Separation of Ilmenite from beach sand of Ratnagiri Coast, Bombay

Abstract

A sample of ilmenite sand containing 87.7 percent ilmenite, 10.3 percent quartz, 1.5 percent magnetic and 0.5 percent of other minerals, but no monazite, was received for production of an ilmenite concentrate. The sample assayed 45.2 percent TiO2 when dried. Both magnetic separation and tabling have yielded high grade ilmenite concentrates (over 99%) with high recoveries (over 99.5%) the concentrates assaying between 51 and 52 percent TiO2.In the absence of heavy gangue minerals in the sand except a little magnetite, it is found that the bulk of the ilmenite can be efficiently recovered in the form of high grade concentrate by tabling which is cheaper than magnetic separation. Magnetic separation tests have been performed with the sample as received as well as sized feed. Use of a sized feed for magnetic separation eliminated feebly magnetic quartz stained with iron oxide, from the ilmenite concentrates .No valuable by-products can be from the sand after the separation of ilmenite, but the ilmenite concentrate contains no chromium and hence is suitable for production of Titania pigments