Overview
The Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) is a public sector undertaking of the Government of Kerala, engaged in the mining of mineral sands and the manufacture of titanium dioxide pigment. Located at Sankaramangalam in Chavara, near Kollam, in the Indian state of Kerala, it is notable as one of the few integrated titanium dioxide manufacturing facilities in the world, where mineral separation, beneficiation and pigment production are carried out at a single complex.
Key facts
| Name | The Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) |
|---|---|
| Type | State public sector undertaking |
| Industry | Mineral sands mining; titanium dioxide pigment manufacturing |
| Headquarters | Chavara, Kollam district, Kerala, India |
| Owner | Government of Kerala |
| Principal product | Titanium dioxide (rutile grade) pigment |
Background
The southern coast of Kerala, particularly the stretch around Chavara in Kollam district, is known for its rich deposits of heavy mineral sands containing ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite, sillimanite and leucoxene. These deposits formed the resource base on which KMML was established. The company processes ilmenite, the principal titanium-bearing mineral, into titanium dioxide, a white pigment widely used in paints, plastics, paper, inks, cosmetics and other industrial applications.
Operations
KMML operates as an integrated complex with several functional divisions:
- Mineral Separation Unit — separates ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite and other heavy minerals from beach sand concentrates.
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment Unit — produces rutile-grade titanium dioxide pigment using the chloride route, a process less common in India than the sulphate route.
- Titanium Sponge Plant — set up in association with national defence and space research efforts to produce titanium sponge, a feedstock for titanium metal used in aerospace and strategic applications.
The chloride-route pigment process at KMML uses chlorine and a series of high-temperature reactions to convert beneficiated ilmenite into titanium tetrachloride, which is then oxidised to produce high-purity titanium dioxide.
Significance
KMML occupies an important place in India's titanium value chain. Its chloride-route pigment plant is among the few of its kind in the country, and the titanium sponge facility supports indigenous capability in aerospace-grade titanium metal, of strategic relevance to organisations such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The company is also a significant industrial employer in the Kollam region and contributes to Kerala's manufacturing sector.
Location and environment
The plant is situated along the coastal belt of Chavara, where black sand deposits run for several kilometres. Mining and processing operations in this stretch, including those of KMML and the neighbouring central public sector unit Indian Rare Earths Limited, have periodically been the subject of public discussion concerning coastal ecology, groundwater and the livelihoods of fishing communities.
Related topics
- Chavara
- Kollam district
- Titanium dioxide
- Ilmenite
- Indian Rare Earths Limited
- Public sector undertakings in Kerala
- Mineral sands
- Indian Space Research Organisation
References
- Wikidata entity: Q6393370