2017 Minerals Yearbook TITANIUM [ADVANCE RELEASE] U.S. Department of the Interior August 2020 U.S. Geological Survey Titanium By George M. Bedinger Domestic survey data and tables were prepared by Joseph J. Kohler, statistical assistant. In 2017, there were three producers of titanium mineral U.S. mineral concentrate producers were The Chemours Co. concentrates in the United States. The United States was (Wilmington, DE), Southern Ionics Minerals, LLC (Patterson, 92% and 88% import reliant, as a percentage of apparent GA), and Twin Pines Minerals LLC (Starke, FL). Chemours’ consumption, for titanium mineral concentrates and titanium mining operations near Starke, FL, produced a mixed product sponge, respectively. The United States continued to be a containing ilmenite, leucoxene, and rutile that was used as a net exporter of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment and wrought feedstock in Chemours’ TiO2 pigment plants. Southern Ionics’ titanium metal products. The leading sources of imported operations included the Mission Mine and a mineral-sands titanium mineral concentrates were, in descending order, South processor in Charlton County, in southern Georgia. Twin Africa, Australia, Madagascar, and Mozambique (table 11). Pines Minerals LLC (Starke, FL) was reprocessing existing Domestic production of TiO2 pigment increased by 2% tailings from Chemours operations to extract titanium mineral compared with that of 2016 (table 5). U.S. consumption of concentrates and zircon. titanium used in steel and other alloys increased by 5% from TiO2 Pigment.—TiO2 pigment is produced from titanium that of 2016 (table 7). World production of titanium mineral mineral concentrates by either the chloride process or the concentrates in 2017 was about 11.6 million metric tons (Mt), a sulfate process. In the chloride process, natural rutile, synthetic decrease of 5% from revised totals for 2016 (table 14). rutile, chloride-grade ilmenite, or titanium slag is converted Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth’s to TiCl4 by chlorination in the presence of petroleum coke. crust and can be found in nearly all rocks and sediments. It is a Titanium tetrachloride is oxidized with air or oxygen at about lithophile element with a strong affinity for oxygen and is not 1,000 degrees Celsius, and the resulting TiO2 is calcined to found as a pure metal in nature. Titanium was first isolated as remove residual chlorine and any hydrochloric acid that may a pure metal in 1910, but it wasn’t until 1948 that metal was have formed during the reaction. Aluminum chloride, added to produced commercially using the Kroll process (named after the TiCl4, ensures that virtually all the titanium is oxidized into its developer, William Kroll) to reduce titanium tetrachloride the rutile crystal structure, rather than its polymorph anatase. (TiCl4) with magnesium to produce titanium metal. In the sulfate process, ilmenite or titanium slag is reacted with sulfuric acid. Titanium hydroxide is then precipitated by Production hydrolysis, filtered, and calcined. Either process may be used to produce pigment; the decision of which process to use is based Titanium industry data for this report were collected by the on numerous factors, including raw material availability, freight U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from annual and quarterly costs, and waste disposal costs. In finishing operations, the crude surveys of domestic titanium operations. In 2017, the USGS form of the pigment is milled to produce a controlled particle- annual survey canvassed titanium mineral and pigment producers. size distribution and surface treated or coated to improve its Three producers of titanium mineral concentrates responded. functional behavior in various media. Some typical surface Of the five active domestic TiO pigment operations, three 2 treatments include alumina, organic compounds, and silica. The responded. Production data for the operations that did not respond TiO pigment produced is categorized by crystal form as either were estimated on the basis of prior year production levels and 2 anatase or rutile. Rutile pigment is less reactive with the binders industry trends. Production data for titanium ingot and mill in paint when exposed to sunlight than is the anatase pigment products were aggregated from a quarterly survey of producers. and is preferred for use in outdoor paints. Anatase pigment has Mineral Concentrates.