-batch centrifugal unit which is operating at higher gravitational forces, up to 300 G’s. Falcon SB40 is
successfully used for upgrading fine low grade cassiterite ore while shaking table failed to recover it (Abd El-Rahman et al. 2009).
Falcon is also used in oil shale upgrading in order to recover kerogen as a source of alternative energy (Yehia et al. 2017). Marion
et al. (2017) investigated the separation capacity for the dense medium of fine sized minerals using falcon separator. Results
showed that both laboratory centrifuge and falcon separator resulted in a similar good performance for upgrading of rare earth
minerals. Aydogan and Kademli (2019) studied the effect of size distribution on falcon concentrator efficiency. Results showed
that the performance of falcon increased with narrow size fractions.
This work investigates the upgrading of Egyptian Ilmenite ore using different physical separation techniques. The
beneficiation is performed using falcon SB40 concentrator and Eriez wet low intensity magnetic separator. A Box-Behnken
design expert is applied to evaluate the best conditions for the beneficiation process to acquire high grade and recovery values.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Ore Preparation

The Ore samples were collected from Abu Ghouson area, which is located in the South part of the Eastern Desert. Samples
were crushed using Jaw crusher. Then the crushed sample was milled using rod mill to obtain the suitable size fractions for falcon
SB40 concentrator.

2.2. Ilmenite Beneficiation Using Falcon SB40

Selection of gravity techniques depends on particle size as well as liberation behaviour of the material. So, Falcon technique
was applied to recover the following size fractions; -200-0, -200+125, -125+80, -80 +45, -45+25 and -25 micron.
Falcon SB40 Experiments: Ilmenite beneficiation tests have been performed in a falcon SB40 centrifugal concentrator. Feed
was once delivered as slurry via the central vertical feed pipe and accelerated using the impeller. Rapid stratification took place in
accordance to specific gravity as the feed is driven up the segregation zone under the effect of a sizeable gravity field. In the
separation zone, which is straight away above the migration zone, fluidization water was injected via the rotor wall to set up a
fluidized bed. Dense particles became embedded in the separation zone and were retained until the falcon is stopped then rinsed
down through the concentrate discharge ports. The produced concentrates were cleaned twice for obtaining high grade
concentrates. The produced concentrates and tails were collected, dried, weighed and chemically analyzed (Abd El-Rahman et al.
2009; Yehia et al. 2017).

2.3. Magnetic Separation Experiments

Wet low intensity magnetic separation experiments have been performed using Eriez wet low intensity magnetic separator.
The drum is moving clockwise in order to pack up the ferromagnetic particles only. The separating zone is spherical in shape with
actual filling volume of 6 liters. The feed was conditioned in order to avoid particles agglomeration. The slurry was passed slowly
through drum of wet magnetic separator. Magnetite was adhered to the roll and collected at the nonmagnetic zone while the
ilmenite fraction was retained in the spherical separation zone and collected at the end. The parameters have been studied are
separation time and feed pulp density (solid/ liquid ratio). Magnetite and ilmenite fractions were weighed and chemically
analyzed.

2.4. Instrumentation
The chemical composition of the raw sample and the products were obtained using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The
change in the mineral phases was obtained by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD, Philips APD-3720) with Cu K alpha radiation
worked at 20 mA and 40 kV in the 2θ range of 5-80 at a scanning speed of 2°/min.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1. Characterization of raw sample

The XRD pattern of the raw sample shows the presences of several mineral phases dominated by ilmenite, hematite,
magnetite, albite and quartz, Figure 1.
The complete chemical analysis of the sample shows that it is composed of: 26.20% TiO 2, 50.09% Fe2O3, 14.35% SiO2 and
4.33% Al2O3, Table 1.
14
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

Fig. 1: XRD of the original ilmenite ore sample

Table 1: Chemical analysis of original ilmenite ore sample

Product TiO2 Fe2O3 SiO2 Al2O3 Na2O K2O CaO L.O.I
Original ilmenite ore 26.20 50.09 14.35 4.33 1.75 0.99 0.33 1.94

3.2. Ilmenite Beneficiation using falcon SB40 Concentrator

The successful beneficiation of ilmenite mineral greatly depends on the ore physiochemical properties. Such as the difference
in specific gravity between ilmenite and the gangue minerals, its response to a magnetic field, the ilmenite content and depends on
the ore nature. The falcon gravity technique utilizes the earth’s natural gravitational (1G) force to recover the heavy ilmenite and
iron oxide minerals from the lighter silicate minerals. This process applies enhanced gravity technique via using centrifugal
forces, up to 300G, for efficient separation.

