1. Current Research Activities on the Titanium Reduction Process in Japan
Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo
Current Research Activities
on the
Titanium Reduction Process in Japan
Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo
Toru H. Okabe
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

2. Innovation Changes Rare Metal to Common Metal
ABOUT THE COVER This ornate table centerpiece was crafted for Napoleon III in 1858 by artist Charles Christofel. Aluminum, its main component, was seen as a precious metal, worthy of an emperor. For details on aluminum as art, and for more photos, see the story beginning on page 9. (Photo courtesy of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Ornate table centerpiece crafted for Napoleon III in 1858.
Aluminum was seen as a precious metal, worthy of an emperor.
(Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, cover page of JOM, Nov. 2000)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

3. Titanium is the 10th most abundant element in the earth’s crust
Rank Element Clark #.
1 8O
2 14Si
3 13Al 7.56
4 26Fe 4.70
5 20Ca 3.39
6 11Na 2.63
7 19K 2.40
8 12Mg 1.93
9 1H 0.87
10 22Ti 0.46
11 17Cl 0.19
12 25Mn 0.09
13 15P 0.08
14 6C 0.08
15 16S 0.03
16 7N 0.03
17 9F 0.03
18 39Rb 0.03
19 56Ba 0.02
20 40Zr 0.02
21 24Cr 0.02
22 38Sr 0.02
23 23V 0.02
24 28Ni 0.01
25 29Cu 0.01
26 74W 6×10-3
27 3Li 6×10-3
28 58Ce 4.5×10-3
29 27Co 4×10-3
30 50Sn 4×10-3

4. Titanium was not purified until 1910, and was not produced commercially until the early 1950s.
History of Titanium
1791
First discovered by William Gregor, a clergyman and amateur geologist in Cornwall, England
1795
Klaproth, a German chemist, gave the name titanium to an element re-discovered in Rutile ore.
1887
Nilson and Pettersson produced metallic titanium containing large amounts of impurities
1910
M. A. Hunter produced titanium with 99.9% purity by the sodiothermic reduction of TiCl4 in a steel vessel.
(119 years after the discovery of the element)
1946
W. Kroll developed a commercial process for the production of titanium: Magnesiothermic reduction of TiCl4...
A Brief History
Titanium was discovered in 1790 by William Gregor, a clergyman and amateur geologist in Cornwall, England. However, it was not purified until 1910, and was not refined and produced in commercial quantities until the early 1950s. Since then, titanium production has grown by about 8% per year, and since the early 1960s its use has shifted significantly from military applications to commercial ventures.
Although pure titanium was valued for its blend of high strength, low weight and excellent durability, even stronger materials were needed for aerospace use. In the 1950s, a high-strength alloy called 6-4 (6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, 90% titanium) was developed, and found immediate use in engine and airframe parts. But 6-4's low ductility made it difficult to draw into tubing, so a leaner alloy called (3% aluminum, 2.5% vanadium, 94.5% titanium) was created, which could be processed by special tube-making equipment.
Today, virtually all the titanium tubing in aircraft and aerospace consists of alloy. Its use spread in the 1970s to sports products such as golf shafts, and in the 1980s to wheelchairs, ski poles, pool cues and tennis rackets.
In the 1970s, commercially pure, or CP, titanium was used for the first time in bicycle frames. The frames were light and resilient, but they were not nearly strong enough to withstand the rigors of racing. In 1986, the first frames made from titanium were manufactured by Merlin Metalworks saw the first double-butted seamless tube set, also created by Merlin.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

5. Annual production of Ti Sponge
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
China
USA
sponge
Kazakhstan
65,000 ton
(2001)
Russia
Japan
Japan has about 40 ％ of the market share
Production capacity
China
USA
Kazakhstan
117,500 ton
(2001)
Capacity
Japan
Russia

6. titanium mill products in Japan
Production volume of
titanium mill products in Japan
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
(ton)
16000
14,700 ton
　　（2001）
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00
The Japanese titanium industry is expanding rapidly

