Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C01G—COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F
  • C01G23/00—Compounds of titanium
  • C01G23/04—Oxides; Hydroxides
  • C01G23/047—Titanium dioxide
  • C01G23/08—Drying; Calcining ; After treatment of titanium oxide
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C01G—COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F
  • C01G23/00—Compounds of titanium
  • C01G23/04—Oxides; Hydroxides
  • C01G23/047—Titanium dioxide
  • C01G23/053—Producing by wet processes, e.g. hydrolysing titanium salts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
  • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
  • B82Y30/00—Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C01G—COMPOUNDS CONTAINING METALS NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C01D OR C01F
  • C01G23/00—Compounds of titanium
  • C01G23/04—Oxides; Hydroxides
  • C01G23/047—Titanium dioxide
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C01P—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
  • C01P2004/00—Particle morphology
  • C01P2004/01—Particle morphology depicted by an image
  • C01P2004/03—Particle morphology depicted by an image obtained by SEM
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C01P—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
  • C01P2004/00—Particle morphology
  • C01P2004/60—Particles characterised by their size
  • C01P2004/62—Submicrometer sized, i.e. from 0.1-1 micrometer
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C01—INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C01P—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO STRUCTURAL AND PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF SOLID INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
  • C01P2004/00—Particle morphology
  • C01P2004/60—Particles characterised by their size
  • C01P2004/64—Nanometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 nanometer

