titanium dioxide in the paper industry

The price trendss for titanium dioxide kept on the lower side of the scale during the first half of 2023. As the paint and coatings industries reduced their offtakes,  the abundant supply of the product in the market led to a fall in prices. The prices also suffered from falling energy costs and declining freight charges. Further, the rising speculations of a global recession caused manufacturers to participate actively in destocking.

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A  2023 study published in the journal Environmental Research, scientists examined the effect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on important gut bacteria in mice. Their results showed “the growth inhibitory effects could be associated with cell membrane damage caused by titanium dioxide nanoparticles to the bacterial strains. Metabolomics analysis showed that TiO2 NPs caused alterations in multiple metabolic pathways of gut bacteria, such as tryptophan and arginine metabolism, which were demonstrated to play crucial roles in regulating gut and host health.” The researchers also found that four different neuroprotective metabolites “were significantly reduced” in urine and in vitro bacteria and vivo urine samples. The researchers concluded: “Increasing evidence implies that the gut microbiome plays a profound role in regulating host metabolism. Our results illustrated that TiO2 NPs hindered the growth of four beneficial gut bacterial strains.”

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