7. Architecture/ Civil and
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Application of titanium mill products:
in US (1999) and Japan (2001)
Military aircraft 14%
Commercial
aircraft
50%
Others 11%
USA
21,600 t
Industry 25%
Chemical industry 10%
Export
58%
Medical treatment 7%
Aircraft 7%
Japan
14,434 t
Electric power
plant 6%
Automobile 4%
General products 3%
Architecture/ Civil and
ocean engineering 5%

8. The Kroll Process TiCl4 + 2 Mg → Ti + MgCl2 Huge exothermic reaction:
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
TiCl4 + 2 Mg → Ti + MgCl2
Huge exothermic reaction:
→It requires several days to produce
titanium in large (ton) scale
Mg & TiCl4 feed port
Mg & MgCl2 recovery port
Metallic reaction vessel
MgCl2 recovery port
Sponge titanium
Ti / Mg / MgCl2 mixture
Furnace
Fig. Reactor for reducing titanium by the Kroll process.

9. Flowchart of titanium production by the Kroll process.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Ti feed (TiO2)
Reductant (C)
Chlorine (Cl2)
Chlorination
Crude TiCl4
CO2
FeClx, AlCl3・・・
Distillation
H2S etc.
Pure TiCl4
Other compounds Mg
Reduction
Electrolysis
Sponge Ti + MgCl2 + Mg
MgCl2
Vacuum distillation
Sponge Ti
MgCl2 + Mg
Crushing / Melting
Ti Ingot
Flowchart of titanium production by the Kroll process.

10. Chlorination Reduction Electrolysis Overall reaction The Kroll Process
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Chlorination
TiO2 + C + 2 Cl2 → TiCl4 + CO2
Reduction
TiCl4 + 2 Mg → Ti + MgCl2
Electrolysis
MgCl2 → Mg + Cl2
Overall reaction
TiO2 + C → Ti + CO2
(TiCl4, Mg, MgCl2,…)

11. Representative analytical result of sponge titanium
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Impurity concentration (mass ppm)
Fe Ni Cr Al Mn O N C
< <
Titanium sponge contains
large amounts of oxygen
→ Amount of oxygen increases
in the following processes
Commercial product contains
500～1000 mass ppm O

12. Past Research Activities
Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo
Past Research Activities
on the
Titanium Reduction Process in Japan
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

13. Electrochemical reduction of TiO2 in CaCl2
Oki and Inoue, 1967
TiO2 (CaCl2) + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2- (CaCl2)
or + 2 Ca
+ 2 CaO
Obtained titanium was heavily contaminated
Thermocouple
Cathode (stainless steel )
Ceramic pipe
Alumina pipe
Anode lead wire ( W )
Fused CaCl２bath
Alumina crucible
TiO2 powder
Graphite crucible ( anode )
Electric furnace
T. Oki, and H. Inoue:
“Reduction of Titanium Dioxide by Calcium in Hot Cathode Spot”,
Mem. Fac. Eng., Nagoya Univ., 19, (1967)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

14. Obtained titanium was contaminated;mainly with oxygen
Calciothermic reduction TiO2
TiO2 + 2 Ca → Ti + CaO
(molten salt)
For a long time, a large variety of research work on the titanium reduction process was conducted in Japan, mostly at universities. However, most of this research was fundamental in nature and quite far from practical application.
Obtained titanium was contaminated;mainly with oxygen
Production of highly pure Ti directly from oxide was considered impossible
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

15. O (in Ti) + Ca → CaO (in CaCl2)
Calcium-halide flux deoxidation method
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Okabe et al., 1992
O (in Ti) + Ca → CaO (in CaCl2)
Developed an oxygen removal technique which utilizes CaCl2 molten salt to remove oxygen directly from titanium metal with less than 100 mass ppm O
In the early 90s, a calcium-halide flux deoxidation technique4 was developed through which titanium containing less than 100 ppm oxygen was produced directly from titanium alloys containing large amounts of oxygen. Further development was achieved through the introduction of the electrochemical deoxidation technique, which used molten CaCl2, and displayed feasibility of producing oxygen-free titanium5
Possibility of a new titanium refining process was demonstrated
T. H. Okabe, T. Oishi, and K. Ono:
'Preparation and Characterization of Extra-Low-Oxygen Titanium',
J. Alloys and Compounds, 184 (1992) pp

16. Various deoxidation processes
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
1990s
Fig. Principles of some solid state purification methods which are capable of reducing oxygen in reactive metals down to ppm level.
'Removal of Oxygen in Reactive Metals',
T. H. Okabe, K. T. Jacob and Y. Waseda:
in "Purification Process and Characterization of Ultra High Purity Metals"
edited by Y. Waseda and M. Isshiki, Springer, Berlin (2001) pp.3-37.

