Titanium is a typical lithophilic element, often occurring as an oxide mineral. More than 80 minerals contain more than 1% TiO2 in the crust, and 15 minerals are of industrial value. Ilmenite, rutile, and titanium magnetite are the main minerals to get Titanium ore. There are original rock ore and secondary weathered residual slope deposits of sedimentary placer sand ore.
The main separation methods of titanium ore include gravity separation, magnetic separation, electric separation, flotation, and combined processing methods. Before purchasing large-scale beneficiation equipment, investors will take a mineral ore experiment. After getting the ore analysis information, choose the most suitable processing method within the budget range for mining beneficiation. Let’s take a look at the testing steps together.
Titanium Ore Testing Steps
The process of titanium ore separation test depends on the nature of the titanium ore. Because the density of the rock ore is higher than gangue mineral, gravity concentration can be used as pretreatment or rough separation to discard the tail; The magnetic separation method has wide application in the selection of titanium-containing minerals; The electric separation method is for cleaning of titanium minerals. When the coarse concentrate contains ilmenite, rutile, and other non-conductive minerals such as zircon, it will use electric separation to separate it; The flotation method is for the separation of primary titanium-containing ores, especially for fine-grained titanium-containing ores, and sometimes also for the selection of coarse concentrates.
The equipment for this testing is a jaw crusher, ball mill, spiral chute, weak magnetic separator, and strong magnetic separator, and the mineral used for beneficiation is the rock titanium ore.
- Jaw Crusher For Crushing
The laboratory jaw crusher is mainly used in the laboratory to crush raw materials such as coal, gangue, coke, limestone, pyrite, etc. Its crushing method is a bending compression type. They have the advantages of simple structure, low maintenance cost, high cost-effectiveness, safety, and convenient use. The jaw crusher uses long-life rolling bearings and jaw plates.
Testing process: Pour 0-80mm rock titanium ore into the laboratory jaw-crushing machine and crush it to 0-25mm.
2. Ball Mill For Grinding
The ball mill is the grinding equipment for rock minerals. It has wide applications in grinding rock gold ore, titanium ore, etc. Ball Mill is the necessary machine for grinding after material crushing. This grinding milling machine is loaded with a certain amount of steel balls in its tube as a grinding medium. The ball mill is suitable for all kinds of rock ore and other materials for powder grinding. It has wide applications in minerals, building materials, and chemical industries. It divides into two grinding methods: dry and wet-type milling grinding.
Testing process: Pure the 0-25mm material into the ball mill, and grind the material into 0-1mm size or 200 mesh as needed. The ball mill is suitable for grinding almost all rock minerals, such as titanium ore, rock gold ore, titanium iron ore, and other rock minerals.
Purpose: Gravity separation of materials (rock titanium ore).
First, let’s introduce the function of the spiral chute: it is a gravity beneficiation equipment commonly used for separating minerals with sufficient specific gravity difference. Spiral chutes combine the characteristics of spiral concentrators, shaking tables, and centrifugal concentrators, making them ideal equipment for mining and beneficiation.
Testing process: Pour the slurry into the distribution bucket and add water to adjust the slurry concentration. The slurry naturally swirls from high to low, generating an inertial centrifugal force in the rotating inclined flow rate. Due to differences in the specific gravity, particle size, and shape of the ore, the swirling flow’s gravity and centrifugal force will separate the ore and sand. The concentrate will flow into the concentrate bucket and flow out through pipelines. Middlings and tailings will flow to the middlings and tailings bucket and go to the slurry tank through pipelines.
- Laboratory weak magnetic separator – magnetic iron removal:
The purpose is to remove ilmenite about 3000-4500 gauss magnetite (main component Fe3O4)
First, let’s introduce the function of the laboratory magnetic drum separator: it is a machine for magnetic separation after materials grinding to powder. A magnetic separator is a separating device used to remove iron powder and other impurities from powder particles for reuse. The magnetic separator is suitable for wet magnetic separation of magnetite, magnetite pyrite, roasted ore, ilmenite, and other materials with a particle size of less than 3mm, as well as iron removal of coal, non-metallic ore, building materials, and other materials. It is one of the widely used machines with high versatility.
Testing process: The material ground by the ball mill feed into the magnetic separator from the feed port, and the magnetic separator removes magnetite (main component Fe3O4) with 3000-4500 gauss power. In this way, the grade of titanium will improve.
The laboratory wet weak magnetic separators are suitable for separating ilmenite, iron ore, silica sand, and other minerals, which can remove about 3000-4500 gauss magnetic minerals, and improve the grade to titanium concentrate.
- Strong magnetic separator – removing weak magnetic impurities:
Purpose: to remove Iron (main component Fe2O3) of 12000-15000 gauss.
Firstly, let’s introduce the function of the laboratory high-intensity roller magnetic separator: it is equipment for magnetic separation after the material is ground. A roller magnetic separator is an iron removal equipment that selects ferromagnetic substances or iron impurities in mineral processing, playing an irreplaceable role in mineral processing plants. It has a wide application in processing weak magnetic ore, iron ore, limonite, quartz sand, hematite, potassium feldspar, garnet, magnetite, river sand, sea sand, tailings, etc.
Testing process: Put the materials selected from the weak magnetic separator into the high-intensity magnetic separator from the feed port, and the high-intensity roller magnetic separator removes hematite (mainly Fe2O3) and manganese ore of 12000-15000 gauss, so that the grade of titanium ore is further improved.
Laboratory high-intensity magnetic separators are suitable for processing ilmenite, iron ore, silica sand, manganese ore, and other minerals, which can remove 12000-15000 gauss magnetic minerals, and meet the grade requirements for titanium ore concentrate.
Before confirming the flow of the titanium ore beneficiation process, it is necessary to understand the composition and properties of titanium minerals, understand the characteristics of each beneficiation method, and determine the process method based on experiments. When selecting titanium ore, we will carry out various beneficiation methods, which are repeatedly combined to achieve ideal results. Asia-Africa International Laboratory test service provides ore sample testing services and lab and industrial crushing equipment, screening equipment, grinding equipment, feeding equipment, flotation equipment, etc. Welcome to consult!