The main use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) is as a white powder pigment because of its brightness and very high refractive index. It provides good opacity to products such as paints, coatings, plastics, paper, inks, fibres, food and cosmetics. In particular, high performance grades of TiO2 are finding a growing market in the cosmetics sector.
Titanium dioxide also has good ultraviolet (UV) light resistance properties which helps prevent the discolouration of plastics in sunlight. Sunscreens also use TiO2 as a blocker because of its high refractive index and the ability to protect the skin from UV light.
Titanium dioxide is seeing growing demand in photocatalysts due to its oxidative and hydrolysis properties. As a photocatalyst, it can improve the efficiency of electrolytically splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, and it can produce electricity in nanoparticle form. Applications include light-emitting diodes, liquid crystal displays and electrodes for plasma displays. Under exposure to UV light, it becomes increasingly hydrophilic and can be used for anti-fogging coatings and self-cleaning windows.
In mildly reducing atmospheres, TiO2 tends to lose oxygen and becomes a semiconductor. The electrical resistivity of the material can be correlated to the oxygen content of the atmosphere and hence it can be used as an oxygen sensor.
However, the major consuming industries of TiO2 are in the mature sectors in the developed world such as paints and coatings applications, paper and paperboard, and plastics. Therefore the consumption of TiO2 tends to follow general economic trends.
Producers and analysts estimate global growth for TiO2 at around 2-3%/year. The global market is considered balanced in 2007 although there are concerns due to uncertainties in the US housing market. Capacity utilisation rates are predicted by producers to be in the 90-95% range.
Demand in the US has been weak due to the slowdown in the housing market while demand in Europe is stable. Forecasts for growth in the US and Europe are a sluggish 1-2%/year with the highest growth at around 4%/year in eastern and central Europe.
Asia is the fastest growing market with projections of future growth rates of 6-7%/year. China, which has a demand of 650,000 tonnes/year, is seeing growth rates of 10%/year and above, according to producers. The largest amount of TiO2 consumption is in paints and coatings followed by plastics. Analysts forecast that China will represent 17% of global TiO2 consumption by 2010-2011.
India is the next power house with growth rates of 8-10%/year while demand is southeast Asia is growing at a healthy 4-6%/year. Vietnam also has strong growth but from a small base.
A major event for the TiO2 industry in 2007 has been the acquisition of Lyondell’s Millennium Inorganic Chemicals TiO2 business by the Saudi Arabian based National Titanium Dioxide Company (Cristal). Millennium was the world’s second largest producer with a capacity of 670,000 tonnes/year. Meanwhile, Cristal, which was the ninth-largest TiO2 producer globally with 100,000 tonnes/year capacity at Yanbu, is now second behind DuPont.
Cristal is the only TiO2 producer in the Middle East and North Africa. Millennium has facilities located in France, the UK, Brazil, Australia and the US. Industry observers do not expect the acquisition of Millennium by Cristal to change the supply/demand dynamics of the TiO2 industry.
However, there is concern that TiO2 capacity is being added globally at a quicker rate than demand is growing. In China, considerable amounts of capacity have been added since 2005. The largest project underway is a 200,000 tonnes/year facility being built by DuPont in Dongying, China, due to be completed by 2010.
In Europe, Huntsman is expanding its plant in Greatham, UK, by 50,000 tonnes/year to 150,000 tonnes/year. When completed in the second half of 2008, it will raise Huntsman’s global capacity to 570,000 tonnes/year. Tronox is upgrading its Botlek, Netherlands facility from 73,000 to 90,000 tonnes/year.
In Australia, Tiwest, a joint venture between Tronox and Exxaro Resources, is increasing the capacity of its 110,000 tonnes/year plant at Kwinana by 40,000-50,000 tonnes/year. The expansion, which will cost in the range of $35-45m, is due on-stream in 2009.
Cristal also plans to increase capacity at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, to 180,000 tonnes/year by the end of 2007.
(Updated: October 2007. Source: ICB Chemical Profile, 15 October 2007.)
Titanium dioxide
Process Technologies
TiO2 is produced from either ilmenite, rutile or titanium slag. Titanium pigment is extracted by using either sulphuric acid (sulphate process) or chlorine (chloride route). The sulphate process employs simpler technology than the chloride route and can use lower grade, cheaper ores. However, it generally has higher production costs and with acid treatment is more expensive to build than a chloride plant. But the latter may require the construction of a chloralkali unit.
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