Rutile

  • Application: Raw material for production of titanium Rutile is a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide, TiO2.Rutile is the most common natural form of TiO2. Three rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known:Anatase

  • Brookite

  • TiO2 (B)

Natural rutile may contain up to 10% iron and significant amounts of niobium and tantalum. In large enough quantities in beach sands, rutile forms an important constituent of heavy minerals and ore deposits. Miners extract and separate the valuable minerals—e.g., rutile, zircon, and ilmenite.

In 2008 the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa had a production capacity of 30% of the world's annual rutile supply.

Area of application: The main uses for rutile are the manufacture of refractory ceramic, as a pigment, and for the production of titanium metal. Finely powdered rutile is a brilliant white pigment and is used in paints, plastics, paper, foods, and other applications that call for

Rutile

Formula: TiO2

Mohs scale hardness: 6–6,5

Specific gravity: 4.23 increasing with Nb–Ta content.

a bright white color. They are used in sunscreens to protect against UV-induced skin damage. Small rutile needles present in gems are responsible for an optical phenomenon known as asterism. Asteriated gems are known as "star" gems. Star sapphires, star rubies, and other "star" gems are highly sought after and are generally more valuable than their normal counterparts.Synthetic rutile was first produced in 1948 and is sold under a variety of names. Very pure synthetic rutile is transparent and almost colorless, being slightly yellow, in large pieces. Synthetic rutile can be made in a variety of colors by doping. During the processing of rutile, plants use the following types of separation:

Other methods of separation:

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org

  2. www.geologypage.com

  3. http://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=25955