| The first new, commercially viable TiO2 pigment process in 50 years
Since the 1950’s, titanium dioxide pigment has been manufactured using either a sulfate or chloride process. The know-how related to the lower cost variants of these processes has been controlled by a few select producers with a relatively large number of producers having cost structures that have become uneconomic.
The Altair Hydrochloride Pigment (AHP) process is a new generation process offering a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution for the production of titanium dioxide pigment.
Introducing the Altair Hydrochloride Pigment process
The AHP process, from Altairnano, is a flexible, cost-effective and environmentally friendly process that is backed by more than 10 years of development and testing. The process—with worldwide patents—can produce a premium grade, pure-white titanium dioxide pigment in large or small quantities from a wide variety of feedstocks. The AHP process can process ilmenite feedstock with relatively high quantities magnesium, manganese, chromium, and other elements without impacting product quality.
It is the only process that can produce anatase and rutile-pigment grade TiO2, titanates and nano-sized anatase - opening up the potential to address high-value applications.
From ilmenite feedstock the AHP process uses hydrochloric acid to dissolve ilmenite to produce titanium and iron chlorides. The iron chloride is removed by precipitation, and the titanium chloride is hydrolyzed to create titanium dioxide. The AHP process reuses the HCI and, in general, produces benign waste streams that can be safely disposed in a landfill, requiring no deep welling which is the case with some of the existing technologies. Processes are being developed to convert waste iron oxides into marketable product with minimal residual waste quantities.
The Altair Hydrochloride Process
The advantages of AHP
AHP is the only direct TiO2 pigment process. It can take low-grade, low-cost feedstock, including recycled tar sands, and produce high-grade titanium dioxide, without the need for preprocessing. This aspect provides significant savings in cost of raw materials including cost of preparation.
Cost-effective, flexible alternative
The AHP process uses industry-standard equipment from established vendors thereby reducing the normal risk related to the introduction of a new technology.
The process features low-temperature extraction and purification, and it accommodates a variety of natural energy sources, including gas and electricity. This allows for the potential to optimize the use of locally available energy sources.
The AHP process is more cost-effective than most comparable sulfate or chloride processes; AHP is competitive in both capital and operating costs with little or no cost of environmental remediation.
An environmentally friendly alternative
The current sulfate process produces a high volume of acidic waste and soluble iron salts. The chloride process produces iron chloride. With both processes, recycling, recovery, or disposal of the by-products can significantly impact production costs, and provide a substantial regulatory risk to any development.
The AHP process produces no iron chloride or iron sulfate residues. What’s more, the hydrochloric acid used in the process is recovered and reused to prevent costly environmental issues.
A high or low volume, proven alternative
The AHP process is readily scalable and capable of cost effectively producing 30,000 to more than 100,000 tons of pigment each year.
Technology Implementation
Altairnano has formed a joint venture company with the Sherwin-Williams company which is called AlSher Titania LLC (AlSher). AlSher has an exclusive license of the use of the AHP technology and will be the vehicle to be used for the first phase of the commercialization of the technology.
About Altairnano
We’re a recognized industry innovator in discovery, development, and manufacturing of ceramic nanomaterials and micro materials. TiO2 pigment is just one of the many diverse materials that can be produced with the Altair Hydrochloride Pigment (AHP) process. The process is being used to develop materials for applications ranging from phosphate-binding drugs, cosmetics and sunscreen batteries, thermal spray coating, air and water purification systems, and paint pigments.
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