TiO2 | additives
Titanium dioxide is the mainstay white pigment for the global plastics industry. Mark Holmes speaks to three leading international consultants to find their views on the current market for this vital product and the key trends influencing developments
Keeping whiter than white Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) is the most important white
pigment used in the plastics industry today offering a higher reflective index than any alternatives along with good chemical stability. Grades of TiO2
are used in a
wide range of polymer applications and the global TiO2 market for plastics compounds is a highly significant
one. “Unlike paint, which is a more seasonal product, plastics products have more steady demand with approximately 80% of applications not directly tied to seasonal applications like construction. Market
conditions in 2016 have been very strong from a TiO2 producer standpoint, with supply to customers tight in most regions. Numerous smaller customers remain on allocation,” says Eric Bender, vice-president, Americas of independent consulting company TZMI. “From a pigment supplier’s perspective, the overall
market has improved since the start of the year due to tighter supplies of general purpose pigment. Prices have risen over the year, including plastics grade pigment. Many plastics need a high-end TiO2
, for example
consumer electronics which requires a higher degree of optical stability, and these markets have held up well. Commodity grade products are also doing well due to the supply/demand tightness affecting the global market. TZMI estimates that more than 85% of TiO2
consumed in
plastics applications is used in polyethylene, polypropyl- ene, polystyrene and PVC applications,” he says.
www.pipeandprofile.com According to TZMI, the aggregate plastics market
will be responsible for 1.4m-1.5m tonnes of TiO2 demand in 2016, which is approximately 25% of total
TiO2
volume consumed globally. “The majority share is used in PVC and polyolefin products,” adds Bender.
“From a sector perspective, packaging dominates TiO2 volume, responsible for 35-40% of consumption over the past five years. The construction sector has consumed approximately 15-20% of TiO2
volume sold
into the plastics market in the past five years. Automo- tive and other durables are other large sectors.” TZMI views the TiO2
market for plastics in three
major segments: l PVC: TiO2
is typically compounded with lower than average loadings. l Polyolefins and other commodity plastics: TiO2 in many masterbatch applications.
l Engineering plastics: Speciality plastics applications, for which TiO2
loading levels vary significantly by
application and end use. Commenting on geographical variations, Bender says that China is predominantly supplied by sulphate TiO2
chloride market. Europe and parts of Asia are split between chloride and sulfate products.
January/February 2017 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 41 is
usually applied via a masterbatch at higher than average loadings. TiO2
loading levels can exceed 30% TiO2 is the
white pigment of choice for plastics
applications
accounting for global
demand of
around 1.5m tonnes
products, while North America is a predominantly a
s
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