• Resources Recycling
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.33-39
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• 2007

Titanium scrap was re-melted and refined by using a DC-ESR (Direct Current Electro Slag Remelting) apparatus. A graphite rod was used as an anode. The used slag was $CaF_2-TiO_2-CaO$ slag system. The effect of slag composition on the shape and oxygen content of re-melted ingot was studied. The titanium ingot was produced very well from the $CaF_2-TiO_2$ slag system, and the oxygen content of the ingot was less than that of titanium scrap. The addition of CaO into $CaF_2-TiO_2$ slag system made the bad shape of titanium ingot. The oxygen content of the ingot was also higher than that of titanium scrap.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.58-64
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• 2012

Ti button type ingots were prepared by recycling of Ti turning scraps using vacuum arc melting process for production of consumable arc electrode. The behavior of impurities such as Fe, W, O, and N in the Ti button ingots was investigated and the properties of the Ti button ingots were also evaluated. In the case of oxygen gaseous impurity, the oxygen layers on the surface of the Ti turning scraps were easily removed by the first vacuum arc melting. On the other hand, the solute oxygen in the Ti turning scraps was not removed by the next melting. In the case of Fe, major impurity in the Ti turning scraps, the removal degree in the final Ti button ingot refined by vacuum arc melting for 20 minutes was approximately 43 %, which is due to the vapor pressure difference between Ti and Fe. As a result, the Ti button ingots with ASTM grade 3 could be obtained by multiple vacuum arc melting from the Ti turning scraps. Therefore, it was confirmed that the preparation of consumable electrode for vacuum arc remelting could be possible by recycling of Ti turning scraps.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2021

Titanium is the fourth most abundant structural metal, after aluminum, iron, and magnesium. However, it is classified as a 'rare metals', because it is difficult to smelt. In particular, the primary titanium production process is highly energy-intensive. Recycling titanium scraps to produce ingots can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions by approximately 95 %. However, the amount of metal recycled from scrap remains limited of the difficulty in removing impurities such as iron and oxygen from the scrap. Generally, high-grade titanium and its alloy scraps are recycled by dilution with a virgin titanium sponge during the remelting process. Low-grade titanium scrap is recycled to ferrotitanium (cascade recycling). This paper provides an overview of titanium production and recycling processes.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2021

A type of titanium alloy, ferro-titanium, is the main material used to manufacture steel and stainless steel. Considering economic aspects, ferro-titanium ingots are intended to be manufactured using low-cost titanium scrap, and the best pretreatment process for removing impurities from recycled titanium scrap surfaces was studied here. Instead of ordinary acid or organic solvents, ecofriendly methods were researched and applied, and chip scrap materials were used. A high-quality ferro-titanium ingot was manufactured from titanium scrap after a pretreatment process was applied, and the impurities and properties were analyzed and compared with commercial material standards through a component analysis.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.3-14
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• 2020

Titanium sponge is industrially produced by the Kroll process. In order to understand the importance of the emerging smelting and recycling process, it is necessary to review the conventional production process of titanium. Therefore this paper provides a general overview of the conventional titanium manufacturing system mainly by the Kroll process. The Kroll process can be divided into four sub-processes as follows: (1) Chlorination of raw TiO₂ with coke, by the fluidized bed chlorination or molten salt chlorination (2) Magnesium reduction of TiCl₄ and vacuum distillation of MgCl₂ and Mg by reverse U-type or I-type with reduction-distillation integrated retorts (3) Electrolysis process of MgCl₂ by monopolar cells or multipolar cells to electrolyze into chlorine gas and Mg. (4) Crushing and melting process in which sponge titanium is crushed and then melted in a vacuum arc furnace or an electron beam furnace Although the apparatus and procedures have improved over the past 80 years, the Kroll process is the costly and time-consuming batch operation for the reduction of TiCl₄ and the separation of MgCl₂.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2012

The Ti-6Al-4V alloys were prepared by recycling of dental Ti pure scraps using vacuum arc melting process, and their physical properties were evaluated the Ti-6Al-4V alloys with different oxygen concentrations. For the preparation of Ti-6Al-4V alloys, Ti pure scraps used for dental implant were utilized as a raw material, and their different oxygen concentrations were ranged from G1 to G4 grade in ASTM standards. It was confirmed that the weight loss of Al in the composition of Ti-6Al-4V alloy could be controlled under the Ar pressure of 875 torr during the melting of alloy. The oxygen concentrations of the Ti-6Al-4V alloys were ranged from 1170 to 3340 ppm. The vickers hardness change of the Ti-6Al-4V alloys showed a similar behavior with that of pure Ti. As a result, we confirmed a possibility of preparation of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by recycling of dental Ti scraps using vacuum arc melting process in this study.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.3-9
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• 2017

In this study, plasma arc remelting behaviors according to arc current, arc voltage, and types of plasma gas were investigated using Kroll processed Ti sponges as anode. In the discharge pressure range of vacuum pump ($200{\sim}300kgf/cm^2$), the arc voltage did not vary greatly with the increase of discharge pressure at a given arc length. This means that the pressure in the vacuum chamber during operation hardly changes and the atmospheric pressure maintains. Under various conditions of arc currents (700~900A), the arc voltage slightly increased with arc current. The effects of anode materials and operational variables on the arc length-arc voltage relationship were compared with the results in previous studies. When the atmospheric gas changed from argon to helium, double effect of improvement on the output of the steady state was observed. The increase of output in the plasma arc device was accompanied by an increase in the melting rate of the Ti sponge and the quality of the ingot surface was also improved. The plasma arc remelting of the new scrap titanium and the old scrap zirconium alloy could result in the fabrication of an ingot with high surface quality.