The current status and future of the domestic titanium dioxide industry: 3 '500,

Speaking from the beginning, my country's titanium dioxide industry is and will still face the dilemma of overcapacity at present and for at least three years in the future. However, the two long-term problems of product differentiation and product quality improvement still do not have a clear outline for the industry. In the future, manufacturers with a small market share may have to tighten their belts to live their lives while guarding against being eliminated at any time.

On the evening of August 20th, CCTV News reported on China Nuclear Titanium Dioxide's newly added 500,000 sulfuric acid titanium dioxide production capacity project in Baiyin, Gansu Province. After the project is launched, it will become Asia's largest monomer production base for titanium dioxide. For a time, the industry's discussion on the topic of new capacity in the domestic titanium dioxide industry has greatly increased. At present, news of large-scale production capacity expansion in the industry is one after another. Under the pressure of environmental protection, the growth rate of the sulfuric acid method is slow, and there are more and more new expectations for the chlorination method, and the hydrochloric acid extraction method of "suspected new technology" adds another 500,000 tons of new expectations. . Today, let us take a look at the three currently hotly discussed expectations for new production capacity of 500,000 tons of titanium dioxide.

Regarding the 500,000 tons/year new production capacity of China Nuclear Titanium Dioxide, there are several key words we need to understand: sulfuric acid method, 10+40, comprehensive clean production, and silver colored. The following figure shows part of the content of the project. If there is any deviation, please refer to the official information published by the company.

The process used by China National Nuclear Corporation to add 500,000 tons of production capacity this time is the sulfuric acid method. Among them, the Gansu Dongfang Titanium Industry Base has built 100,000 tons, and the remaining 400,000 tons will be gradually completed during the future "14th Five-Year Plan" period. The base will be formed Production structure of 500,000 tons of rutile type crude products and 200,000 tons of finished products. At the signing ceremony for the landing of the production base on August 19, China National Nuclear Corporation and Baiyin Nonferrous Metals signed the "Comprehensive Cooperation Framework Agreement". Later, the two parties will conduct in-depth cooperation in the comprehensive clean production of titanium dioxide. Comprehensive clean production, including but not limited to the treatment of waste acid by Silver Nonferrous Metals, the supply of sulfuric acid and production energy, the transformation of China Nuclear Titanium Dioxide production raw materials from titanium concentrate to high-titanium slag, and the low-cost environmental protection treatment of solid waste. It provides the possibility for the future production cost reduction of China Nuclear Titanium Dioxide, the use of scale economy advantages, the improvement of product quality and the research and development of production technology.

The 500,000 tons of Fujian Kuncai is the second of the aforementioned "three big". Key words about Fujian Kuncai are: hydrochloric acid extraction method, about to start production, new entrants, product quality. The "hydrochloric acid extraction method" process shown in the figure below does not represent the actual production process of the company. If there is any deviation, please refer to the official information published by the company.

Kuncai’s "hydrochloric acid extraction method" or "hydrochloric acid method" titanium dioxide production process has long been rumored and discussed in the industry. At the end of August, as the first phase of the 100,000-ton project is approaching, media attention has increased again. For the "hydrochloric acid extraction method", production technology experts who have been in the business for more than ten years gave a brief introduction. Refer to the above diagram for a possible process. The main focus of this production process is the purity and whiteness that is superior to the sulfuric acid process and comparable to the chloride process under the support of its unique hydrolysis technology, as well as its more environmentally friendly and simple production process. The finished product in the process is produced in the liquid phase. Compared with the gas phase treatment under the chlorination method, whether the hydrolysis technology can truly guarantee the original crystal particle size of the product has not yet been determined by the outside world, so the product quality has not yet been obtained by downstream users. Extensive application verification. As a new entrant in the titanium dioxide industry whose main business is pearlescent pigments, Kuncai needs time to accept the market test. At this stage, Kuncai's announced capacity expansion plan is to reach a production of 500,000 tons of rutile titanium dioxide by 2022.

The third "500,000 tons" comes from the chlorination process titanium dioxide production project that Yanshan Iron and Steel started construction in March this year. The key word belonging to it is: raw material supply. Yes, this one keyword can summarize all the known discussions about the project in the industry.

Why is the supply of raw materials the primary focus of Yanshan Iron and Steel’s 500,000-tonne new capacity? Yanshan Iron and Steel has signed an agreement with Sheffield, Australia, to acquire a 50% stake in the latter's Thunderbird ore project with a huge amount of about 130 million Australian dollars. The titanium ore in the project provides a stable supply of raw materials for the later production of Yanshan Iron and Steel's titanium dioxide chloride. At present, the domestic dependence of titanium ore on foreign sources has reached nearly 40%. Therefore, the mine sand project of Thunderbird is mainly used for Yanshan Iron and Steel's titanium dioxide. The control of production costs provides a strong guarantee. In addition, Sanyou Group, which is located in the Nanpu Economic Development Zone along with Yanshan Iron and Steel's titanium dioxide project, has been identified as the supplier of chlorine and caustic soda in the project. In general, Yanshan Iron and Steel's current industry entry plan is expected to show a clearer prospect because of the stable supply of raw materials, but the source of its chlorination production technology has not yet been disclosed by public information.

In summary, the newly-added capacity of the above three projects has reached 1.5 million tons, which will add up to several small and medium-sized enterprises such as several 100,000-ton chlorination processes, 60,000-ton chlorination processes, and 50,000-ton sulfuric acid processes in the next two years. The scale is increased. At the end of the article, we will start to say that China’s titanium dioxide industry is and will still face the dilemma of overcapacity at present and for at least three years in the future. However, the two long-term problems of product differentiation and product quality improvement are still not in the industry. Give a clear solution outline. In the future, manufacturers with a small market share may have to tighten their belts to live their lives while guarding against being eliminated at any time.