Technology for obtaining potassium titanate by ilmenite alkaline leaching with potassium hydroxide

Among other uses, potassium titanate enhances materials’ heat resistance in the ceramic industry, acts as a dielectric and component of piezoelectric devices in electronics, and facilitates the production of catalytic materials. Here, we used ilmenite concentrate (96%) from the Irshansky deposit in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, characterized by a high TiO2 content, as a promising raw material for synthesizing potassium titanate. We aimed to synthesize potassium titanate (K2TiO3) via alkaline leaching of ilmenite and to determine the optimal process conditions for achieving a high degree of titanium(IV) extraction. The methodology included alkaline leaching under controlled temperature, time, particle size, and FeTiO3:KOH molar ratio, followed by phase and morphological characterization of the product obtained. The experimental results showed that the optimal leaching conditions include an ilmenite particle size of ≤71 μm, a FeTiO3:KOH molar ratio of 1:2, a temperature of 453 K, and a leaching duration of 3 h, providing a titanium(IV) extraction degree of 86.7%. Further increases in temperature or alkali content resulted in only a slight increase in extraction efficiency (up to 89.7%), which was deemed economically unfeasible. The high efficiency of the process was attributed to an increased reaction surface area, optimal thermal conditions, and favorable thermodynamic parameters. A technological scheme for the potential industrial production of potassium titanate is proposed based on these results, with prospects for reduced energy consumption, improved environmental safety, and minimal raw material losses.