china mica titanium dioxide iron oxide

TiO2 comes in many different forms. However, only a few of these forms are considered food-grade (acceptable to be added to food). Many studies that raised concern about the safety of TiO2, including the concern for genotoxicity, used forms of TiO2 that are not considered acceptable for use in food and have different properties than food-grade TiO2. Other studies did use food-grade TiO2, but took steps to break the material down into smaller particles than what would normally be found in food.

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Anatase TiO2 with 99.6% purity finds widespread application in various industries. It is extensively used as a pigment in paints, coatings, plastics, and textiles due to its excellent whiteness, opacity, and weather resistance. In the construction industry, it is employed as a photocatalyst for self-cleaning surfaces and as a filler to improve the strength and durability of cement and concrete. Additionally, it finds applications in the electronics industry as a transparent conductor and in the food industry as an additive to enhance the whiteness and brightness of products.

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Titanium Dioxide is largely produced by the reduction of titanium tetrachloride, obtained in turn from chlorination of natural rutile, synthetic rutile derived from ilmenite or even slags rich in TiO2 produced by metallurgical treatment of ilmenite. TiO2 is also manufactured by treatment of ilmenite with sulfuric acid. Raw materials and the respective production processes employed in the manufacturing of Titanium Dioxide are listed below.

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