3.2.1. effect of size fraction on ilmenite beneficiation

Due to the considerable difference in specific gravity between valuable ilmenite mineral and gangue silicate; gravity
technique is recommended (Hassan et al. 2017). In this study, falcon SB40 concentrator is applied as a gravity technique to
recover the fine low-grade ilmenite ore sample of different feed size fractions;-200+0, -200+125, -125+80, -80 +45, -45+25 and -
25 micron, Table 2. Different ilmenite size fractions were tested using falcon SB40 separator at: fluidization water (4 psi) and
centrifugal field (175 G’s), Table 3. It was shown that decreasing ilmenite size fraction increased titanium dioxide grade and
recovery meanwhile decreased iron oxide and silicate contaminates.

Table 2: Chemical analysis of different ilmenite size fractions

Size fractions (micron) wt% TiO2 Fe2O3 SiO2
Original (-200+0) 100.00 26.20 50.09 14.35
(-200+125) 16.02 26.09 50.33 14.48
(-125+80) 17.15 26.13 50.22 14.41
(-80+45) 25.40 26.23 50.09 14.36
(-45+25) 30.23 26.24 50.07 14.33
(-25) 11.20 26.29 49.77 14.12

Table 3: Size effect on ilmenite beneficiation using falcon SB40

15
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

TiO2 Fe2O3, SiO2

Size fractions (µm) Products Wt, % TiO2, % Fe2O3, % SiO2, %
recovery % recovery % recovery %
Feed 100.00 26.09 50.33 14.48
(-200+125) conc. 39.25 33.78 50.82 51.99 40.54 5.59 15.15
tail 60.75 21.12 49.18 49.21 59.40 20.23 84.87
Feed 100.00 26.13 50.22 14.41
(-125+80) conc. 47.70 35.26 64.37 52.28 49.66 3.66 12.12
tail 52.30 17.79 35.61 47.56 49.53 24.22 87.90
Feed 100.00 26.23 50.09 14.36
(-80+45) conc. 53.25 38.35 77.86 53.42 56.79 3.12 11.57
tail 46.75 12.42 22.14 42.14 39.33 27.19 88.52
Feed 100.00 26.24 50.07 14.33
(-45+25) conc. 52.42 37.43 74.77 52.91 55.39 3.20 11.71
tail 47.58 13.89 25.19 42.88 40.75 26.61 88.35
Feed 100.00 26.29 49.77 14.12
(-25) conc. 45.82 33.32 58.07 51.08 47.03 4.02 13.05
tail 54.18 20.35 41.94 47.23 51.41 22.68 87.03
Feed 100.00 26.20 50.09 14.35
Original (-200+0) conc. 34.25 31.17 40.75 50.98 34.86 6.80 16.23
tail 65.75 23.62 59.28 49.65 65.17 18.32 83.94

Figures 2 and 3 show the effect of size fraction on ilmenite beneficiation using falcon variables, fluidization water and
centrifugal field. It was demonstrated that the separation efficiency is limited to size fraction less than 25 micron and this is in a
good agreement with the literature as it was indicated that falcon SB40 model showed some limitations at size fractions lower than
25 microns (Yehia et al. 2017). It is also displayed that falcon separation efficiency increased with narrow size fractions, and there
is a distinct recovery difference between the original sample of size fraction -200+0 micron and the rest of fractions which have
narrow particle distributions. This is agreed with the work of Aydogan and Kademli, 2019.
Both size fractions, (-80 +45 micron) and (-45+25 micron), resulted in efficient ilmenite beneficiation as high TiO 2 grade and
recovery is achieved at fluidization water 3-4 psi and centrifugal field 175-200 G’s, Table 3 and Figures 2, 3. Therefore, falcon
SB40 concentrator could be applied on size fraction range -80+25µm.

