Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Iran will launch its first titanium processing unit in Kahnouj mine, southeast of the country within next six months.
The semi-industrial unit will produce two tons of titanium pigments per day with electrodialysis method, Morad Ali Manzari Tavakolli, the project’s operator, said, the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) reported.
Over two million euros was invested for construction of the unit, Manzari Tavakolli said, adding that construction of two units for producing titanium dioxide concentrate with a capacity of 130,000 tons per year and titanium dioxide slag with a capacity of 70,000 tons per year is also on the agenda.
He further said that Kahnouj mine holds 150 million tons of proven titanium reserves.
The mine’s probable deposits are estimated to be 400 million tons, he added.
Currently, Iran imports over 50,000 tons of titanium pigment from abroad every year.
Titanium can be alloyed with iron, aluminum, vanadium, and molybdenum, among other elements, to produce strong, lightweight alloys for aerospace (jet engines, missiles, and spacecraft), military, industrial process (chemicals and petro-chemicals, desalination plants, pulp, and paper), automotive, agri-food, medical prostheses, orthopedic implants, dental and endodontic instruments and files, dental implants, sporting goods, jewellery, mobile phones, and other applications.