17. Electrochemical deoxidation method
Okabe et al., 1993
Electrochemical deoxidation method was demonstrated to be effective for removing oxygen directly from titanium-oxygen system.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

18. O (in Ti) + 2 e- → O2- (in CaCl2)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Electrochemical deoxidation method
Okabe et al., 1993
Cathodic reaction (Reduction)
O (in Ti) + 2 e- → O2- (in CaCl2)
Anodic reaction (Oxidation)
C + x O2-(in CaCl2) → COx + 2x e-
Direct removal of oxygen from titanium with below 10 mass ppm becomes possible by this electrochemical method
'Electrochemical Deoxidation of Titanium',
T. H. Okabe, M. Nakamura, T. Oishi, and K. Ono:
Met. Trans. B, vol.24B, June (1993) pp

19. Current Research Activities
Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo
Current Research Activities
on the
Titanium Reduction Process in Japan
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

20. Nature, vol. 407, no. 21, September (2000) p.361.
FFC Cambridge Process
Chen et al., 2000
Nature, vol. 407, no. 21, September (2000) p.361.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

21. TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2- CaCl2 FFC Cambridge Process Chen et al., 2000
Nature, vol. 407, no. 21, September (2000) p.361.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

22. TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2- 2 O2- → O2 + 4 e- C + 2 O2- → CO2 + 4 e-
FFC Cambridge Process
Chen et al., 2000
Direct electrochemical reduction of TiO2, and simultaneous deoxidation of obtained titanium
Cathodic reaction (Reduction/Deoxidation)
TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2-
CaCl2
Anodic reaction (Oxidation)
2 O → O2 + 4 e-
C + 2 O → CO2 + 4 e-
CaCl2
Nature, vol. 407, no. 21, September (2000) p.361.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

23. Pure titanium was produced directly from TiO2 FFC Cambridge Process
Chen et al., 2000
Scanning Electron Micrograph of metallised titanium dioxide.
The oxygen has been stripped out leaving titanium metal sponge. The structure is typical of materials produced by electrolysis. Total original width of the picture is 50 microns.
Pure titanium
was produced
directly from TiO2
Nature, vol. 407, no. 21, September (2000) p.361.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

24. Impact on the Japanese titanium society
The extensive research work by Fray and co-workers on the direct electrochemical reduction of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to titanium in molten calcium chloride (CaCl2) has inspired not only Japanese research activity but has also stimulated the Japanese government and the titanium industry !
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

25. OS Process (Kyoto Univ. Process)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
OS Process (Kyoto Univ. Process)
Ono & Suzuki, 2002
Currently, Ono and Suzuki are developing commercial process for titanium production by calciothermic reduction of TiO2 in the molten CaCl28-9. Features and difference between the FFC process2 and OS process8 are currently under discussion.
小野勝敏、鈴木亮輔：まてりあ 41[1](2002)
K.Ono and R.O. Suzuki ：JOM, Feb. (2002).
3) (CaCl2+CaO)溶融塩電解による酸化チタンの還元と新製錬法
鈴木亮輔、寺沼 考、井上修一、福井慎次、小野勝敏、日本鉄鋼協会春季大会概要（2002）