Fig. 2: Effect of different size fractions on ilmenite beneficiation using Falcon SB40 variable fluidization water at centrifugal field
175 G’s and feed rate 100g/min
16
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

Fig. 3: Effect of different size fractions on ilmenite beneficiation using Falcon SB40 variable centrifugal force at fluidization
water 4 psi and feed rate 100g/min

3.2.2. Applying Box-Behnken Design.

An experimental design technique, Box-Behnken Design, is used for beneficiation optimization, using falcon SB40
concentrator, for the size fraction -80+25 micron. This study permits the investigation of the effect of each factor, centrifugal
field, fluidization water and feed rate, together with the interactions between factors.
The optimum parameters were estimated according to the design using a second order polynomial function. Using this function, a
correlation between studied parameters and response was created. The general form of this equation is (Hassan et al. 2017;
Rostom et al. 2020; Abdel-Khalek et al. 2019a): (Eqn.1)

Y = βo + β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3 + β12X1X2 + β13X1X3 + β23X2X3+ β11X12 + β22X22 + β33X32

Where Y is the predicted response; titanium oxide grade and recovery %, X1, X2 and X3 are studied variables: centrifugal field,
fluidization water and feed rate; βij are equation constants and coefficients.

The analysis of variance, ANOVA, was utilized in order to evaluate the statistical parameters. The determination coefficient,
R2, was used to demonstrate the degree of convenience of the experimental results to the polynomial model equation. The
significance of all terms in the polynomial equation was estimated using F-test. The adequate precision measures the signal to
noise ratio. An adequate signal is indicated when the ratio is greater than 4 (Rostom et al. 2020). The analysis of variance of the
ilmenite beneficiation system ensures the well convenience of the experimental results to the polynomial model equation and
therefore the accuracy of this model, Table 4. The model F-values of 51.33 and 120.61 indicates the model is significant. The
adequate precision ratios of 18.31 and 38.84 imply an adequate signal. The grade and recovery of TiO 2 could be calculated by
using equations (2) and (3), which were derived from the design:

TiO2 % = (Eqn. 2) + 40.5 - 1.07×A +2.40×B - 2.70×C -4.24×A2 -3.21×B2 - 2.80×C2 + 0.005×A×B + 0.77×A×C - 0.33×B×C

TiO2 Recovery % = (Eqn. 3) +86 + 2.05×A – 1.37×B -0.30×C - 0.81×A2 - 0.81×B2 - 0.46×C2 - 0.13×A×B - 0.17×A×C -
0.38×B×C

Where: A is the centrifugal field (G’s), B is fluidization water (psi) and C is feed rate (g/min)

Table 4: Anova of response surface model for ilmenite beneficiation

Falcon SB40
The statistical parameters
TiO2 Grade % TiO2 Recovery %
The standard deviation 0.790 0.230
R-Squared 0.985 0.994
Adequate Precision 18.31 38.84
The model F-values 51.33 120.61

A product of 40.5 % TiO2 was obtained at fluidization water of 3.60 psi and centrifugal field of 194 G’s. Further increasing of
both fluidization water and centrifugal field leads to decreasing in ilmenite grade value, Figure 4 a, b.
17
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

41.02

38.16

Titanium dioxide, %
35.29

32.43

29.57

6.00
250.00
5.00
225.00
4.00
200.00
Fluidization Water, psi 3.00 175.00
Centrif ugal Field, G's
2.00 150.00

(a)

41.02

38.16
Titanium dioxide, %

35.29

32.43

29.57

160.00
250.00
140.00
225.00
120.00
200.00
Feed Rate, g/min 100.00 175.00
Centrif ugal Field, G's
80.00 150.00

