PIGMENTS | TITANIUM DIOXIDE


Right: TiO2 is one of the plastics industry’s most important pigments, offering durability and opacity in a wide range of applications


to traditional dry-blends, and features such as good lacing resistance, high throughput and colour stability are of increasing importance to master- batch users,” she says. Lomon Billions TiO2


pigments for plastics


applications comprise LomonLR-108, Billions BLR-688 and BillionsBLR-886. LR-108 pigment is a general-purpose plastics grade developed for non-weatherable applications such as polyolefin masterbatches. Its good thermal stability and low volatile content means it is also suitable for use in engineering polymers.


BLR-688 pigment uses silica/alumina coating technology to provide long-term colour stability and retention of mechanical properties in applica- tions such as PVC-U profiles. BLR-886 pigment is a new addition to the range and is in the final stages of development. It is the company’s response to the increasing demand for chloride-process colour in Asia and globally. The BLR-886 pigment also offers high throughput rates and high temperature stability for masterbatch producers. Reid explains that the company’s production has not been impacted by the Chinese government’s push on ensuring environmental compliance. “Lomon Billions’ TiO2


in Deyang (Sichuan province) and its TiO2


pigment manufacturing site pigment


manufacturing site in Jiaozuo are fully compliant with current environmental regulations and remain fully operational,” she says. Reid adds that no new ‘green-field’ sulphate capacity is likely to be sanctioned in


route TiO2


China in the future, although limited expansion of well-managed, compliant sulphate sites may be allowed. She says future significant TiO2


capacity expansion will be by the chloride route.


Mergers and newcomers The creation of Lomon Billions and the establish- ment of Venator are among a number of recent M&A moves in the TiO2


and pigment space. In


Meet us at Fakuma 2017! Booth A6-6109, Hall A6


February, Tronox announced a definitive agree- ment to acquire Cristal’s TiO2


create the world’s largest TiO2


business, which will pigment producer


when it closes next year (subject to securing required regulatory approvals). “The combination of Tronox and Cristal comes at a point of inflection for the TiO2


acquisition announcement. “The transaction, expected to close before the first quarter of 2018, will significantly expand the benefits of our vertically integrated business model. We will operate 11 TiO2


industry,” Tronox said at the time of the


pigment production facilities, with


a total annual capacity of 1.3m tonnes... The blending of the two companies will also diversify and significantly expand our market reach and increase our participation in fast-growing develop- ing economies around the globe.” Australian resources company TNG could also soon join the list of TiO2


suppliers. It is currently


focused on the evaluation and development of its Mount Peake Vanadium-Titanium-Iron Project near Alice Springs. TNG will use its proprietary Tivan


process to produce up to 236,000 tonnes of TiO2 (along with other products) from deposits there. The Tivan process is designed primarily for


BKG®


Optigon™


Our automatic, self-cleaning, tempered water system for pelletizing


Premium water system with multiple options Largest filtration area in the market Fully automated filtration minimizes downtimes Flexible and energy saving design


WWW.NORDSONPOLYMERPROCESSING.COM


EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGIES FOR TODAY‘S PLASTICS


PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88