Titanium Dioxide

Uses of Titanium Dioxide

Titanium Dioxide is the most used white pigment and provides whiteness and opacity for paints and coatings (including glazes), plastics and paper.

Titanium Dioxide 

There are two main processes, the Sulfate Process and the Chloride Process (Table 1) which use the two principal ores, ilmenite and rutile, respectively.  Ilmenite contains 45-60% TiO2 and rutile contains up to 99% TiO2.  The ores are mined worldwide but most production is in Australia and South Africa.

Each large producer of titanium dioxide balances its production between the two processes.  Each produces the oxide in the rutile crystal form but the Sulfate Process can also produce another form of the oxide, anatase, which is softer and which is used for a small number of specialist applications.

The Sulfate Process is run as a batch process; the Chloride Process is run as a continuous process.

It is estimated that about 65% of the world's production is based on the Chloride Process.

Sulfate   Process	Chloride   Process
long established and simple   technology	new technology
uses lower grade, cheaper ores	needs high grade ore
batch process	continuous process
large amounts of waste materials	small amounts of waste formed with   toxicity problems: Cl2 and TiCl4
pollution control expensive	recovery and recycling of chlorine   possible
produces anatase and rutile pigments	only produces rutile pigments