barium sulphate colour factories

titanium oxide and 2 per cent' sulphuric acidand 63 per cent water, are slowly added to a solution containing 1050 pounds of barium sulphide, held in a large cylindrical tank, provided with a rotary agitation :capable of producing rapid agitation. The mass isthus v rapidly agitated, and the 2 per cent of sulphuric acid contained in the titanium acid cake reacts with a small portion of the barium sulphide. This reaction may be represented by the following equation TiO H 80 The free sulphuric acid of the titanium acid cake is neutralized by thebarium sul-' phide solution, forming barium sulphate and hydrogen sulphide, as indicated by the above equation. As the sulphuric acid is present only in a small percentage, the major porltiion of the barium sulphide remains as suc very fine colloidal suspension. The barium sulphate produced is also very fine, and the presence of this. very fine barium sulphate in suspension, and also of the very fine colloidal titanium oxide, is believed to be the explanation of the great improvement in the properties of the finished lithopone.

...

For research published in Archives of Toxicology in 2020, scientists fed one group of mice a solution containing titanium dioxide for one month, and compared it to those that did not receive the additive. They found “the richness and evenness of gut microbiota were remarkably decreased and the gut microbial community compositions were significantly changed” in the titanium dioxide group when compared with the control group. The tests also revealed that the titanium dioxide exposure could cause locomotor dysfunction, or mobility issues “by elevating the excitement of enteric neurons, which might spread to the brain via gut-brain communication by vagal pathway.” The researchers concluded: “These findings provide valuable insights into the novel mechanism of TiO2NP-induced neurotoxicity. Understanding the microbiota-gut-brain axis will provide the foundation for potential therapeutic or prevention approaches against TiO2NP-induced gut and brain-related disorders.”

...