INTRODUCTION
Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is the world's highest-performance white pigment, extensively applied in coatings, plastics, paper, rubber, inks and other sectors. Two mature production technologies are adopted industrially: sulfate process and chloride process.
The sulfate process is a traditional technology for preparing titanium dioxide, which was put into industrial production as early as the beginning of the 20th century.Its core process : ilmenite reacts with sulfuric acid to generate titanyl sulfate, which is then converted into metatitanic acid via hydrolysis. Finally, titanium dioxide is obtained through calcination.
ADVANTAGE
1. Low raw material threshold
Low-cost ilmenite and high-titanium slag can be used with abundant supply and low purchasing cost. In contrast, the chloride process only applies to high-grade rutile or synthetic rutile, which are scarce and expensive.
2. Lower equipment investment & easier plant construction
The process is mature with fully localized equipment. Small and medium manufacturers can launch production with short construction cycles. Initial fixed asset investment is far lower than that of the chloride process.
3.Full coverage of product grades
It can produce both anatase (for low-end coatings, plastics, paper, inks) and rutile titanium dioxide. The chloride process mainly produces high-end rutile and cannot cover the anatase market.
4. Suitable hiding power & dispersibility for mid-to-low-end markets
After surface coating modification, its hiding power and dispersibility meet general demands such as interior paint, common plastics, rubber and paper, delivering outstanding cost performance.
5. Flexible supporting facilities
It can be integrated with pyrite-based acid production and waste acid recycling. Manufacturers with affiliated mines or sulfuric acid plants can effectively offset cost increases of sulfur.
DISADVANTAGE
1. Severe environmental pressure & large volume of three wastes
Every ton of titanium dioxide generates 8–10 tons of waste acid, massive acidic wastewater and ferrous sulfate residues. The wastewater contains heavy metals with high acidity, leading to extremely high treatment costs. Production restrictions due to environmental regulations have become routine.
2. Long production cycle & high energy consumption
The processes including dissolution, hydrolysis, water washing and calcination are lengthy. The whole production line takes dozens of hours, with higher overall energy consumption than the chloride process.
3. Difficult impurity removal, inferior performance for high-end applications
Higher residual impurities such as iron, manganese and vanadium:
Lower whiteness, gloss and weather resistance compared with the chloride process;
Prone to yellowing and chalking when used in outdoor coatings, automotive paints and high-end plastics.
4. Strongly affected by sulfur / sulfuric acid prices
Producing 1 ton of titanium dioxide consumes 3–4 tons of sulfuric acid. Rising sulfur prices directly squeeze profit margins sharply. (The surge of sulfuric acid prices in H1 2026 was the key reason for losses of sulfate-process manufacturers.)
5. Average batch-to-batch stability
The hydrolysis procedure is hard to control precisely. Whiteness and particle size fluctuate between batches, so strict screening is required for high-end customers.
