Resources Recycling 자원리싸이클링 ISSN:2765-3439(Print) 2765-3447(Online)

Titanium’s importance as a mineral resource is increasing, but the Korean industry depends on imports. Ilmenite is the principal titanium ore. However, research and development from raw materials have not been investigated yet in detail. Hence, measures to secure a stable titanium supply chain are urgently needed. Accordingly, through beneficiation technology, we evaluated the possibility of technological application for the efficient recovery of valuable minerals. As a result of the experiments, we confirmed that mineral particles existed as fine particles due to weathering, making recovery through classification difficult. Consequently, applying beneficiation technologies, i.e., specific gravity separation, magnetic separation, and flotation, makes it possible to recover valuable minerals such as hematite and rutile. However, there are limitations in increasing the quality and yield of TiO₂ due to the mineralogical characteristic of the hematite and rutile contained in titanium ore. Hametite is combined with rutile even at fine particles. Therefore, it is essential to develop mineral processing routes, to recover iron, vanadium, and rare earth elements as resources. On that account, we used grinding technology that improves group separation between constituent minerals and magnetic separation technology that utilizes the difference in magnetic sensitivity between fine mineral particles. The development of beneficiation technology that can secure the economic feasibility of valuable materials after reforming iron oxide and titanium oxide components is necessary.