Material flow analysis of titanium dioxide and sustainable policy suggestion in China

摘要

Titanium dioxide is a significant white inorganic pigment used in coating, plastic, rubber, ink, paper, etc. Material flow analysis of TiO2 can help to analyze the relationship among inflows, outflows and stocks throughout the whole titanium life-cycle in China. This paper divides the whole material flow of TiO2 into four stages by using MFA, including primary production, manufacturing and fabrication, use and waste management. The results indicated that China produced 2,654,700 tons of TiO2 in 2017, which about 95% of the TiO2 comes from the sulfuric acid method. 70% TiO2 is used for domestic consumption which 85% is low-end products such as coatings, plastics and paper. Because of the low recovery rate of TiO2 products and the low efficiency of the sulfuric acid process method, the waste of titanium resources is serious. The policy suggestions for improving the resource utilization efficiency of TiO2 are as follows: increasing the proportion of the sulfuric acid purification of high titanium slag, and promoting the proportion of chlorination process to produce TiO2; the government should strengthen the protective development of ilmenite resources in the "fourteenth five-year plan" of China's mining industry, and adjust China's titanium industrial structure and gradually develop into high-end fields.