Temas Resources Corp. reported positive pilot plant results for the recovery of high purity titanium dioxide from ilmenite-rich anorthosite ore from its La Blache titanium - iron – vanadium – chromium property in Quebec. A two-phase test program was implemented to process 830 kg of La Blache ilmenite rich anorthosite to recover a high purity TiO2 product.

The La Blache property, situated on Quebec's North Shore approximately 100 km from the city of Baie-Comeau, consists of ilmenite rich material comprising 41% Fe, ~10.6% Ti and 0.18% V. Temas engaged Process Research ORTECH Inc. to apply the 50% Temas-owned ORF patented chloride process for the treatment of the ilmenite ore to recover the titanium dioxide product. The pilot plant is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Phase 1 of the test program involved a bench-scale and mini-pilot test program to evaluate and optimize the Ti and Fe recovery from the ilmenite rich anorthosite.

A two-stage mixed-chloride leaching process, which attained an overall Ti recovery of 80.6%, was undertaken. Preliminary mini-pilot solvent extraction circuits were also run to establish steady state operation conditions prior to the large pilot operation in Phase 2 of the program. It was found that selectivity was maintained in both the Fe and Ti solvent extraction circuits, with high purity Ti pregnant strip solution produced.

The Ti-rich pregnant strip liquor underwent thermal precipitation and a total of ~88 kg of TiO2 product was recovered with an average of 99.8% purity in the two-phase test programs. The overall impurities present in the final product ranged between 0.08% and 0.26%. Based on the quality of the TiO2 product, end uses include applications as a precursor for pigments, filler for pulp and paper, ceramics and consumer products. The chemical analysis of the composite head sample is provided below in Table 1. There was 41.06% Fe and 10.61% Ti in the head sample.

Representative samples of the ilmenite rich anorthosite were pulverized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction at an accredited laboratory of Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Ancaster, ON. Table 2 highlights the mineral abundances in the ore. It is determined that the majority phases are magnetite and ilmenite.