Patent ID: 7678350

Claim:
A process comprising: a) digesting ilmenite ore with aqueous trimethylammonium hydrogen oxalate to form a leachate and an iron-rich precipitate; b) separating said leachate from said iron-rich precipitate to form a separated leachate and a separated iron-rich precipitate; c) hydrolyzing said separated leachate with trimethylamine or aqueous trimethylamine to form titanyl hydroxide and an oxalate-rich solution; d) separating said titanyl hydroxide from said oxalate-rich solution to form a separated titanyl hydroxide; e) washing said separated titanyl hydroxide with a material selected from the group consisting of water, trimethylamine and aqueous trimethylamine to form washed titanyl hydroxide; and f) crystallizing titanium dioxide from said washed titanyl hydroxide.