Method of producing high purity zirconia powder from zircon powder

摘要

In producing zirconia powder by desiliconizing heat treatment of a mixture of zircon powder and a powdery carbon-containing material, optionally with addition of a zirconia stabilizing oxide such as calcia or yttria, in a nonoxidizing atmosphere the conversion of silica into SiO and dissipation of gaseous SiO are promoted and completed by performing the heat treatment under reduced pressure, viz. at a pressure not higher than 0.6 atm. Zirconia powder of very high purity can surely be obtained, even when a large batch of the raw material mixture is treated, by performing the reduced pressure desiliconizing heat treatment in two stages: first at 1200 DEG -1550 DEG C. until almost complete conversion of silica to SiO and then at 1550 DEG -2000 DEG C. The mole ratio of C to SiO2 in the raw material mixture must be 0.4-2.0. For further enhancement of purity, zirconia powder obtained by the desiliconizing treatment may be subjected to oxidation heat treatment. Efficiency of the desiliconizing heat treatment can be enhanced by precedingly forming the raw material mixture into porous lump(s) whose bulk density is in the range from 0.7 to 2.0.