Study on process mineralogy of a titanium concentrate from Panzhihua

This study focused on a specific case - titanium concentrate from Panzhihua. Detailed process mineralogy research was conducted using chemical element analysis, AMICS, EPMA, XRD, SEM and optical microscope identification. The research reveals that the ilmenite concentrate contains 48.03% TiO₂ and 33.93% TFe, along with small amounts of impurity components such as MgO, SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and CaO. The primary mineral present is ilmenite (91.00%), followed by titanomagnetite (1.41%), with a small percentage (7.59%) consisting of gangue minerals including pyroxene, chlorite, titanite and olivine. The titanium element primarily exists in the form of independent mineral phases in ilmenite and titanite, with distribution rates of 99.50% and 0.35%, respectively. It also occurs as isomorphism in titanomagnetite, with a distribution rate of 0.12%. The theoretical TiO₂ grade of the titanium concentrate has been determined to be 52.09%. It is believed that part of the ilmenite and titanomagnetite in the titanium concentrate are formed by solid solution separation structures, which are difficult to effectively separate and eliminate using traditional beneficiation methods. Additionally, there are small amounts of gangue minerals containing impurity elements such as magnesium, calcium, silicon, and aluminum present in the titanium concentrate. These reasons render it challenging to enhance the grade of titanium concentrate. We ought to explore and optimize the beneficiation process for the purpose of effectively eliminating the gangue minerals within the titanium concentrate, thereby upgrading the grade of titanium concentrate and reducing the impurity content.