Titanium dioxide

Description

Brand: PANGANG – LOMON -DONGFANG – BLUESTAR

Country of manufacture: China

Grade: R298 – R996 – R5566 – R886 – R219 – A1

Application:

Rutile and anatase titans are one of the most valuable and widely used materials in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, rubber, paper, automotive industry, paint, UPVC windows, masterbatch and many other industries.

Titanium Dioxide

What is titanium dioxide?

What is Titanium Dioxide?

What is Tio2?

Titanium dioxide is a mineral compound with the formula Tio2, which is generally known as titanium IV oxide or titania. This chemical compound consists of titanium metal and oxygen. This material is a white solid pigment with wide applications in various industries. The molecular structure of this substance is reported as a rectangular cube, which was obtained as a result of structural and microscopic studies. Titanium dioxide is widely used in the production of many products, from paint and food to medicines and cosmetics.

This combination is used as a pigment for the production of cosmetics and personal care products that are used on the skin (eye area), nails and lips to create a white color. This chemical composition helps to increase the transparency of the product a lot. Titanium dioxide also absorbs, reflects, or scatters light and blocks the sun’s UV rays, which can cause the deterioration of health and cosmetic products. Also, this chemical compound is used in some sunscreen products as a way to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

The characteristics and physical and chemical properties of titanium dioxide are introduced as follows:

Ayupak name: titanium dioxide

Common names: titania – rutile – anatase

Molecular formula: Tio2

Danger: irritating to the skin – eyes – respiratory tract

Solubility in water:

Molar mass: 79.86 g/mol

Density: 4.23 grams per cubic centimeter in rutile state

Boiling point: 2972 degrees Celsius

Melting point: 1843 degrees Celsius

The origin of titanium dioxide

This chemical compound is found in nature as three crystals of anatase, brookite and rutile. To produce pigments, only rutile and anatase crystals can be used. Although these two types belong to the same crystal system, there are distinct differences in their lattice structure. The lattice cells in rutile are closer than the anatase lattice cells.

For this reason, rutile has a higher thermal stability than anatase. While anatase cells are connected at four edges, rutile is connected at only two edges. The main differences between these two types of pigments regarding physical properties are categorized based on these facts.

Figure 1 Structural phases of (a) rutile, (b) anatase and (c) brookite

According to the ASTM standard, this material is produced as a pigment in 4 different types:

1: It has at least 94% TiO2 and anatase grade, and this grade has the highest resistance.

2: It has at least 92% TiO2 and rutile grade, and this grade has medium resistance.

3: It has 90% TiO2 and rutile grade, and this grade has medium resistance.

4: It has 80% TiO2 and rutile grade, and this grade has high resistance.

Commercial grades

A1, R219, R888, R5566, R996, R298 and…

Titanium dioxide production process

Today, this chemical compound is produced in two ways around the world. These two methods are:

Using the sulfate process
In the sulfate process, sulfate pigments (anatase or rutile) are produced from ilmenite ore (FeTiO3) and concentrated sulfuric acid. Meanwhile, most manufacturers make full use of the by-products (diluted hydrochloric acid, green vitriol) from this process.

Using the chloride process
The chloride process, which has been developed over time, uses environmentally friendly technology by reacting titanium-enriched feedstocks from chlorine gas and gasoline coke. At a temperature of about 1000 degrees Celsius, titanium tetrachloride (TiCI4) is produced, which is purified by distillation and converted into titanium dioxide again in pure oxygen flame. The available chlorine is returned to the process. Chloride pigments (of course only rutile pigments) are produced in this process.

Applications of titanium dioxide

This chemical compound is a natural substance that has a simple chemical formula of TiO2. Most of it is used as a pigment in industries. Titanium dioxide is an inorganic chemical substance that is very stable and non-reactive even at high temperatures.

This means it can be used in the production of a wide range of products, from dyes and food additives to ceramics, adhesives and even toothpaste. In these products, this chemical compound is used as one of the main components, as a precursor or as a catalyst. Some of the uses of this chemical compound are:

color production

This chemical compound is used as a white pigment in the production of paints, which creates a matte coating. Titanium paint is the most popular shade of white to paint because of its opaque effect.

food additive

This chemical compound is used as a food additive, mainly as a food colorant, and is often used in confectionery, baking and sauce production.

Sunscreen production

Titanium dioxide along with zinc oxide are very effective at blocking the sun’s UV rays and act as a mineral sunscreen that physically blocks and destroys sunlight. Because the nanoparticles of these compounds act as very small mirrors that scatter sunlight.

Use as cover

Since this chemical compound can naturally block UV rays, it can also work effectively as a chemical coating. This chemical composition can protect painted surfaces from UV damage. In this way, it contributes to a more effective lifespan of the surfaces.

Glue production

This chemical composition minimizes the possibility of cracking or color fading in plastics. Similarly, it prevents rubber from becoming brittle when exposed to sunlight and is added to rubber and plastic adhesives for these reasons.

Ceramic production

Pure or elemental titanium has the highest elasticity to density ratio. This means that it can withstand tremendous tensile and shear forces. However, titanium dioxide is a mineral and can be easily powdered. With this in mind, it is used in the production of ceramics not because of its high strength, but because of the glaze it imparts to ceramics as a result of the crystallization of this mineral during cooling.

Production of flooring

This chemical composition can be used on floorboards or other types of floor coverings in order to increase the shine and also increase the strength of these products against wear materials.

Production of cosmetics

In the cosmetic industry, titanium dioxide is mainly used as a pigment, although it is also used as a thickener in many cosmetic products.

Toothpaste production

While this compound has no benefit for dental health, it is often added to toothpastes to increase the whiteness of the product.

Production of soaps

This chemical imparts a white matte color to soaps that is very difficult to achieve using other types of pigments.

Safety issues related to titanium dioxide

According to the chemical information sheet and the safety issues of titanium dioxide, it has been determined that this mineral compound is safe in terms of flammability and toxicity, but it can cause irritation or allergies in the respiratory system. Workers who deal with this mineral pigment may suffer respiratory injuries in the long term. In this way, it is recommended to use gloves, masks, special work clothes and safety glasses when working with this chemical compound.

If titania dust enters the respiratory system, it can merge with the moist mucus of the respiratory tract and cause severe allergies.

Titan packaging bags should be stored in dry, cool and well-ventilated warehouses. The packaging of this chemical composition should not be placed near sources of heat or fire. Avoid contact with other liquid chemicals.

Titanium dioxide market

Buying and selling titanium dioxide is usually done in 25 and 50 kg packages in the market; According to the needs of customers, bulk shipping of this combination is also possible. Every year, more than several billion dollars of income are generated through the export of titanium dioxide from countries active in this field. According to the statistics recorded in 2017, about 10 billion dollars were the results of the export of this mineral composition.

Method of production

The production method depends on the raw material. The most common mineral source is ilmenite. Abundant rutile mineral sands can also be purified by the chloride process or other processes. Ilmenite is converted to pigment grade titanium dioxide either through the sulfate process or the chloride process.

Both the sulfate and chloride processes produce titanium dioxide pigment in the form of rutile crystals, but the sulfate process can be adjusted to produce the anatase form. Softer anatase is used in fibers and paper. The sulfate process is run as a batch process and the chloride process is run as a continuous process.