Advantages and disadvantages of the titanium dioxide project

At present, the DuPont Dongying plant uses the chlorination process for production; using ilmenite with a titanium dioxide content of around 60% as raw material – that is, low-grade material – results in the generation of more various radioactive substances and heavy metal waste. DuPont employs deep well injection for handling this waste, but since it consists of radioactive and heavy metal-containing hazardous materials in large quantities, the potential risks of leakage and spread, even when buried deep underground, cannot be ignored. Of course, for China, where only the chlorination process is currently used, this method offers clear advantages in terms of energy consumption, environmental impact, and product quality. Compared to the sulfuric acid process commonly used in China, it requires at least 30% less energy, at least half as much water, and produces solid waste in an order of magnitude less. Its introduction will facilitate the industrial upgrading of the domestic titanium dioxide industry, and it is positive in terms of pushing China’s titanium dioxide sector toward high-end competition.

Such projects will certainly cause harm to the local environment, and due to their methods of waste disposal, some of that harm is uncontrollable. Among the current titanium dioxide chloride production facilities around the world, only two use low-grade raw materials; not only is technology a factor, but pollutant control is also a major reason for this. Even the only titanium dioxide chloride production enterprise in the country uses raw materials with a purity of around 90%. In China, there is only one enterprise that produces titanium dioxide in chloride form – Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group Jinzhou Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. After more than a decade of research and development, this company has now basically mastered the technology for producing titanium dioxide in chloride form; many of the key performance indicators have reached or come close to the levels achieved by foreign companies. This represents the hope for technological advancement in China.

If the chlorination process mentioned on the second floor is used, it will have a slightly lesser impact on the environment compared to the sulfuric acid process. I spent some time in a titanium dioxide factory before; that factory used the sulfuric acid process, and its location was always in remote areas, at least many miles away from urban centers. It had to be situated downstream of water sources and downwind of wind directions, as well as in areas with a sparse population. Thus, the factory built using the sulfuric acid process was located in a marshy, rocky area. I have not been involved in the chlorination method, but according to available information, it is more environmentally friendly than the sulfuric acid method; it requires less investment, yields higher-quality product that is easier to control. It is possible to produce both types of titanium dioxide – rutile-type and another type, whose name I can’t recall