Study of Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Extraction Process from Ilmenite Banten

Ilmenite is found in the form of iron sand with reserves of 927,315,827 tons spread across several regions in Indonesia, including Banten which has seven million tons of iron sand. This mineral can be used as a raw material for making TiO2 pigments. The problem faced in the use of Ilmenite is its complex mineral structure which causes difficulties at the processing stage. The synthesis of TiO2 from ilmenite ore commonly used the sulfate process and the chloride process. The sulfate process is less environmentally friendly, has excessive costs, and produces a lot of liquid waste. While the chloride process requires high-grade raw materials and requires chlorine gas. Therefore, in this study, the synthesis of TiO2 from ilmenite Banten using caustic fusion, acid leaching using hydrochloric acid, and the use of citric acid were conducted. Caustic fusion is conducted with ratio between ilmenite and NaOH is 1:2, with a fusion temperature of 850 °C and a fusion time of 60 minutes. Then next process is water leaching and acid leaching. The result of this study is that the TiO2 obtained from each acid leaching is hydrochloric acid leaching producing powder pigment with 94.189% TiO2, acetic acid leaching producing 37.099% TiO2, citric acid leaching producing 41.480% and hydrochloric acid leaching without fusion process producing 43.991% TiO2.