Summary: In late Nov. 2021, Panzhihua Quanrui's self-developed "hydrochloric acid process TiO2 circular industry chain" project (phase I: 20,000 t/a hydrochloric acid process TiO2) began construction in Panzhihua Vanadium and Titanium Industrial Park.

In late Nov. 2021, the self-developed "hydrochloric acid process titanium dioxide (TiO2) circular industry chain" project of Panzhihua Quanrui Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panzhihua Quanrui) officially started construction in Panzhihua Vanadium and Titanium Industrial Park, Sichuan Province. This project, with a total investment of USD471.01 million (RMB3 billion), is aimed to build capacity of 300,000 t/a during the 14th Five Year Plan period (2021–2025). This phase I project beginning construction this time includes capacity of 20,000 t/a TiO2, with investment hitting USD47.10 million (RMB300 million).

Panzhihua Quanrui has organised related professional technical personnel to research and develop comprehensive utilisation of vanadic titanomagnetite in the Panxi Area (Panzhihua and Xichang cities, Sichuan Province) and production technique of hydrochloric acid process TiO2 since 2009 to give full play to the advantages of titanium resources in the Panxi Area and realise the sustainable development of TiO2 industry. In April 2017, the company undertook R&D of process and equipment for hydrochloric acid process TiO2 industrialisation. After 12 years of efforts, it eventually independently developed the production technique of hydrochloric acid process TiO2.

Spokesman of Panzhihua Quanrui disclosed the main innovations of the project:

• Firstly, this project achieved comprehensive utilisation of ilmenite resources and completed TiO2 industrial production circular process; in terms of environmental protection, this project solved the problems of three wastes treatment (waste gas, waste water and waste residues).
• Secondly, this project can produce high-end rutile coating grade TiO2 (close to the quality of chloride-process TiO2), high-purity TiO2 and nano-TiO2 through technical research such as crude ore activation, acidolysis dephosphorization, atmospheric hydrolysis, TiO2 calcination and post-processing.
• Thirdly, this project formed an industrial pilot-scale production line of 90 t/a hydrochloric acid process TiO2 and realised stable and continuous production, providing a process technology and design basis for the construction of hydrochloric acid process TiO2 circular industry chain.
• Fourthly, the overall economic benefit of this project is higher than that of sulphate-process TiO2 and chloride-process TiO2 as this project attained closed circulation by combining resource comprehensive utilisation and production process.