Patent ID: 7780756

Claim:
A process for extracting titanium oxide and iron from an ore, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an ore comprising ferric oxide, ferrous oxide, and titanium oxide at ambient temperatures; (b) mixing the ore with one or more carbon source to form one or more agglomerates so that the ferric and the ferrous oxides are not substantially reduced by the one or more carbon source during this step; (c) introducing the one or more agglomerates onto a carbon bed of a single moving hearth furnace; (d) heating the one or more agglomerates on the carbon bed in the range of about 1300 C to about 1800 C to reduce the ferric oxide to ferrous oxide and to melt the one or more agglomerates to form a ferrous oxide-rich molten slag to begin metallizing the ferrous oxide, wherein the amount of the one or more carbon source used in step (b) is such so that without the participation of carbon present in the carbon bed, the carbon amount would be insufficient for metallizing more than 50% of the ferrous and ferric oxides in steps (d) and (e); (e) heating the one or more agglomerates on the carbon bed to a maximum temperature of greater than 1500 C to reach the desired extent of metallization by reaction with the carbon bed, so that the ferrous oxide-rich molten slag becomes a titanium oxide-rich slag that comprises large iron droplets; (f) cooling the titanium oxide-rich slag until the titanium oxide-rich slag solidifies and comprises solid iron metal granules; and (g) mechanically separating the solid iron metal granules from the titanium oxide-rich slag; whereby steps (c), (d), and (e) occur in the single moving hearth furnace.