Characterization of Ilmenite of Moheshkhali heavy mineral deposit

Abstract

limenite is ~ promising altern~te oourCc of rutile from whIch Ille end prodllCl TiO, c~n be prodllced. Due 10 lapid decrease in supply of nalural TiO!, Ihe necessity of alternale ';Oufces ofrutJlc c~nnol k l"crclllpilasized . .1\0~ le,lill In\'~sllgations Jrc b~ing ctiLriedoul Ihroughout the '''!Hld on th,' llpgradalLOJI of low gradc ilrnetlite 10 ["lLlileconsequently it is l1ec~,,,aIY to id~l1lify the best po,~ible route for the upgradatlon af ilmenitc to whal i~ known i\S synlhellc rUlile. RutJle, ilmcnitc and 1eucoxenc, an "llcmtlOn product of l1memtc arc the main mineral ,ources ofl':laniulll and its oxide, Ilmenite may contain other min~:-als hke hematite, magnetite ',tC LIIil.l structure Thc wcathering re,ulls show that 'he TiOl content incrcases ",iih increasing ag~ So dctailcd analy,i, of weathcring elfect, on ilmenite to a parli~ular placer ,kposil is essenlial not only for its q&alitativc asses,ment 10 adopt better explOItation techniques but also for improving tht tcchnique of production of ,y"thelic fUlIk. Ilmenite of this present ,ludy wa' separJted li'(1[nMohcshkhali he","v mincral deposit at (he Bcach Sand ExploratlOn Cenler, Cox's Bazar. Thi, ilmcnite sal11pl~ \Va.s rraction~tcd magnetically by isodynamic magnetic s~p"ralor. Plcsctlce or dillcrem phascs III ~ach magnetic fracta1l1 "crc itlvestig,ned by x-raJ' diffl'<ldollletry and wet ehcmical analy,is \Va, carncd out 10delennine the cilcm ieaI con~enlratlon of phases prese~t 111the (hfTerenl magnctic fractl(\n~. Optical microscopy ,,'as ahn applicd 10 these rr~clion~ 10 sllLdy the morphology (Jfthe different pha,e, pre-,enL Pscudorutile, which gives indlcation of alterdl1on, could not bc detected li'olll lhe above mentioned inve,tigallons. To confirm the presence of bound WalCItl1ennogrdvimctric analysis was done. II a1-,o did not ,how any ehangc of weighl near about 600"C for any fraction, which might en,ure tbe presencc of combined watcr, if any, So this ,>tudyindlcatcs that alteration does not exist in this partlculiJr hcavy mincral collected from Mobeshkhali,