INDUSTRIAL VISIT TO KMML

INTRODUCTION
Titanium dioxide (TiO2), also referred to as Titania, is
a substance as old as the earth itself.
Titanium dioxide is readily mined in its purest form
from beach sand.
Dr. Schomberg, a German Scientist, discovered in 1909
traces of monazite in the sand flakes on the imported
coir from Sankaramangalam..
KMML is the world’s first fully integrated Titanium
dioxide plant.
It was Established in 1932 as F. X. Perira and Sons
(Travancore) Pvt. Ltd.
It was taken over by the State Government in 1956, and
became a public limited company in 1972 in the name
‘The Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. (KMML)’.
Eco-friendly and socially committed, it is the only
integrated titanium dioxide facility having mining
,mineral seperation,synthetic rutile and pigment
production plants
PROCESS CHART
MINERAL SEPERATION UNIT
Titanium Dioxide is essentially harvested from sea.
 The Mineral Separation Unit (MS Unit) of KMML is
engaged in the separation of Ilmenite, Rutile,
Leucoxone, Monazite etc from the beach sand.
 The MS Unit employs Gravitational, Magnetic & High
Tension Electrostatic Techniques for separation of
minerals from the sand.
PROCESS
Raw Ilmenite is chemically processed to remove
impurities such as iron, leaving the pure, white
pigment available for use.
The chloride process produces TiO2 products by
reacting titanium ores with chlorine gas.
PROCESS STEPS
Process contains 2 units
Mineral seperation unit
Titanium dioxide pigment unit
The four process steps are
Ilmenite benification plant
Chlorination plant
Oxidation plant
Pigment surface treatment and finishing plant
The chlorides of impurity metals are removed from
Titanium Tetra Chloride (TiCl4) through various
processes to complete the recovery of TiCl4.
 It is further purified by distillation to obtain pure
Titanium Tetra Chloride in the liquid form which is
stored in storage vessels.
 Titanium Tetra Chloride is vaporized, pre heated and
oxidized with oxygen in the Oxidation Plant to
produce raw Titanium Dioxide at a high temperature.
Beneficiated Ilmenite (BI) is the raw material for the
Pigment Production Plant.
 BI from Ilmenite Beneficiation Plant is chlorinated in
the Chlorination Plant to produce Titanium Tetra
Chloride (Tickle).
 Chlorine reacts with Titanium Dioxide and other
metallic oxide impurities in BI in the presence of
petroleum coke at a temperature of 9000C in a
fluidised bed chlorinator to produce chlorides of
Titanium and other impurity metals.
The raw Titanium Dioxide is then classified and
surface treated with various chemicals.
 filtered and washed to remove the salts, sent to the
dryer and then to the microniser, in the Pigment
Surface Treatment & Finishing Plant.
 The Titanium Dioxide pigment (in powder form) is
subsequently packed.
RAW MATERIALS REQUIRED
  Silica Sand
Sodium Silicate
 Beneficiated Ilmenite
Hydrated Lime
Aluminium Chloride
Sulphuric Acid
Potassium Chloride
Petrolium Coke-Npf Grade
Hydrochloric Acid
Liquid chlorine In containers
Caustic Soda Lye
Raw Ilmenite
Foculant
Cabosil
Trimethylol ethane
Tri Iso proponol Amine
Succinic acid
Furnace oil
Calcinated petrolium coke
SAFETY
Mock Drill to handle onsite emergencies

A mock drill was held on 24 Jan 2008 on behalf of

KMML on site emergency-contingencies, which was
focused on rescue / evacuation in case of chlorine leak.
 National Safety Week
The safety week was observed from March 4th 2008
onwards.
 Various safety procedures like stopping leakage of
Chlorine tanner, wearing of Oxygen masks, use of Fire
extinguishing equipments were enacted as drills
 Mine Safety Week
 The week had two objectives
 To increase safety awareness levels among the
workers and public and to develop healthy standard
operating procedures.
 To achieve it various programmes were conducted like
mines visits, inspecting safety values, and interesting
competitions.
QUALITY
Integrated Management System Policy
 Committed to continually improve the
effectiveness and efficiency of the  Integrated
Management System   
Committed to comply with all applicable Legal &
other requirements
 Committed  to  prevention of pollution, 
waste reduction and resource conservation
 Committed  to  prevention  of  Occupational
illness  &  incidents  by managing  risks in
workplace.   
 Committed  to  continual  improvement  of 
processes  by setting and reviewing  integrated
objectives, targets  and programmes
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
The waste gases from the plant are scrubbed in three
stages.
 In the first two stages, the gases are scrubbed in dilute
Hydrochloric Acid (acid scrubbing).
 In the third stage, gases are scrubbed with Lime
Scrubber (lime scrubbing).
 These gases are let out to the atmosphere with an
additional air supply of about 22,000 M3/hr.
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL
The present system of wastewater treatment adopted
by KMML is neutralisation of the wastewater with lime
in the Centralised Effluent Neutralisation plant.
 The treated wastewater is then pumped to the settling
ponds for solid settling.
 The supernatant overflowing to the polishing pond is
pumped to the sea. 
 PRODUCTS & APPLICATIONS
 KMML offers a wide range of products for quality
conscious customers.
 KMML products go into the manufacture of a variety
of products used in every day life.
 Dress materials, facial creams, tablets, newsprints,
wood paints, emulsions, enamels, plastics, tooth paste,
rubber products, cosmetics, and printing ink
 All contain titanium dioxide
 CONCLUSION
KMML is India’s first and only manufacturer of
Rutile Grade Titanium dioxide by chloride process.

An input of 2 tonne ilmenite which worths Rs 8000

will give an output of one tone titanium dioxide costs
Rs 150000
Nerolac,Asian paints are main customers
Produces 120 tonne titanium dioxide per day
THANK YOU