—Titanium minerals and materials a bluer tone than rutile, is somewhat softer, and is used mainly of economic importance include ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile, in indoor paints and in paper manufacturing. Depending on synthetic rutile, and titanium slag. Mining of titanium minerals how it is produced and subsequently finished, TiO pigment is usually performed using dredging and dry surface mining 2 can have significantly different functional properties, including techniques for the recovery of heavy minerals, including titanium dispersion, durability, opacity, and tinting. minerals. Spiral separation by gravity is used to isolate the heavy- U.S. production of TiO pigment was 1.26 Mt in 2017, a 2% mineral suite, and magnetic and high-tension separation circuits 2 increase compared with that of 2016 (table 5). U.S. producers are used to separate the heavy-mineral constituents. Ilmenite of TiO pigment using the chloride process were Cristal Global and rutile are the two principal minerals for titanium. Ilmenite 2 (a subsidiary of National Titanium Dioxide Company Ltd.), The is the most abundant titanium mineral with a contained TiO 2 Chemours Co., Louisiana Pigment Co. L.P. (a joint venture of content ranging from 35% to 65%. Rutile, naturally occurring Kronos Worldwide, Inc. and Venator Materials Plc), and Tronox TiO , has the highest TiO content but is less abundant. Ilmenite 2 2 Ltd. (table 4). TOR Minerals International, Inc. produced a buff is often processed to produce a synthetic rutile or titanium slag. TiO pigment from finely ground synthetic rutile. Although numerous technologies are used to produce synthetic 2 Metal.—In commercial production of titanium metal, rutile, nearly all are based on either selective leaching or thermal titanium-containing mineral concentrates are chlorinated to reduction of iron and other impurities in ilmenite. TITANIIUM—2017 [ADVANCE RELEASE] 79.1 produce TiCl4, which is then reduced with magnesium (Kroll TiO2 Pigment.—Domestic production of TiO2 pigment process) or sodium (Hunter process) to produce a commercially increased by 2%, and apparent domestic consumption (not pure titanium metal. The metal formed has a porous appearance accounting for changes in inventory) increased by 4% from and is referred to as sponge. Titanium ingot and slab are that of 2016 (table 5). The leading uses of TiO2 pigment, based produced by melting titanium sponge and (or) scrap, usually on TiO2 pigment shipments in the United States by domestic with other alloying elements, such as aluminum and vanadium. producers, were paint and coatings (68.5%), plastics and Electron-beam, plasma-arc, scull, and vacuum-arc remelting rubber (25.0%), and paper (4.5%). Other uses (2.0%) included are the commercial methods used to produce ingot and slab. catalysts, ceramics, coated fabrics and textiles, floor coverings, Titanium mill products are formed by drawing, forging, and printing ink, and roofing granules (table 8). rolling of titanium into products of various sizes and shapes. Metal.—Titanium metal alloys are used for their high These mill products include billet, pipe and tube, plate, rod and strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. The aerospace bar, sheet, strip, and wire. Titanium castings are produced by industry (80%) was the leading end use for mill products. In investment casting and rammed graphite mold casting. general, production of titanium mill products precedes aircraft In 2017, U.S. producers of titanium sponge were Honeywell deliveries by about 12 months. Other uses included consumer Electronic Materials Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT) and Titanium goods and the marine, medical, oil and gas, pulp and paper, and Metals Corp. (Timet) (table 2), a subsidiary of Precision specialty chemical industries. In 2017, mill product shipments Castparts Corp. (Portland, OR). Timet’s Henderson, NV, plant decreased 3% from those in 2016 (table 3). A significant produced titanium sponge using the Kroll process. Honeywell quantity of titanium in the form of ferrotitanium, scrap, Electronic Materials used the Hunter process to produce and sponge was consumed in the steel and nonferrous alloy titanium sponge as feed for the company’s production of industries. In the steel industry, titanium is used for deoxidation, electronic-grade titanium. A second plant that produced titanium grain-size control, and control and stabilization of carbon and sponge by the Kroll process, in Rowley, UT, was idled by nitrogen content. Titanium-intensive steels include interstitial, Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) in 2016. ATI reported that it free, stainless, and high-strength low-alloy steels. Reported was able to acquire sponge under long-term supply agreements domestic consumption of titanium products in steel and other at prices lower than its production costs at Rowley. The facility alloys was 11,600 metric tons (t), an increase of 5% from that of was idled so that it could be restarted if supported by market 2016 (table 7). conditions (Allegheny Technologies Inc., 2016). Data on domestic production of titanium sponge were withheld to avoid Stocks disclosing company proprietary data. In 2017, U.S. production Insufficient data were available to determine yearend consumer of titanium ingot increased by 24% and mill shipments were inventories of titanium mineral concentrates and TiO pigment almost unchanged from those of 2016 (table 3). 2 producer stocks. Reported yearend 2017 domestic stocks of Ferrotitanium is usually produced by induction melting of sponge decreased by 47%, ingot stocks decreased by 46%, and titanium scrap with iron or steel but may be produced through scrap stocks decreased by 8% from those of 2016 (table 3). the aluminothermic reduction of ilmenite. The two grades of ferrotitanium that are normally produced contain 40% and 70% Prices titanium, respectively. U.S.