Elemental composition of rutile from south-western Nigeria using X-ray techniques

Abstract Combined techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) have been used respectively to identify and analyse rutile obtained from a recently discovered deposit in the Osun-state in the south-western region of Nigeria. While the XRD provides structural information about the natural ore, the ED-XRF gives detailed information about the major, minor and trace elements/impurities contained in the sample. Quantitative analyses of the ore using pellets made from properly homogenised samples showed that the concentration of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), which is the dominant phase in the mineral could be as high as 82.45 wt%, giving Ti concentration of 49.4 wt%. The level of TiO 2 in the ore compared favourably with those found in some countries with notable rutile qualities. Other major elements observed in the ore include Fe (3.1 wt%), V (1.01 wt%), Ca (0.19 wt%) and K (0.21 wt%). In addition, several other elements/impurities were detected in minor and trace quantities including; Cr, Mn, Co (with concentration between 300 and 1000 ppm) and Zr, Ni, Zn, Rb, W, Pb, Sr, Y, Mo, Nb, Br, As, Cu (with concentration between 10 and 300 ppm). It is suggested that when properly mapped and extracted, the rutile deposit could become a reliable source of good grade TiO 2 for various industrial applications.