additives feature | Titanium dioxide remove impurities and provide TiO2 with high batch-to-
batch consistency of optical properties. The process is designed to obtain a particle size and morphology for optimal opacity and colour tone, with an optimized particle size and size distribution, explains Philippe Guillemaille, head of sales and marketing for Argex Titanium. Leaching the ore with hydrochloric acid (not sulphuric acid) and Argex’s two solvent extraction steps help to remove contaminants that can create a yellow- ish tone, he explains. And, despite its imminent separation from its parent
Plastic profiles, filled with titanium dioxide, are commonly used to replace painted wooden sidings
UK in July 1934. Huntsman has just completed its acquisition of Rockwood’s performance additives and TiO2
businesses. Henan Billions Chemicals, one of the major produc-
Argex is scaling up its solvent extraction technology to remove
impurities from TiO2
ers in China, introduced two grades for export this year. BLR-631 for masterbatch applications is targeted at Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and South Africa, while BLR-688, designed for exterior PVC profile and pipes, is for sale in North America, Asia Pacific, and South Africa. Both grades are manufactured using a sulphate process. The company also plans to develop grades using its chloride-process production line, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014, with commercial production starting in the first half of 2015. The company expects that its export volume to increase quickly once it has chloride-process products. Canadian-based Argex is moving forward with
construction of its first industrial-sized TiO2 plant to be
located in Salaberry-de-Valleyfied, Québec. The 50,000 tonnes/year unit is expected to be commissioned by mid-2016 with the first material ready to sell by the end of 2016. Argex uses solvent extraction (SX) technology to
company – as part of the Performance Chemicals division – DuPont Titanium Technologies is due to begin expanded production at its plant in Altamira, Mexico. It says the expanded plant, due to come onstream in 2016, will allow it to improve production efficiency and increase flexibility – adjusting output in response to market demand. “Based on our current market outlook, we expect
demand to increase gradually in the 2016-2018 time frame,” said BC Chong, president of DuPont Titanium Technologies. “We will leverage the cost advantage of the Altamira facility and continue to manage its production assets in order to deliver high-quality titanium dioxide.”
Feedstock flexibility An advantage of the Argex Technology (AT) is that the process can use a wider range of feedstock (such as ilmenite), with no limitation regarding TiO2
content.
“This gives to us larger feedstock availability at a better price and enables us to deliver a competitive pigment with optical properties similar to the pigments pro- duced by the chloride process,” says Guillemaille. Additionally, the process operates at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. This increases safety for both employees and the environment, reduces operating costs, and allows better control of the
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PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | January/February 2015
www.pipeandprofile.com
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