26. OS Process (Kyoto Univ. Process)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
OS Process (Kyoto Univ. Process)
Ono & Suzuki, 2002
Carbon anode
TiO2 powder e- Ca
CaCl2
molten salt
Calciothermic reduction of TiO2
(a)
TiO2 + 2 Ca → Ti + 2 O2- + Ca2+
Electrolysis
Cathode:
Ca e- → Ca
(b)
Anode:
C + x O2- → COx + 2x e-
(c)
小野勝敏、鈴木亮輔：まてりあ 41[1](2002)
K.Ono and R.O. Suzuki ：JOM, Feb. (2002).
3) (CaCl2+CaO)溶融塩電解による酸化チタンの還元と新製錬法
鈴木亮輔、寺沼 考、井上修一、福井慎次、小野勝敏、日本鉄鋼協会春季大会概要（2002）

27. Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Oxide reduction cell
Chen et al., 2000
(a) FFC process e-
Carbon anode
TiO2 preform
CaCl2
molten salt
Ono & Suzuki, 2002
(b) OS process
TiO2 powder e-
Carbon anode Ca
CaCl2
molten salt
Ono & Suzuki are currently developing a commercial process with an aluminum smelting company in Japan.
Fig. 4 Comparison of various reduction processes of
titanium oxide in molten calcium chloride medium.

28. TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2- Molten salt DC-ESR process
Takenaka et al., 1999
TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2-
Molten salt
Solidified titanium ingot
T. Takenaka, T. Suzuki, M. Ishikawa, E. Fukasawa, M. Kawakami:
‘New Concept for Electrowinning Process of Liquid Titanium Metal in Molten Salt’,
Electrochemistry (The Electrochemical Society of Japan) 67, (1999) pp
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

29. Ti4+ + 4 e- → Ti (l) + 2 O2- Molten salt DC-ESR process e-
Takenaka et al., 1999
Ti e- → Ti (l) + 2 O2-
Molten salt
Analytical result of the obtained　titanium by
electro slag remelting process
Analytical Method Elements (at%)
Ti Cu Si Al O C
EPMA n.d n.d. n.d.
Chemical analysis bal
Carbon anode
TiO2 powder e-
Molten salt
( CaO-CaF2-TiO2)
Liquid titanium
Current efficiency: max. 18 %
Solidified titanium ingot
T. Takenaka, T. Suzuki, M. Ishikawa, E. Fukasawa, M. Kawakami:
‘New Concept for Electrowinning Process of Liquid Titanium Metal in Molten Salt’,
Electrochemistry (The Electrochemical Society of Japan) 67, (1999) pp
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

30. Electrochemical Methods to Metallothermic Reduction
Application of
Electrochemical Methods to
Metallothermic Reduction
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

31. Electronically Mediated Reaction (EMR)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Okabe & Sadoway, 1997
Feed material
Reaction product
TiO2
CaO Ti Ca
Metal deposit
Reductant
Feed
TiO2 Ca
Reductant Ti
CaO
O-2 - e
Ca+
Metal deposit
Molten salt
'Metallothermic Reduction as an Electronically Mediated Reaction',
T. H. Okabe and D. R. Sadoway:
J. Materials Research, vol.13, no.12 (1998) pp

32. Electronically Mediated Reaction (EMR)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Uda et al., 1997
TiCl4 feed A e-
Molten salt
(e.g. MgCl2) e-
Mg-X (X = Al, Ni, Ag) liquid alloy
Electrochemical reduction of TiCl4 in molten salt
(a)
TiCl4 + 4 e- → Ti + 4 Cl-
molten salt
Anode:
2 Mg → 2 Mg e-
(b)
'Direct Evidence of Electronically Mediated Reaction during TiCl4 Reduction by Magnesium',
T. Uda, T. H. Okabe, E. Kasai, and Y. Waseda:
J. Japan Inst. Metals, vol.61, no.7 (1997) pp

33. Electronically Mediated Reaction (EMR)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Electronically Mediated Reaction (EMR)
Kroll Process (Kroll, 1945)
Reduction
TiCl4 + 2 Mg → Ti + MgCl2
(1)
EMR Process (Okabe & Sadoway, 1997
Uda et al.,1997)
Application of electrochemical reactions
during metallothermic reduction
Reduction
Cathode:
TiCl4 + 4 e- → Ti + 4 Cl-
(2)
2 Mg → 2 Mg e-
(3)
Anode:
TiCl4 + 2 Mg → Ti + MgCl2
Fig. Reactions of the Kroll process, and electrochemical
reactions during metallothermic reduction.

