In situ Analytical TEM of Ilmenite Reduction in Hydrogen

Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is an important mineral, formed in igneous and metamorphic rocks, and is the main feedstock for the titanium industry. Ilmenite is also an attractive and inexpensive oxygen carrier for chemical-looping combustion (CLC), one of the most promising technologies to accomplish CO2 capture in power plants [1]. The technique uses solid metal oxides as an oxygen carrier, which transfers oxygen from the combustion air to the fuel. The metal oxide reacts with a hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel reactor, to produce CO2 and H2O while reducing the metal oxide. However, detailed information about structural and chemical changes of ilmenite during the reduction process are still not available. The understanding of structural and chemical relationships at the nanometer scale during the oxygen transfer is essential because it can be help to understand the exact reduction mechanism of the oxygen carrier, and hence optimise the combustion process.