Research on the Cabothermic Reduction of Low-grade Titanium Concentrate by Microwave Heating

Cabothermic reduction of Panzhihua low-grade ilmenite by microwave heating was studied in this work.The effects of preoxidation,coke ratio,additives on Fe metallization of reduced titanium concentrate were investigated.The experiment results show that under the optimum conditions of preoxidation temperature 800℃ by conventional heating,proportioning ratio of Na₂B₄O₇ 3% and coke ratio 10%,reduction temperature range 1 000~1 100℃,reduction time 60 min,the Fe metallization of the reduced product exceeds 90%.The reinforce mechanisms of microwave during reduction of titanium concentrate were deduced as follow:the crackle and porosity distribute inside ilmenite pellets induced by thermal stress originated from microwave selective heating can promote the spread of reducing atmosphere,and the large number of iron nuclei caused by quickly reduction can accelerate the reduction of ferriferous oxide.