Abstract

The titania slag was utilized to prepare synthetic rutile using microwave roasting at a temperature of 1100 °C for 2 h. The compositions of the titania slag and the changes in the chemical states of the sample resulting from microwave roasting were studied by XRD, SEM, Raman, and XPS, respectively. The XRD results indicate that the product’s prominent peaks correspond to the standard card of rutile TiO₂ have significantly increased after microwave heating. The Raman vibration peaks at 164.2 cm⁻¹, 203.9 cm⁻¹, and 636.2 cm⁻¹ of the raw materials were caused by Ti₃O₅, Ti₂O₃, and anatase TiO₂, respectively. After microwave roasting, all the Raman vibration peaks were related to the rutile TiO₂ phase. The XPS analysis showed that the surface of the sample mainly contained Ti, C, and O elements, and after microwave roasting, the content of Ti⁴⁺ increased significantly. The results indicated that microwave roasting is an effective method to produce rutile TiO₂. The roasted product meets the requirements of high-grade synthetic rutile.