Pyrometallurgical extraction of titanium from titanium-bearing blast furnace slag: Recently development and prospect

Abstract

Titanium-bearing blast furnace slag (TBFS) is an important titanium-bearing resource because it contains TiO₂ over 20%. Efficient resource utilization is difficult to achieve because of the common occurrence and complex embedding relationship between Ti-bearing components and gangue minerals. Pyrometallurgical routes are considered the primary method for TBFS because of their high potential recovery and important pathway for industrial production. This article reviews various pyrometallurgical processes and slag recovery based on the properties and thermodynamic characteristics of TBFS, including alkali melt calcination, alloying and metal thermal reduction, carbonization and chlorination, selective enrichment precipitation, and unconventional pyrometallurgical technology. Particular attention is devoted to specific technical challenges emerging in the pyrometallurgical processing of TBFS and potential measures for improving slag utilization by developing new routes and promoting process efficiency. Strengthening the directional transformation and migration enrichment of valuable components during roasting is a prerequisite for achieving effective resource utilization. Current pyrometallurgical methods still suffer from high energy consumption and low extraction rates. Future research should focus on multi-technology coupling and intelligent control systems to achieve precise control and dynamic optimization of extraction process parameters, expanding traditional engineering boundaries and interdisciplinary integration for efficient resource utilization.