Chloride process is introduced to complement not replace the prevailing sulfuric acid one, says Yang Minle, chief engineer of Henan Billions Chemicals Co., Ltd.

According to Yang, the main obstacles to reduce environmental pollution caused by sulfuric acid process, which is applied by most of the domestic manufacturers, are backward technology and obsolescent equipment. Once our facilities catch up with advanced world levels, the sulfuric acid process will release no more pollution than the chloride one.

Sulfuric acid process used to dominate the European and other international markets before the chloride one come in with the ever-growing demands for high-end products. At present, except for China, more than half of the global tio2 manufacturers have applied chloride process as main manufacturing technique.

Jinzhou Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. is now the only enterprise in mainland China that has the entire titanium dioxide production line through chloride process, while a dozen or so other companies may begin trial production of chloride process by the end of this year.

Chloride process, supplemented by sulfuric acid one is an inexorable trend for Chinese tio2 industry, and the two coexisting processes will satisfy the different market demands in the future.