PIGMENTS | TITANIUM DIOXIDE
Right: Tronox completed its acquisition of
Cristal’s TiO2 business following agreement to sell the North American units to Ineos
properties and a high packing fraction, Tioxide TR29 is designed for use in the manufacture of highly technical thin films, and in engineering polymers where moisture sensitivity is a considera- tion,” Venator says. “Tioxide TR29 can be used to create master- loading, while
batches with a very high TiO2
maintaining a high throughput rate and a low specific energy requirement – which can potentially reduce production and transportation costs compared to multipurpose masterbatch grades,” says Dr Jörg Hocken, Global Application Manager. In the manufacture of technical multi-layer films, the company claims, the low moisture content of Tioxide TR29 enables converters to produce thinner films with a reduced risk of lacing. “This enables the manufacture of high quality packaging materials that are less likely to fail from lower raw material utilisation, thereby helping to reduce plastic waste,” Hocken says. Integrated into moisture-sensitive engineering polymers, Tioxide TR29 can provide whitening properties without causing moisture or volatile- induced failure. Potential applications include earphones and smartphone shells, ski masks and air conditioning units.
Below: Lomon Billions is halfway through a 200,000 tonnes/yr
chloride TiO2 capacity expansion at Jiaozuo in China
Masterbatch option Lomon Billions also has a new product entry. “Our latest innovation in TiO2
pigments for plastics is
Billions BLR-886 pigment made by the chloride process,” says Julie Reid, the company’s Marketing Director. “It’s particularly suitable for polyolefin masterbatch, high-temperature extrusion coatings, cast films and engineering plastics.” Lomon Billions is on a continuing growth path
that for the moment puts it in third place in the global league table of TiO2
producers. Last year it
announced an investment of around $285m in the construction of an additional 200,000 tonnes of
capacity at its chloride TiO2
pigment manufacturing
site in Jiaozuo; its ambition is to grow its chloride capacity still further (most TiO2
in China is pro-
duced using sulphate technology). The new capacity comes from two lines, each of 100,000 tonnes/yr capacity. The company says commercial production on the first line is already underway, the second line will be fully commis- sioned by the end of this year, with commercial production expected in H1 2020. The company has also been growing through acquisition. In June, it acquired the Yunnan Xinli
site in China to provide further chloride TiO2 pigment manufacturing capacity. This site is currently being refurbished for restart this year and is expected to deliver around 60,000 tonnes/yr of additional chloride capacity.
“Our annual manufacturing capacity will grow
from 700,000 to around one million tonnes/yr in 2019,” says Reid. “The additional capacity at Jiaozuo, Xiangyang and Xinli strengthens our global competitiveness and will allow us to increase our chloride TiO2
pigment portfolio to
manufacture more high-performance chloride TiO2 pigments for a wider range of applications,
including growing our portfolio for plastics applications.”
Cristal deal done Meanwhile, back in April, Tronox finally completed its acquisition of Cristal’s TiO2
business. Tronox first
made a bid for the business in early 2017, but it was blocked by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC dropped its opposition after it was agreed that Cristal’s North American TiO2
would be sold to Ineos Enterprises. With this acquisition, Tronox now operates nine TiO2
44 COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2019
www.compoundingworld.com
business
PHOTO: LOMON BILLIONS PHOTO: TROMOX
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