Titanium dioxide powder

Titanium dioxide is considered one of the best white pigments in the world today, widely used in industries such as coatings, plastics, papermaking, printing inks, synthetic fibers, and rubber.
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium white, has stable chemical properties and does not react with most substances under normal circumstances. In nature, there are three crystalline forms of titanium dioxide: rutile, anatase, and brookite. Rutile is an unstable crystal form with no industrial value. Anatase, also known as Type A, and rutile, known as Type R, both possess stable crystal lattices and are significant in white pigments and ceramic glazes. Compared to other white pigments, they offer superior brightness, coloring power, opacity, weather resistance, heat resistance, and chemical stability, especially being non-toxic.
Titanium dioxide is widely used in industries such as coatings, plastics, rubber, inks, paper, synthetic fibers, ceramics, and food.
The paint industry is a major consumer of titanium dioxide, particularly rutile type titanium dioxide, which is largely used in the paint industry. Paints made with titanium dioxide are vibrant in color, have high opacity, strong coloring power, and are economical in usage. They offer stability to the medium, enhance the mechanical strength and adhesion of the coating film, prevent cracking, block ultraviolet rays and moisture, and extend the lifespan of the coating film.
The plastics industry is a major user. Adding titanium dioxide to plastics enhances their heat, light, and weather resistance, improving the physical and chemical properties of plastic products, strengthening their mechanical integrity, and extending their service life.
The papermaking industry is one of the top three consumers of titanium dioxide, primarily used as a filler in high-grade and thin paper. Adding titanium dioxide to paper enhances its brightness, sheen, strength, and smoothness, prevents ink penetration during printing, and results in a lightweight product. Titanium dioxide for papermaking typically employs uncoated rutile type, which acts as a fluorescent whitening agent to boost brightness. However, for calendered papers, coated anatase type titanium dioxide is required to meet light and heat resistance requirements.
Titanium dioxide remains an indispensable white pigment in high-grade inks. Inks containing titanium dioxide are durable and do not fade, have good surface wetting properties, and are easy to disperse. Titanium dioxide used in the ink industry includes rutile and anatase types.
Titanium dioxide is another significant application field in the textile and chemical fiber industry, primarily used as a matting agent in chemical fibers. Generally, rutile type is used due to its softer nature compared to anatase. Titanium dioxide for chemical fibers typically does not require surface treatment, but certain special varieties need to be surface treated to reduce the photochemical effect of titanium dioxide, preventing fiber degradation under the photo-catalytic action of titanium dioxide.

There are two methods for manufacturing titanium dioxide: the Sulphate Process and the Chloride Process. Approximately 56% of the products are from the Chloride Process, with over 70% of these coming from major titanium dioxide producers like DuPont. The rest, including our factory, predominantly use the Sulphate Process.
Sulfuric Acid Process
This process involves an acid dissolution reaction of titanium iron powder with concentrated sulfuric acid to produce titanium sulfate, which is then hydrolyzed to form titanic acid. After calcination and crushing, titanium dioxide powder is obtained. This method can produce anatase and rutile types of titanium dioxide. The advantages of the sulfuric acid method include the use of low-cost and readily available titanium iron ore and sulfuric acid as raw materials, mature technology, simple equipment, and ease of solving corrosion-resistant materials. However, its drawbacks are a lengthy process, mainly requiring intermittent operations, wet processing, high consumption of sulfuric acid and water, a large amount of waste and by-products, and significant environmental pollution.
Chlorination method
The chlorination process involves mixing rutile or high-titanium slag powder with coke, then producing titanium tetrachloride through high-temperature chlorination. After high-temperature oxidation, the product undergoes filtration, water washing, drying, and crushing to obtain titanium dioxide. The chlorination process can only produce rutile-type products. Its advantages include a short process, easy expansion of production capacity, high degree of continuous automation, relatively low energy consumption, minimal waste, and good product quality. However, the disadvantages are significant investment, complex equipment structure, high material requirements, needing to withstand high temperatures and corrosion resistance, difficulty in maintenance, and high development challenges.

Titanium dioxide serves as a coloring agent, reinforcing agent, anti-aging agent, and filler in the rubber industry. When added to white and colored rubber products, it provides resistance to sunlight, prevents cracking and discoloration, and offers high elongation and resistance to acids and alkalis. Rubber-grade titanium dioxide is primarily used in automotive tires, rubber shoes, rubber flooring, gloves, sports equipment, etc., with rutile being the predominant type. However, for tire production, a certain amount of anatase-type product is often added to enhance resistance to ozone and ultraviolet radiation.
Titanium dioxide, being non-toxic and superior to white lead, is widely used to replace it and zinc white in various perfumes. Just 0.8% of titanium dioxide in perfumes ensures a permanent white color, making the fragrance smoother, adhesive, absorbent, and opaque. In watercolor and cold cream, titanium dioxide reduces greasiness and transparency. It is also used in other perfumes, sunscreens, soap sheets, white soaps, and toothpaste. 1. Titanium dioxide is divided into oil and water-based types. Due to its stable chemical properties, high refractive index, opacity, covering power, good brightness, and non-toxicity. Performance characteristics: 1. Good brightness and strong covering power. 2. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic, overcoming the defects of general titanium dioxide that are not easily dispersed and tend to precipitate in their respective dispersion systems, improving its dispersibility and anti-settling properties, making your product more stable and satisfying. 3. Strong weather resistance. 4. Good compatibility with other raw materials.