Titanium is economically sourced especially from ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene. In heavy-mineral sands these minerals may already be fine and liberated, whereas hard-rock ores can require crushing and grinding, so one preparation route does not fit all deposits.
- Important minerals
- Ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene
- Ore context
- Heavy-mineral sand or hard rock
- Main preparation difference
- Natural liberation versus crushing-grinding requirement
Why are heavy-mineral sands a different preparation problem?
In placer and coastal sands, ilmenite, rutile, zircon and other heavy minerals may already have been liberated to sand size by natural weathering and transport. The objective is then concentration by size and mineral properties rather than grinding the whole feed.
Clay, very fine slimes and organic matter can influence preparation behaviour.
What changes in hard-rock titanium ore?
Where ilmenite or other titanium minerals are locked in host rock, crushing and, where required, grinding can be necessary for liberation. Breakage behaviour is evaluated with the gangue mineralogy.
Excessive grinding can create unnecessary fines for downstream gravity and electrostatic separation.
Relationship among gravity, magnetic and electrostatic separation
In heavy-mineral concentrates, differences in density, magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity can be used in sequential separation steps. Ilmenite and rutile are not assumed to have identical physical behaviour.
These separation options provide the technical context for the particle-size and liberation targets that the preparation flowsheet must deliver.
Decision inputs
- Ilmenite/rutile/leucoxene mineralogy
- Sand or hard-rock ore type
- Feed PSD, clay and fine fraction
- Liberation state
- Downstream gravity-magnetic-electrostatic testwork