34. Reduction of oxide in molten CaCl2
Okabe et al., 1999 A e-
Nb2O5 powder
CaCl2
molten salt e-
Ca-X (X = Al, Ni, Ag) liquid alloy
Electrochemical reduction of Nb2O5 in CaCl2
(a)
Nb2O e- → 2 Nb + 5 O2-
CaCl2
Anode:
5 Ca (Ca-X alloy) → 5 Ca e-
(b)
'Production of Niobium Powder by Electronically Mediated Reaction (EMR)
Using Calcium as a Reductant',
T. H. Okabe, Il Park, K. T. Jacob, and Yoshio Waseda.:
J. Alloys and Compounds, vol.288 (1999) pp
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

35. Various types of EMR
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

36. Halidothermic reduction
Uda et al., 1998
'ハライド熱還元法による粉末チタンの製造',
宇田 哲也、岡部 徹、早稲田 嘉夫:
日本金属学会誌, vol.62, no.9 (1998) pp
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

37. Homogeneous reduction takes place which is suitable for fast reaction
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Halidothermic reduction
Uda et al., 1998
Effective titanium powder production process which utilizes reaction mediator with
reducing ability
Tin+
Dy2+
n/2 Mg (l)
Ti (s)
Dy3+
n/2 Mg2+
mediator
Homogeneous reduction takes place which is suitable for fast reaction

38. Magnesiothermic Reduction by EMR+MSE
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Magnesiothermic Reduction by EMR+MSE
Reduction cell
(Titanium reduction by EMR)
Molten Salt Electrolysis cell
(Production of reductant)
Current / potential controller
DC power source
Feed tube / electrode
Seal wall
The application of electronically mediated reaction (EMR)10 to titanium reduction process is also under progress11. This method has the potential for preventing accumulation of impurities into metal deposits12, and can increase energy efficiency when combined with conventional molten salt electrolysis (MSE) of CaCl2 for calcium alloy reductant production
Cooling chamber
Gas recovery
chamber e- e- e-
Anode carbon
Titanium feed
Electrolysis cell
Molten salt
Reduction housing
(Feed material electrode)
Reductant
Separator
Cathode
Application of EMR to titanium reduction.
Cell for magnesium reductant (1)

39. Calciothermic Reduction by EMR + MSE
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Reduction cell
(Titanium reduction by EMR)
Molten Salt Electrolysis cell
(Production of reductant)
Current / potential controller
DC power source
Feed tube / electrode
Seal wall
Cooling chamber
Gas recovery
chamber e- e- e-
Titanium feed
Anode carbon
Molten salt
Reduction housing
(Feed material electrode)
Reductant alloy
Separator
Application of EMR to titanium reduction.
Cell for calcium reductant (2)

40. FFC Process (Fray et al., 2000)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
FFC Process (Fray et al., 2000)
Electrolysis
Cathode:
TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2-
(3a)
Anode:
C + x O2- → COx + 2x e-
(3b)
OS Process (Ono & Suzuki, 2002)
TiO2 + 2 Ca → Ti + 2 O2- + Ca2+
(4a)
Electrolysis
Cathode:
Ca e- → Ca
(4b)
(4c)
Anode:
C + x O2- → COx + 2x e-
EMR / MSE Process (Okabe, 2002)
(5a)
Cathode:
TiO2 + 4 e- → Ti + 2 O2-
Anode:
Ca → Ca e-
(5b)
Electrolysis
Cathode:
Ca e- → Ca
(5c)
Anode:
C + x O2- → COx + 2x e-
(5d)
Over all reaction
TiO2 + C → Ti + CO2
(6)
Various types of reactions during the currently
investigated direct reduction process of titanium oxides.

41. Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Various types of oxide reduction cells are currently under investigation
(a) FFC process e-
Carbon anode
TiO2 preform
CaCl2
molten salt
(b) OS process
TiO2 powder e-
Carbon anode Ca
CaCl2
molten salt
(c) EMR / MSE process (Oxide system)
Current monitor
/ controller e-
Carbon anode e-
TiO2
CaCl2 molten salt
Ca-X alloy
Fig. Comparison of various reduction processes of
titanium oxide in molten calcium chloride medium.

