The paints & coatings segment contributed the largest in the global Lithopone market share. It is added to paint as a white pigment to enhance its surface properties such as UV resistance and resistance to fungicidal and algae growth. 

But what is titanium dioxide, exactly? Here's what you need to know about this popular food additive — including what products it's used in and whether it's safe to consume.

For a review published in 2023 in the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers examined E171 as a possible factor promoting obesity-related metabolic disorders. Because gut microbiota play an important role in immune function maintenance and development, and because titanium dioxide as a food additive has been shown to alter gut microbiota, researchers wanted to review “the dysregulations along the gut microbiota-immune system axis after oral TiO2 exposure compared to those reported in obese or diabetic patients, and to highlight potential mechanisms by which foodborne TiO2 nanoparticles may increase the susceptibility to develop obesity-related metabolic disorders.” The study authors discovered recurrent changes in the gut microbiota composition when exposed to titanium dioxide nanoparticles, with an imbalance of intestinal symbiotic microbiota. These changes and imbalances were also reported and played a role in the development of obesity, the authors wrote. This highlights “foodborne TiO2 nanoparticles as an endocrine disruptor-like chemical promoting obesity-related disorders,” the authors concluded.

The natural barite containing more than 95% of barium sulfate is mixed with anthracite in a ratio of 3:1 (mass), and is pulverized to a diameter of about 2 cm or less to enter a reduction furnace, and the front stage of the furnace temperature is controlled by 1000 to 1200 ° C, and the latter stage is 500 to 600 ° C, the reduction furnace rotates at a speed of 80s per revolution, the reaction conversion rate is 80% to 90%, the obtained barium sulfide enters the leaching device, the control temperature is above 65 ° C, and the content of barium sulfide is 701%, and then enters the clarification. The barrel is clarified and then added with zinc sulfate to control the zinc sulfate content to be greater than 28%, and the pH is 8-9, and a mixture of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide having a density of