Ilmenite Prices, Occurrence, Extraction, and Uses

Ilmenite, also known as titanium iron, titanium iron ore or by its synonym menaccanite, is a frequently occurring mineral from the mineral class of "oxides and hydroxides". It crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system with the chemical composition FeTiO3 and develops mostly thick tabular crystals, but also granular to massive aggregates in black to steel-gray color and black line color.

Ilmenite is formally a mixture with a proportion of 48% iron (II) oxide and 52% titanium dioxide and looks very similar to magnetite. It is often contaminated by the addition of hematite, with which mixed crystals form at high temperatures.

Etymology and history

The mineral was first discovered in the Menaccan Valley in Cornwall (England) and described by William Gregor in 1791. It was initially named after its place of discovery as menaccanite (also menachanite, menakanite or menakan).

The name Ilmenite, which is still valid today, was given to the mineral in 1827 by Adolph Theodor Kupffer (1799–1865), who, after analyzing a mineral from the Ilmen Mountain in the southern Urals, determined that it was not titanite, as previously assumed, but one new connection.

classification

In the meanwhile outdated, but still in use 8th edition of the mineral systematics according to Strunz, the ilmenite belonged to the mineral class of "oxides and hydroxides" and there to the department of "oxides with the molar ratio of metal: oxygen = 2: 3", where he named the "Ilmenite group" with the system no. IV / C.05 and the other members akimotoite, brizziite, ecandrewsite, geikielite, melanostibite and pyrophanite.

The 2001th edition of Strunz's mineral systematics, which has been in effect since 9 and is used by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), assigns ilmenite to the class of "oxides and hydroxides" and there in the expanded section of "oxides with the molar ratio of metal: oxygen = 2: 3, 3: 5 and comparable “a. However, this section is further subdivided according to the size of the cations involved, so that the mineral can be found according to its composition in the sub-section "With medium-sized cations", where it can be found together with auroantimonate, brizziite, corundum, ecandrewsite, eskolaite, geikielite, hematite, Karelianite, melanostibite, pyrophanite and romanite the "corundum group" with the system no. 4.CB.05 forms.

The systematics of minerals according to Dana, which is mainly used in the English-speaking world, assigns ilmenite to the class of "oxides and hydroxides" and there into the category of "oxides". Here he is the namesake of the "Ilmenit Group" with the system no. 04.03.05 and the other members Geikielith, Pyrophanit, Ecundrewsit, Melanostibit, Brizziit-III and Akimotoit can be found within the subdivision of "Simple oxides with a cation charge of 3+ (A2O3)".

crystal structure

Ilmenite crystallizes trigonal in the space group R3 (space group no. 148) with the lattice parameters a = 5,09 Å and c = 14,09 Å as well as 6 formula units per unit cell.

Modifications and varieties

Iserin is an ilmenite variety that was first found in the form of loose, unrolled grains on the Iserwiese near the municipality of Jizerka in the Czech Republic.

Education and Locations

Ilmenite occurs as a component of igneous rocks such as gabbro and diorite, sometimes also in quartz veins and occasionally in metamorphic rocks. As a weather-resistant mineral, it is deposited in river sands together with magnetite and rutile as so-called soap.

Ilmenite is very often the predominant titanium phase in amphibolites because its stability field extends up to very high temperatures. The mineral rutile can be found at higher pressures.

Ilmenite has already been proven to be a frequent mineral formation in many places, with over 2017 sites known so far (as of 5000). In addition to its locality on Mount Ilmen, the mineral occurred in Russia in many other places in Siberia, the Far Eastern Republic, in the northern Caucasus, in northwestern Russia and in the Urals.

Girardville in the Canadian province of Québec, where ilmenite crystals up to 15 cm in size were discovered, is worth mentioning due to the extraordinary finds of ilmenite. Crystals up to 12 cm in size appeared in the Norwegian communities of Arendal and Kragerö. Hauge i Dalane, also located in Norway, is also one of the most important deposits in Europe.
From Miass in the Urals crystal finds of 10 cm in size were known and the Swiss Maderanertal is known for its ilmenite crystals in rosette shape similar to the hematite roses. Ilmenitroses can also be found at other sites such as B. in the Buckwheat mine near Franklin, New Jersey in the United States (USA).

In Germany the mineral was among others in the Black Forest, at the Kaiserstuhl, in Kraichgau and in the Odenwald in Baden-Württemberg; in the Fichtel Mountains, in the Swabian-Franconian Forest Mountains, in the Spessart, in the Bavarian Forest and the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria; in the Odenwald and on the Vogelsberg in Hesse; near Cuxhaven, Güntersen and Bad Harzburg in Lower Saxony; in the Siebengebirge in North Rhine-Westphalia; in the Eifel in Rhineland-Palatinate; near Orscholz and Eisen / Nohfelden in Saarland; in the Ore Mountains, Upper Lusatia and Vogtland in Saxony; found near Barmstedt and Niendorf / Lübeck-Moisling in Schleswig-Holstein as well as near Gera and in the Thuringian Forest in Thuringia.

In Austria, Ilmenite was found on Pauliberg and in the Oberwart district in Burgenland, among other places; in many places in Carinthia and Styria; in the Mostviertel, in the Waldviertel and near Spitz in Lower Austria; in many places in the Hohe Tauern in Salzburg; in North and East Tyrol as well as near Schärding and Plöcking in Upper Austria.

In Switzerland, the mineral was found in several places in the cantons of Graubünden, Ticino and Valais as well as in the Gadmertal and the municipality of Guttannen in the canton of Bern, near Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne, in addition to the Maderanertal.

Other sites are found in Afghanistan, Egypt, Algeria, Angola, eastern Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Ethiopia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Ecuador, Fiji , Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, the French Antilles island of Martinique, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Jersey Channel Island, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Korea, Cuba, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritania, North Macedonia, Mexico, Mongolia, Montserrat, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Zambia, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swazila nd, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Chad, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, the United Kingdom (Great Britain), the United States of America (USA) and Vietnam.

Ilmenite could also be detected in rock samples from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Southwest Indian Ridge and the southern California coast as well as off earth on the moon near the landing bases of Apollo 11, 14 and 17 as well as Luna 16 and 20.

Usage

Ilmenite is the most important titanium mineral. In 2011, around 47% of global demand for titanium dioxide production was covered by ilmenite. Canada, Australia and South Africa account for two thirds of the total annual production of this metal.

Scientists working with geologist James B. Garvin from the Goddard Space Flight Center suspect that ilmenite also occurs in significant quantities on the moon, and hope to use it there to produce oxygen for a possible lunar base. Infrared images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2005 in the lunar region around the Aristarchus crater show strong evidence of larger ilmenite deposits.

Ilmenite is one of the main starting materials for the production of titanium dioxide using both the chloride process and the sulfate process.

Ilmenite prices

Ilmenite Prices -> Prices of Strategic Metals