Development of process flowsheet to recover ilmenite by using process mineralogy from lean grade beach placer sand

This study focuses on the recovery of ilmenite and rutile from low-grade beach sand using a combination of gravity separation, "high-tension separation", and magnetic separation techniques. The analysis shows that the feed sample contains a total of 4.72% heavy minerals, with ilmenite constituting 1.56% and rutile 0.52%. A series of continuous experiments were carried out using various separation methods to effectively isolate ilmenite and rutile. Mineralogical modal analysis was performed to establish a flowsheet for the recovery of ilmenite and rutile. The results showed that ilmenite achieved a purity of 95.02%, whereas rutile achieved a grade of 82.9%.