Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium(IV) oxide, is a chemical compound consisting of the elements titanium and oxygen.

Titanium dioxide is the most commonly used white pigment and is widely used in plastics, coatings and paints. It is characterised by its high refractive index, which means that it strongly refracts light and thereby produces an intense white colouration. In addition, it exhibits high dispersion, which means that it effectively scatters light in different directions and thus enables an even colour distribution.

The pigments of titanium dioxide are usually in the form of a fine, dry powder. Titanium iron ore (ilmenite) is used as the raw material for the production of titanium dioxide. There are two main processes for obtaining titanium dioxide from ilmenite: the sulphate process and the chloride process. In the sulphate process, the titanium iron ore is dissolved in sulphuric acid, while in the chloride process the ore is first converted to titanium tetrachloride and then oxidised to titanium dioxide. Both processes have specific advantages and are used depending on the application and economic factors.