42. Features of various reduction processes.
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Features of various reduction processes.
Kroll Process
◎High purity titanium available
◎Easy metal / salt separation
○Established chlorine circulation
○Utilizes efficient Mg electrolysis
○Reduction and electrolysis operation　
can be carried out independently
×Complicated process
×Slow production speed
×Batch type process
FFC Process
×Difficult metal / salt separation
×Reduction and electrolysis have
to be carried out simultaneously
△Sensitive to carbon and iron
contamination
△Low current efficiency
◎Simple process
○Semi-continuous process
OS Process
×Difficult metal / salt separation
△Sensitive to carbon and iron
contamination
△Low current efficiency
◎Simple process
○Semi-continuous process
EMR / MSE Process
×Difficult metal / salt separation
when oxide system
×Complicated cell structure
△Complicated process
◎Resistant to iron and carbon
contamination
○Semi-continuous process
○Reduction and electrolysis
operation can be carried out
independently

43. Application of EMR Example of an electrochemical method
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Application of EMR
Example of an electrochemical method
for preventing feed tube clogging by
titanium deposition.

44. Ultra-high speed reduction by utilizing reaction mediator
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Ultra-high speed reduction by utilizing
reaction mediator
Michishita et al., 2000
Reaction mediator salt
Well type
mixer
Stirrer
'Reduction of TiCl4 in Molten Salt/Liquid Metal Mixtures',
N. Michishita, T. H. Okabe, N. Sakai, J. Tanaka, K. Nikami, and Y. Umetsu:
J. Japan Inst. Metals, vol.64, no.10 (2000) pp
'New Titanium Production Process with Molten Salt Mediator',
J. Tanaka, T. H. Okabe, N. Sakai, T. Fujitani, K. Takahashi, N. Michishita, Y. Umetsu, and K. Nikami:
J. Japan Inst. Metals, vol.65, no.8 (2001) pp

45. Ultra-high speed reduction by utilizing reaction mediator
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Ultra-high speed reduction by utilizing
reaction mediator
Michishita et al., 2000
Apparatus for high speed reduction by
injecting solid TiCl4 directly into reaction mediator
'Reduction of TiCl4 in Molten Salt/Liquid Metal Mixtures',
N. Michishita, T. H. Okabe, N. Sakai, J. Tanaka, K. Nikami, and Y. Umetsu:
J. Japan Inst. Metals, vol.64, no.10 (2000) pp

46. Low cost reduction process Impurity control Morphology & Continuous /
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Key factors for the development of a
new titanium reduction process
Impurity control
Morphology &
reaction site
control
Continuous /
high speed
system
Low cost
reduction process

47. Innovation Changes Rare Metal to Common Metal
ABOUT THE COVER This ornate table centerpiece was crafted for Napoleon III in 1858 by artist Charles Christofel. Aluminum, its main component, was seen as a precious metal, worthy of an emperor. For details on aluminum as art, and for more photos, see the story beginning on page 9. (Photo courtesy of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Can Ti be a
common metal ?
(Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, cover page of JOM, Nov. 2000)
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford

48. Comparison with common metals
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Comparison with common metals
Titanium
Aluminum
Iron
Symbol Ti Al Fe
Melting point
1660 ℃
660 ℃
1540 ℃
Density
4.5
2.7
7.9
Specific strength
8～10
3～6
4～7
((kgf/mm2)/(g/cc))
Price
(\/kg)
3,000
600 50
Production volume
100,000
20,000,000
800,000,000
(t/year・world)
1/200
1/8000

49. ～104 ton / year ～106 ton / year Less common metal Common metal
Innovation Changes the Future of Titanium
Euchem 2002, Sept. 2, Oxford
Less common metal
～104 ton / year
Incubation of
key technology
New process
development
Large scale
/ energy saving
/ environmentally sound
technology
Common metal
～106 ton / year
(Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania., cover page of JOM, 1999)