(b)
Fig. 4: The response surface plots a, b of titanium dioxide resulting from the main effects of Falcon SB40 variables, fluidization
water, centrifugal field and feed rate

Falcon bowl has a surface of the limited fluidized groove at the top and a large conical non-fluidized section at the bottom.
The lower fluidization water was not sufficient for escaping the lighter particles (quartz and albite) from heavier ones (ilmenite
and iron oxides) which were held inside the falcon bowl; thus lower ilmenite grade was obtained. Accordingly, Falcon usually
requires more fluidization water. In the retention zone, fluidization water creates a fluidized bed. Therefore, increasing the
fluidization water increased grade of TiO2.
Increasing the gravitational force higher than 200 G’s decreased the TiO2 grade as the lighter quartz particles had the chance
to hold inside the falcon bowl together with the ilmenite dense particles at very high G’s.

At the high centrifugal field, high recoveries, up to 86% were obtained at low feed rate and fluidization water values. Increasing
both feed rate and fluidization water decreased the recovery, Figure 5 a, b.
At moderate gravitational force values, 150 G’s, low ilmenite recovery was obtained even with high water pressure. This is
maybe due to the falcon rotation velocity was not sufficient to hold the dense ilmenite particles. Increasing the gravitational force
to 250 G’s increased the recovery levels. The higher G’s was more suitable to hold a higher amount of dense ilmenite particles.
Otherwise, the recovery decreased at fluidization water higher than 4 psi as some ilmenite particles escaped to the light particles
zone.
High TiO2 grade and recovery were obtained at a low feed rate. Increasing feed rate affected the segregation of particles and
reduced the beneficiation efficiency of silicate particles from ilmenite ones.
18
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

87.93

Titanium dioxide Reovery, %

86.22

84.50

82.79

81.08

6.00
250.00
5.00
225.00
4.00
200.00
Fluidization Water, psi 3.00 175.00
Centrif ugal Field, G's
2.00 150.00

(a)

87.93
Titanium dioxide Reovery, %

86.22

84.50

82.79

81.08

160.00
6.00
140.00
5.00
120.00
4.00
Feed Rate, g/min 100.00 3.00
Fluidization Water, psi
80.00 2.00

(b)
Fig. 5: The response surface plots a, b of titanium dioxide recovery resulting from main effects of Falcon SB40 variables,
fluidization water, centrifugal field and feed rate

The optimal variables of the Box-Behnken design of ilmenite beneficiation using falcon SB40 separator are: feed rate (102
g/min), fluidization water (3.60 psi) and centrifugal field (194.4 G’s). With these optimum parameters a concentrate containing
40.61% TiO2 was obtained with operational recovery of 85.99%.
The XRD patterns of the falcon ilmenite concentrate and tail show the well separation of ilmenite from silicate minerals,
Figure 6 a, 6. The XRF analysis of the falcon concentrate shows the increase of TiO 2 from 26.22 to 40.60% while SiO2 is
decreased from 14.34 to 2.40%., Table 5.

Table 5: Chemical analysis of the falcon SB40 products

Product TiO2 Fe2O3 SiO2 Al2O3 Na2O K2O CaO L.O.I
Ilmenite feed (-80+25 micron) 26.23 50.08 14.34 4.31 1.76 0.98 0.34 1.94
Falcon concentrate 40.60 54.55 2.43 0.36 0.35 0.21 0.08 1.40
Falcon tail 9.32 37.78 29.65 10.14 4.95 3.26 1.89 2.98
19
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

(a)

(b)
Fig. 6: XRD of a) Falcon ilmenite concentrate and b) Falcon tail (gangue minerals)

