Processes for preparing titanium oxide and various other products

Abstract

There are provided processes for preparing various products from various materials. For example, such processes are effective for extracting various metals from various materials, thereby allowing for preparing products such as aluminum chloride, alumina, titanium chloride and titanium oxide. These processes can comprise leaching the starting material with HCl so as to obtain a leachate and a solid. The solid can be treated so as to substantially selectively extract titanium therefrom while the leachate can be treated so as to substantially selectively recover a first metal chloride therefrom.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for preparing various products, the process comprising:
 leaching a titanium-containing material comprising Ti, Si and a first metal with HCl so as to obtain a leachate comprising ions of said first metal and a solid comprising titanium, and separating the solid from the leachate;   reacting the leachate with HCl so as to obtain a liquid and a precipitate comprising a chloride of the first metal, and separating the precipitate from the liquid;   optionally heating the precipitate under conditions effective for converting the chloride of the first metal into an oxide of the first metal and optionally recovering HCl so-produced; and   treating said solid so as to substantially separate Si from Ti that are contained therein.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said first metal is chosen from aluminum, iron, zinc, copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, cobalt, magnesium, lithium, manganese, nickel, palladium, platinum, thorium, phosphorus, uranium and titanium, and/or at least one rare earth element and/or at least one rare metal 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said first metal is chosen from aluminum, iron, zinc, copper, gold, silver, magnesium, nickel, palladium, platinum, and/or at least one rare earth element and/or at least one rare metal 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 2 , wherein the liquid comprises a second metal. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 3 , wherein said second metal is chosen from aluminum, iron, zinc, copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, cobalt, magnesium, lithium, manganese, nickel, palladium, platinum, thorium, phosphorus, uranium and titanium, and/or at least one rare earth element and/or at least one rare metal. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein said process comprises separating the precipitate from the liquid and heating the second metal in order to convert a chloride of the second metal into an oxide of the second metal. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 5 , wherein separating Si from Ti that are contained in said solid comprises leaching said solid with an acid so as to obtain a liquid portion comprising Ti and a solid portion containing Si and wherein the liquid portion is separated from the solid portion. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein said acid is chosen from HCl, HNO 3 , H 2 SO 4  and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein said solid is leached with HCl in the presence of a chloride. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 8 , comprising treating said solid with HCl at a concentration of less than 20% by weight, at a temperature of less than 85° C., in the presence of a chloride, so as to separate Si from Ti that are contained therein. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 8 , wherein said chloride is MgCl 2  or ZnCl 2 . 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said solid comprises TiO 2  and SiO 2  and said solid is treated with Cl 2  and carbon in order to obtain a liquid portion and a solid portion, and wherein said solid portion and said liquid portion are separated from one another. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said process comprises
 separating the solid from the leachate;   leaching said solid with an acid so as to obtain another leachate and another solid comprising Si and Ti, and   recovering a third metal from said another leachate.   
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 13 , wherein said third metal is chosen from aluminum, iron, zinc, copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, cobalt, magnesium, lithium, manganese, nickel, palladium, platinum, thorium, phosphorus, uranium and titanium, and/or at least one rare earth element and/or at least one rare metal. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said titanium-containing material is leached with HCl having a concentration of about 25 to about 45 weight %. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said process further comprises recycling said gaseous HCl so-produced by contacting it with water so as to obtain a composition having a concentration of about 25 to about 45 weight % and using said composition for leaching said titanium-containing material. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein said recycled gaseous HCl so-produced is contacted with water so as to obtain said composition having a concentration of about 26 to about 42 weight. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein said titanium-containing material is red mud or fly ash. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 18 , wherein converting the chloride of the first metal into an oxide of the first metal is carried out by a calcination, the calcination comprising steam injection. 
     
     
         20 . A process for preparing various products, the process comprising:
 leaching an aluminum-containing material HCl so as to obtain a leachate comprising ions of said first metal and a solid, and separating the solid from the leachate;   reacting the leachate with HCl so as to obtain a liquid and a precipitate comprising a chloride of the first metal, and separating the precipitate from the liquid;   optionally heating the precipitate under conditions effective for converting the chloride of the first metal into an oxide of the first metal and optionally recovering HCl so-produced;   carrying out an hydrolysis on said liquid in order to recover a second metal in the form of an oxide; and   optionally treating said solid so as to recover a third metal.   
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein said second metal is chosen from zinc, copper, and nickel. 
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 21 , wherein said first metal is chosen from aluminum, manganese and magnesium.