For the production of titanium dioxide, the raw material of coatings, China coating Industry Association visited the production enterprises of titanium dioxide. During the visit, we found that Hebei Caixin Material Technology Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as Caiqing Technology) has done a lot of work in creating a green ecological industry in titanium dioxide production, and has achieved outstanding results.

To put this all into context maybe we should go back to the beginning & Bluescope steel who make all of our lovely Australian colour bond iron roofs.

It is a white crystalline powder, which is a mixture of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. The more zinc sulfide it contains, the stronger the hiding power and the higher the quality. The density of lithopone is 4.136~4.34/cm3 and it is insoluble in water. It easily decomposes when exposed to acid to produce hydrogen sulfide gas, but does not work when exposed to hydrogen sulfide and alkaline solutions.

This article reviews the uses, benefits, and safety of titanium dioxide.

What is an exposure route? 

After oral ingestion, the absorption of titanium dioxide particles is low, however they can accumulate in the body, Maged Younes, chair of the European Food Safety Authority's expert Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings, said in a May 2021 statement.

Lithopone is an inorganic white pigment, obtained from co-precipitation of Zinc sulfide (ZnS) and Barium sulfate (BaSO4). Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) has replaced Lithopone as a white pigment in majority applications as TiO2 is more durable. However, it is much cheaper than TiO2 and has advantages such as low binder requirement and good dispensability. As a white pigment, it can improve the substrate's weather resistance, and improve the fungicidal properties of paint formulations. Some of the major applications of Lithopone include manufacturing of paint pigments, plastic & rubber products, paper, printing inks, cosmetics, and leather & linoleum products. It is commercially available under names such as pigment white 5, Barium zinc sulfate sulfide, Becton White, C.I. 77115, Charlton White, Enamel White, and Zincolith. On the basis of content of ZnS, Lithopone is available at 28%-30% Lithopone and 60% Lithopone.

Titanium dioxide prices climbed significantly in the European region during Q2 2021, owing to strong demand from the downstream sector. Major global suppliers indicated that they have seen a surge in its demand for primarily from Europe and Asia, despite a global supply constraint. Furthermore, a global player raised titanium dioxide costs in Europe by 200 USD /MT this quarter, effective Q3 2021.

Recent analyses of food-grade TiO₂ samples have found that a significant portion of particles may be within the nanoscale. These particles (also known as nanoparticles) range in size from 1 to 100 nm, where 1 nm equals 1 billionth of a metre (the width of a typical human hair is 80,000 to 100,000 nm).

Sulphate process. The ilmenite is reacted with sulphuric acid giving titanium sulphate and ferric oxide. After separation of ferric oxide, addition of alkali allows precipitation of hydrous titanium dioxide. The washed precipitate is calcined in a rotary kiln to render titanium dioxide. The nucleation and calcination conditions determine the crystalline structure of titanium dioxide (e.g. rutile or anatase).