People engaged in titanium metal production know that in 1940, Luxembourg scientist "WJ Klauer" invented magnesium thermal reduction method to obtain sponge titanium, in the past 80 years, Klauer production process: titanium ore - electric furnace smelting production of high titanium slag - chlorination production of titanium tetrachloride - magnesium reduction + distillation production of sponge titanium process has been widely used. The magnesium reduction distillation of sponge titanium produced by Crowell process is a process with high energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. For many years, people have been studying and exploring a better new process to reduce energy consumption, reduce carbon emissions, low-cost sponge titanium production process. Scientists have tried many new processes and methods in the field of titanium smelting, but they have failed to effectively solve the practical problems such as high energy consumption, high pollution and high cost in the production of titanium raw materials. At present, no new titanium smelting technology has been effectively promoted and applied.

Electrolytic deposition of dendritic titanium crystals

Recently, Universal Achemetal Titanium(UAT) and Toho Titanium(UAT) have been working together to create a new process that eliminates the addition of carbon in the Titanium process, thereby eliminating the emission of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the process. A new titanium smelting and extraction method is explored, which will bring a new breakthrough in titanium raw material production technology and is expected to achieve commercial application.

Kroll titanium extraction method is to make liquid titanium tetrachloride by putting powdered titanium ore (Ti02) in a melting furnace, injecting chlorine gas and reducing agent coal coke, heating to about 1000℃ to achieve chemical reaction, and the reaction produces a lot of carbon dioxide gas. Making a ton of metal titanium such method can produce about 10 tons of two oxygen carbon gases in the magnesium reduction distillation process, will consume large amounts of electric energy, producing one ton of sponge titanium need to consume about 2 ~ 30000 KWH, and distillation of reduction in the process of titanium impurity removing difficulty is unique, which creates a titanium sponge production of high pollution, high energy consumption, high cost, and many other shortcomings.

UAT company research new technology of extraction technology of titanium smelting method, is the powdered titanium ore (Ti02), calcium fluoride and aluminum is added to the mixture in severe aluminium melting furnace thermal reduction reaction, aluminum oxide and calcium fluoride is easy to be separated after combustion reaction, again by electrolytic process titanium metal dissolve in the electrolyte, on the electrode surface after forming the dendritic titanium deposit of solid state, Titanium was obtained by washing or vacuum separation. The impurity content of titanium prepared by this method is low, and the effect of impurity removal by Biklauer method is good. There is no carbon element involved in this technological process, which solves the large amount of carbon dioxide emissions in the production process. The technological method is more environmentally friendly, and the power consumption of this technological process is about 70% lower than that of lauer method. The titanium produced by electrolytic deposition can be directly used to produce titanium powder or sintered porous sheet. The new technology can effectively solve the high energy consumption and high pollution in the production of titanium raw materials, and obtain titanium raw materials with higher purity and lower cost.

On the basis of laboratory study in 2021, the Japanese toho titanium company for the extraction of the new technology to the construction of the pilot plant, including the size of the different types of electrolytic deposition tank, etc., and optimization in the trial production test electrolytic refining process was improved and the successful mass produce bick raul method of higher purity, lower oxygen content of titanium, This is the first successful step towards commercial application of the new technology.