Definitions

• the present invention relates to processes for the production of rutile titanium dioxide from titanyl hydroxide using calcination with a flux. Titanium dioxide, particularly the rutile phase, is used as a white pigment in paints and plastics.
• Titanyl hydroxide can be produced by two major processes, chloride and sulfate. Calcination in the presence of sodium chloride flux lowers the calcination temperature used to produce the rutile form of titanium dioxide.
• Robert discloses a process reacting tin oxide with an alkali metal halide at 400 to 1200 0 C.
• a calcination process using a sodium chloride flux for the production of titanium dioxide Disclosed herein is a calcination process using a sodium chloride flux for the production of titanium dioxide.
• the specific parameters of the process produce the rutile phase of titanium dioxide.
• the process can produce pigmentary-sized rutile.
• One aspect of the present invention is a process for producing titanium dioxide comprising:
• the heating is carried out over a time period of about 0.5 hours to about 48 hours.
• the mixture is held at the target temperature for up to 72 hours.
• Figure 1 (a) is a scanning electron micrograph of irregularly-shaped particles with a size range of about 50 to 300 nm.
• Figure 1 (b) is a scanning electron micrograph of well-shaped particles with a size range of about 200 to 800 nm, and illustrates how NaCI can serve as a size and shape control agent.
• Figure 2 (a) is a scanning electron micrograph showing media-milled product mainly of 20-100 nm irregularly-shaped particles.
• Figure 2 (b) is a scanning electron micrograph showing media-milled product of well-shaped primary particles in the range of about 100-500 nm.
• Flux calcination crystallization using sodium chloride involves conversion of amorphous titanyl hydroxide to the rutile form of titanium dioxide at relatively low temperature conditions (as low as 800 °C) compared to the calcination temperatures without the addition of sodium chloride (ca. 1000 0 C) typically utilized in commercial titanium dioxide production.
• the titanyl hydroxide starting material can be produced by the commercially known sulfate or chloride processes or by other processes.
• Reaction temperatures in the flux calcination crystallization process range from as low as 800 0 C up to 1200 0 C. Reaction times range from a fraction of a minute to three days.
• the specific structure- directing flux, sodium chloride can be used to control the production of the rutile structural form of titanium dioxide. Variation of the range of process conditions such as control of the time at temperature in the reaction mixture can be used to selectively control the resulting titanium dioxide particle size and morphology.
• the rutile phase of titanium dioxide of pigmentary size can be formed at 800 0 C.
• titanyl hydroxide is mixed with sodium chloride.
• Titanyl hydroxide can be produced by either of the known commercial processes for titanium dioxide production, the chloride process or the sulfate process. Additionally, titanyl hydroxide can be produced by other known processes such as extraction of titanium-rich solutions from digestion of ilmenite by oxalic acid or hydrogen ammonium oxalate.
• the resulting mixture is heated to a target temperature of 800 to 1200 0 C to form titanium dioxide.
• the heating is carried out over a time period of about 0.5 hours to about 48 hours.
• the mixture is held at the target temperature for up 72 hours.
• the process produces a product comprising titanium dioxide and some of the starting sodium chloride. If desired, the amount of sodium chloride in the product can be reduced by washing or by other separation techniques such as vacuum distillation at about 1000 0 C.
• the concentration of the sodium chloride in the mixture before heating is a factor in controlling the resulting primary particle size and degree of agglomeration and aggregation, i.e., the secondary particle size, of the titanium dioxide obtained from the process.
• the processes disclosed herein can produce pigmentary-sized titanium dioxide.
• An average particle diameter of 100 nanometers is usually used to divide nano-sized titanium dioxide from pigmentary-sized titanium dioxide. 100 nanometers is at the low end of the size range of pigmentary titanium dioxide supplied by the existing commercial processes. Smaller particle diameters are referred to as nano-sized titanium dioxide.
• Pigmentary-sized particles have a large market and thus are frequently the desired particle size.
• the time at temperature is an important factor in determining the particle size of the resulting titanium dioxide with increasing time at temperature leading to increasing particle size. Titanium dioxide is frequently supplied to the pigment market with a coating such as aluminum which can be added in an additional process step.
• This example illustrates the use of NaCI to control the morphology of rutile.
• ammonium titanyl oxalate (ATO), Aldrich 99.998, were dissolved in 400 ml_ deionized water and the resulting mixture was filtered to remove undissolved solids.
• the filtered solution was transferred to a jacketed Pyrex round-bottomed flask equipped with a water-cooled condensor and heated to 90 0 C with stirring using a Teflon-coated stirring bar.
• a solution consisting of 1 part concentrated NH 4 OH and 1 part deionized water by volume was added dropwise to the ATO solution until a pH of 7.5 was attained.
• the white slurry was stirred at 90 0 C for 15 minutes after which time it was transferred to a jacketed filter filtered at 90 0 C.
• the filter cake was washed several times with water heated to 90°C until the filtrate had a conductivity of about 500 microSiemens. A small portion of the washed cake was dried in air at room temperature. X-ray powder diffraction showed the dried sample to be nanocrystalline anatase.
• XPD showed the fired product to consist mainly of rutile with a trace of Na 2 Ti 6 O 13 . No anatase was found.
• a scanning electron micrograph of this sample ( Figure 1 (b) shows well-shaped particles with a size range of about 200 to 800 nm, and illustrates how NaCI can serve as a size and shape control agent.
• Another portion dried sample was mixed with NaCI by grinding in a mortar.
• the amount of NaCI was 5 wt% based on the weight of dry TiO 2 .
• the mixture was heated in air from room temperature to 850 0 C over a time period of 3 hours, and held at 850 0 C for 1 hour.
• XPD showed the fired product to consist mainly of rutile with a trace of Na 2 Ti 6 O 13 . No anatase was found.
• This example illustrates the use of NaCI as a rutile promoter.
• Example 2C The reaction of Example 2C was repeated without the initial four hour heating at 90 0 C and the reaction mixture was heated from room temperature to 850 0 C over a 3 hour period and held at 850°C for 1 hour. From XPD, the product was identified as mainly rutile with traces of anatase and Na 2 Ti 6 O 13 .
• This example illustrates the use of NaCI as a rutile promoter.
• This example shows that NaCI is a rutile promoter when particle size control additives used in the sulfate process are also present.
• Example 4B 0.6 g samples, containing about 0.5 g TiO 2 on a dry basis, were ground together with 0.0005 g Na 2 SO 4 , 0.0025 g K 2 SO 4 , 0.0024 g, NH 4 H 2 PO 4 , and 0.025 g rutile seed. 0.025 g NaCI (5 wt%) were added to sample B and both samples were heated in alumina crucibles from room temperature to 800 0 C over a 3 hour period, and held at 800 0 C for 1 hour. Results of X-ray powder diffraction analyses are given in Table 3 and indicate that NaCI greatly assists the formation of rutile.
• This example illustrates the use of NaCI to control the morphology of rutile.
• ammonium titanyl oxalate (ATO), Aldrich 99.998, were dissolved in 300 ml. deionized water and the resulting mixture was filtered to remove undissolved solids. The filtered solution was transferred to a Pyrex beaker and stirred with a Teflon-coated stirring bar. Concentrated NH 4 OH was added dropwise to the ATO solution until a pH of 9 was attained. The white slurry was filtered immediately and the filter cake was washed with 400 mL deionized water at room temperature. The Ti-containing cake was transferred to a beaker and 450 mL concentrated NH 4 OH were added and the mixture was stirred and boiled for 30 minutes. The precipitate filtered rapidly.
• ATO ammonium titanyl oxalate
• the Ti cake was again transferred to a beaker and reslurried with concentrated NH 4 OH, then boiled for 30 minutes. After collecting the solids on a filter, the cake was transferred to a beaker, slurried with about 450 mL deionized water, stirred for one day at room temperature, then boiled for one hour. After collecting the solids, the washed cake was dried in air under IR heat (-40 C). The entire sample was heated to 800 0 C over a period of three hours, and held at 800 0 C for three hours. An X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the fired product showed it to be mainly rutile with a trace of anatase. Scanning electron microscopy imaging showed media-milled product to consist mainly of 20-100 nm irregularly-shaped particles as shown in Figure 2(a).
• Ti-precipitate cake was made as described above, but before drying the washed cake under IR heat, 3.32 g NaCI, dissolved in 10 mL H 2 O, were mixed into the TiO 2 cake. The entire sample was heated to 800 0 C over a period of three hours, and held at 800 0 C for one hour. An X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the fired product showed it to be 95% rutile and 5% anatase. Scanning electron microscopy imaging showed media-milled product to consist of well- shaped primary particles in the range of about 100-500 nm and some small, ⁇ 100 nm, irregularly-shaped particles as shown in Figure 2(b).
• NaCI is a rutile promoter when particle size control additives used in the sulfate process are also present, and when the mixture is heated in a rotary calciner.
• the mixture was dried in air under IR heat ( ⁇ 40°C) and powdered in a mortar. 55 g of the dried mixture were heated to 1050 0 C in a fused silica rotary calciner over a period of 3 hours and held at 1050 0 C for 8 hours. An XPD pattern of the product showed it to be all rutile.
• Titanyl hydroxide derived from an oxalate process leachate, was washed with water at room temperature to remove NH 4 OH via cycles of stirring and centrifuging until the pH was about 7-8.
• the slurry used for the experiments contained 13.18 wt% TiO 2 as shown in Table 4.
• Phosphate, potassium and sodium additives were mixed with the titanyl hydroxide as indicated in Table 4.
• Sodium chloride flux was added to some of the mixtures. When sodium chloride was present, a greater amount of rutile was observed at the lower target 0 temperatures, showing that NaCI is a good rutile promoter. SEM images showed that NaCI was a particle morphology control agent at 800 0 C.

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• 2007
  • 2007-12-26 US US12/521,000 patent/US20100028252A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-12-26 CN CNA2007800487010A patent/CN101573297A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-12-26 MX MX2009007019A patent/MX2009007019A/es unknown
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