Recent developments in processing ilmenite for titanium

This review examines the literature on the processing of ilmenite during the last fifty years. It is aimed at giving a simplified outline of the major processes currently used for beneficiation and recovery of titanium dioxide and titanium metal from ilmenite ores. Attention has been drawn to the main parameters affecting the recovery of titanium dioxide. All methods developed to date are of the batch type and on a laboratory scale and require further evaluation on a larger scale if ilmenite is to be a major source of metal titanium.A brief discussion on the extraction of titanium metal from rutile has been given.