The hottest titanium dioxide industry may usher in

Titanium dioxide industry may usher in a critical point

the increase in supply and weak prices are causing the industry to worry about the global titanium dioxide Market: has the market reached a short-term critical point? Will there be more serious fatigue in the future? Daniel Murad, President of chemquest group, said that in the paint industry, titanium dioxide is performing the story of "from feast to residue". Affected by the global economic downturn, the global demand for titanium dioxide has changed from "full speed forward to full stop", and manufacturers are trying to reduce production to cope with the plight of oversupply in the market

recently, due to the decline in prices and the cooling demand from China, many companies and analysts have expressed concern about the prospects of the titanium dioxide market. Affected by weak demand, the contract price of titanium dioxide in North America in the first quarter of this year leveled for the first time in more than four years. Alembic global advisors, an American investment research company, said that the current price of titanium dioxide is $3600/ton, the inventory is still high, and it has won the first place in the market competition. The Chinese market has shown signs of weakness, or led to the reduction of production of some titanium dioxide devices

however, DuPont, the world's largest titanium dioxide producer, still maintains the view that the current and recent titanium dioxide market is strong, and believes that the argument of weakness is exaggerated. BC Chong, President of DuPont titanium technology company, said: "the recent comments in the industry on the market demand for titanium dioxide in the second half of this year are inconsistent with DuPont's view, which exaggerated the weakness of the pigment industry. We expect the demand for titanium dioxide to be stronger than the demand for ore, but we are still optimistic about the market outlook for titanium dioxide for the rest of this year and longer."

according to the titanium dioxide market report released by IHS in April this year, titanium dioxide is regarded as the most important pigment in the world, accounting for about 70% of the total pigment. In 2011, the total production capacity of the global titanium dioxide market was about 5.4 million tons, worth about $15billion. Affected by the sluggish coating consumption caused by the weakness of the construction and manufacturing market, the consumption of titanium dioxide in North America has decreased significantly, while the consumption in the Chinese market has nearly doubled since 2004

after long-term weak profits and reduced investment, the global supply of titanium dioxide has become tight in the past two years, which has stimulated the sharp rise in the prices of rutile and ilmenite. According to IHS statistics, the price of rutile has more than doubled in the past two years, from $540/ton in 2010 to $1400/ton in 2011; The price of ilmenite rose from $75/ton to $200/ton

the sharp rise in titanium dioxide prices and tight supply in the past two years have prompted coating manufacturers to seek solutions, including possible investment or support for new market members. AkzoNobel and PPG are both setting up joint ventures to expand production. In 2011, AkzoNobel formed a partnership with Guangxi Jiahua Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. to jointly produce titanium dioxide, and built a new titanium dioxide production device in Qinzhou as a new processing raw material for automotive parts. PPG cooperates with a Canadian mining company to use the other party's proprietary chlorination process in Canada to increase the output of titanium dioxide

some chemical companies are considering new formulas. For example, Dow Chemical has launched a pre composite polymer technology to enhance the covering efficiency of titanium dioxide in architectural coatings, thereby reducing the amount of titanium dioxide in the coating formula by 15% - 20%. This technology not only saves the cost of coating, but also greatly reduces the carbon footprint of titanium dioxide in the process of mining, processing and transportation

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