Ilmenite is always used as the raw material for titanium powder production, which is a white pigment widely applied in modern industry. Ilmenite can also be processed into titanium metals, as an additive in titanium alloys, which is an essential material for modern supersonic aircraft, rockets, missiles and space shuttles manufacturing.

In China, ilmenite is often associated with magnetite, most of which exist in the magnetite tailings with a low grade. Besides, the particle size of the tailings is fine, and the mud content is large. All of these requires a combined processing technology to achieve the beneficiation index. In the past, “gravity separation+desulfurization floatation+electrical separation” used to be adapted. However, the process was complex, and the lower limit of gravity separation was about 30 microns, leading to a great waste of fine grained ilmenite. The final recovery rate of TiO2 was only about 10%, which seriously affected the beneficiation efficiency and benefits of mining plants. In view of these features, SLon has replaced original gravity separation with magnetic separation. Through a series of research on ilmenite beneficiation, our technicists have made corresponding improvements in our magnetic separators since 1994. Firstly, for the low recovery rate of ilmenite, our technicists adjust the magnetic structure and magnetic field intensity, which increases the separation area and separation time. The effective separation size is greatly reduced to 20μm. Compared with the gravity separation operation, the recovery rate is more than 20% higher than before. And SLon magnetic separators also perform better among similar magnetic separators. Secondly, according to the characteristics of magnetite tailings, a pulsating mechanism with large stroke and high impact times has been adapted, which effectively improves the concentrate grade while desliming. This unique design lays a good foundation for the subsequent flotation. Finally, in order to reduce the cost of beneficiation and save space, SLon has developed the world’s largest industrial model SLon-4000 HGMS at that time, whose processing capacity can reach up to 400 tons/hour. After many years of practical application, the updated Ilmenite HGMS has completely took place of gravity separation, and simplified the previous processing technology into magnetic separation+desulfurization flotation. The total recovery rate of TiO2 can reach about 50% by a coarse-to-fine technique, which is nearly 30% higher than before. SLon WHIMS is efficient and simple to operate with a low mineral processing cost, which has created considerable economic, social and environmental benefits for mining enterprises. So far, with more than 300 units of SLon machines serving the ilmenite plants, SLon has become the preferred brand and obtained unanimously recognition by customers.