3.3. Upgrading of Falcon concentrate using magnetic separation:

Magnetic separation technique was applied, using Eriez WLIMS, on the falcon ilmenite concentrate in order to enhance the
upgrading process. It was shown from XRD and XRF analyses that the falcon concentrate contains mainly ilmenite and iron
oxides which are magnetite and hematite.
Low field intensity is necessary for efficient separation of the paramagnetic ilmenite mineral from the ferromagnetic
magnetite (Abdel-Khalek et al. 2019b). Therefore, decreasing the field intensity to a minimum value (0.2 tesla) increased both
grade and recovery of TiO2. The parameters studied are; solid/liquid ratio and separation time.
High TiO2 grade and recovery were obtained at average solid/liquid ratio. Increasing solid/liquid ratio more than 12% affected
the distribution of the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic particles and resulted in crowding inside the spherical separation zone and
hence reduced the separation efficiency, Figure 7a. Also, increasing the time of separation up to 20 min. They have increased the
beneficiation efficiency of TiO2. Separation time more than 20 minutes have no great effect on the process, Figure 7b.

(a)
20
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

(b)
Fig. 7: Effect of a) solid/liquid ratio and b) separation time on the upgrading of falcon ilmenite concentrate using Eriez wet low-
intensity magnetic separator

The best parameters of ilmenite upgrading using low intensity magnetic separator are 21% separation time, 12% solid/liquid
ratio at minimum field intensity (0.2 teslas). With these optimum parameters, a concentrate containing 46.31% TiO2 and 2.24%
SiO2 was obtained with a functional recovery of 94.9%, Table 6.
The XRD patterns of the weakly paramagnetic ilmenite concentrate show the efficient beneficiation of ilmenite from gangue
minerals. Ilmenite represents approximately 86% with about 10% hematite mineral, Figure 8.
Applying the optimum parameters of the Box-Behnken Design of ilmenite beneficiation using falcon SB40 concentrator followed
by low-intensity magnetic separation resulted in a successful upgrading of ilmenite mineral, Table 5. Silicate minerals were
separated from ilmenite using falcon SB40 concentrator. Magnetite, as well as some hematite, was efficiently separated from
weakly paramagnetic ilmenite mineral using low intensity magnetic separator. A final product containing 46.31% TiO 2, which
represents approximately 86% ilmenite mineral, was obtained, Table 6.

Table 6: Chemical analysis of the final produced products

Product TiO2 Fe2O3 SiO2 Al2O3 Na2O K2O CaO L.O.I
ilmenite feed (-80+25 micron) 26.23 50.08 14.34 4.31 1.76 0.98 0.34 1.94
Falcon concentrate 40.60 54.55 2.43 0.36 0.35 0.21 0.08 1.40
Ilmenite concentrate 46.31 49.87 1.78 0.33 0.19 0.14 -- 1.36
Ferromagnetic fraction 14.90 79.80 2.80 0.45 0.23 0.21 -- 1.35

Fig. 8: XRD of paramagnetic ilmenite concentrate

CONCLUSION

The beneficiation of fine low grade ilmenite ore was successfully performed using Falcon SB40 concentrator and Eriez low-
intensity magnetic separator. Different size fractions were tested on falcon SB40. Results showed that falcon separation efficiency
increased with decreasing size as well as with narrow size fractions while it is limited to size fraction less than 25 microns. An
efficient separation was achieved at size fractions -80+45 and -45+25 micron. A Box-Behnken design expert was successfully
applied to evaluate the best optimum parameters of the beneficiation processes for ilmenite feed of -80+25 micron. Silicate
21
Citation: El-Sayed R.E. Hassan et al., 2020. A Study on the Beneficiation of Low Grade Ilmenite Ore for Industrial Applications. Australian Journal of
Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(9): 12-21. DOI: 10.22587/ajbas.2020.14.9.2

minerals were successfully separated from ilmenite as SiO 2 was decreased significantly from 14.34% to 2.43%. The optimal
variables of the Box-Behnken design of ilmenite beneficiation were: feed rate (102 g/min), fluidization water (3.60 psi) and
centrifugal field (194.4 G’s). With these optimum parameters, a concentrate containing 40.61% TiO2 was obtained with the
operational recovery of 85.99%. Applying wet low-intensity magnetic separation on the heavy falcon fraction, magnetite, as well
as some hematite, was efficiently separated from weakly paramagnetic ilmenite mineral. The final product, containing 46.31%
TiO2, which represents approximately 86% ilmenite mineral, coincide the standard specifications required for different industrial
applications.

