Sustainable Process for Preparation of Ti rich Alloy from Acidic TiO₂ Sludge

Titanium oxide pigment industries produce a large amount of undissolved particles called sludge during the sulfate process of ilmenite. The sludge mainly constituted 48% TiO₂, 15% SiO₂, 11% Fe₂O₃, 4.5% SO₃, and 2% Al₂O₃. Zirconium, vanadium, magnesium, and calcium oxides are also in small amounts. The presence of sulfur induces an acidic nature to the sludge and reduces its further utilization. Using a simultaneous process to reduce sulfur content and extract important metals is crucial. The paper describes use of acidic sludge to extract titanium to prepare titanium rich alloy. The method involves initial neutralization and reduction roasting followed by magnetic separation. The separated magnetic part was then utilized for aluminothermic reduction by smelting, resulting in titanium-rich alloy. Analytical techniques such as XRD, SEM–EDS and Thermal analysis were conducted during the studies. Titanium-rich alloys having a composition of ~ 51.8% Ti, 22.4% Al, 9.5% Si, and 16.3% Fe were achieved.