Eric Craft

Titanium
Titanium

Geol 301

Applications of Titanium
Titanium is used for many things such as pigments, addatives and alloys. Titanium oxide is one of the whitest substances known and resists fading by ultra-violet radiation. The use of it as an additive is about 95% of the total production. The rest is used for alloy. Titanium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal. It is as strong as steel but is 45% lighter. This makes Titanium useful in the aeronautics industry where weight is import for e ciency. Since Titanium is also used for building where corrosion will be a major problem for the structure. Also a lot of products are coated with titanium for this property because it would cost too much to make the product completely of it. Now Titanium is also used in prosthetics because it does not react with tissue in the human body.

- Light Wieght -Strong -Lustrous -Corrosion Resistant -Low Electrical and Thermal Conductivity It was discovered in 1791 by William Gregor . The element was named after the Titans of Greek Mythology. Titanium is always bonded to other elements in nature. It is the ninth most abundant element in the crust (0.63%) and the seventh most abundant metal. All though it was discovered in 1791, it wasnt able to be used until 1940 when a processing system was invented. This is what makes it considered a new metal.

Processing of Titanium
Titanium is processed by means of the Kroll Process. The process was invented in 1940 by William Kroll. The raw ore is reduced with petroleum derived coke in a uidized bed reactor at 1000C. The mix is then treated with Chlorine gas, producing titanium tetrachloride. Then the TiCl4 is reduced by liquid Mg at 800-850C in a stainless steel retort. 2Mg +TiCl4 --> 2MgCl2 + Ti The resulting material is a porous sponge of Titanium. The material is leached to purify, then crushed. The material is melted in a consumable electrode vacuum arc furnace. Titanium is often re-melted to remove inclusions and to make sure of its uniformity. This whole process is which raises the price of Titanium substantially.

Titanium Reserves around the World

Titanium is very widely distributed around the world. It occurs in most minerals. It is found in minerals such as rultile. The countries with the greatest reserves of Titanium include Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Norway, South Africa and Ukraine. The total known reserves are estimated to exceed 600 million tons. Australia has the most reserves of Titanium in the world. Titanium is found in banded formations much like iron. The element crystallized into minerals that settled out in magma chambers.

Environmental Problems
Titanium is pulled out of the ground much like iron in strip mines. Although Titanium itself is not toxic, the ore is rened with Chlorine. Both of these processes impose environmental problems. The strip mines are an eye sore and destroy habitat, especially if they are not reformation laws in the area. The Chlorine used in processing is always an environmental hazard since Chlorine is so toxic. Plants must carefully monitor their use and disposal of Chlorine.