REFERENCES

Abdel-Khalek, N. A., El-Sayed R. E. Hassan, K. E. Yassin and K. A. Selim. 2019a. Beneficiation of Libyan kaolin ore for
different industrial applications. Elixir Appl. Chem.136, 53876-53880.
Abdel-Khalek, N. A., El-Sayed R. E. Hassan and K. E. Yassin. 2019b. Upgrading of Libyan feldspar ore using different
separation techniques. Elixir Chem. Eng. 137, 53931-53935.
Abd El-Rahman, M. K., M. A. Youssef and N. A. Abdel-Khalek. 2006. Up-grading of Egyptian ilmenite ore of Abu Ghouson
localities. The Journal of Ore Dressing. 8,19-35.
Abd El-rahman, M. K., M. A. Youssef, N. H. Helal, M. M. El-Rabiei and S. R. Elsaidy. 2009. Experimental design technique on
recovery of fine cassiterite from Igla placer ore of Egypt. The Journal of Ore Dressing. 11, 24-32.
Abdou, M. I., M. AEL-F. Moustafa, H. El-S. Ahmed and H. Abd El-Wahab. 2011. Utilization of Egyptian ilmenite ore for steel
surface preparation in petroleum field. Engineering. 3, 802-809.
Aydogan, N. A. and M. Kademli. 2019. Effect of operational conditions on Falcon concentrator performance with different
particle size fractions. Particulate Science and Technology. 1-5. 10.1080/02726351.2019.1573867.
Fan, X and N. A. Rowson. 2002. Surface modification and column flotation of massive ilmenite ore. Canadian Metallurgical
Quarterly. 41, 133-142.
Gázquez, M. J., J. P. Bolívar, R. Garcia-Tenorio and F. Vaca. 2014. A Review of the production cycle of titanium dioxide
pigment. Materials Sciences and Applications. 5, 441-458.
Hassan, El-Sayed R. E., F. Mutelet, N. A. Abdel-Khalek, M. A. Youssef, M. M. Abdallah and A. H. El-Menshawy. 2020.
Beneficiation and separation of Egyptian tantalite ore. Key Engineering Materials. 835, 208-213.
Hassan, El-Sayed R. E., N. A. Abdel-Khalek, M. A. Youssef, M. M. Abdallah and A. H. El-Menshawy. 2017. Recovery of albite
and mica from Egyptian Abu Dabbab ores using gravity and magnetic separation techniques. Australian Journal of Basic &
App. Sci. 11, 115-123.
Heikal, M. Th. S, M. Z. Khedr, M. Abd El Monsef and S. R. Gomaa. 2019. Petrogenesis and geodynamic evolution of
Neoproterozoic Abu Dabbab Albite Granite, Central Eastern Desert of Egypt: Petrological and geochemical constraints.
Journal of African Earth Sciences. 158, 103518. 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2019.103518.
Kroll-Rabotin, J.-S. and R. S. Sanders. 2014. Implementation of a model for Falcon separation units using continuous size-density
distributions. Minerals Engineering. 62, 138-141.
Marion, C., H. Williams, R. Langlois, O. Kokkilic, F. Coelho, M. Awais, N. A. Rowson and K. E. Waters. 2017. The potential for
dense medium separation of mineral fines using a laboratory Falcon Concentrator. Minerals Engineering. 105, 7-9.
Rostom, M., El-Sayed R. E. Hassan, M. S. Gaber and H. El Enshasy. 2020. Treatment of Egyptian wastepaper using flotation
technique for recovery of fillers and minerals. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research. 9, 3077-3083.
Xu, K. D., Z. M. Ren and C. J. Li. 2014. Progress in application of rare metals in superalloys. Rare Met. 33, 111-126.
Yehia, A., F. I. El-Hosiny, S. S. Ibrahim, M. A. Abdel Khalek, R. Amin and A. H. El-Menshawy. 2017. Upgrading of Egyptian oil
shale using enhanced gravity separation. Industrial Engineering. 1, 36-42.

View publication stats