Titanium possesses excellent properties such as low density, high specific strength, low thermal conductivity, non-magnetic characteristics, superior high and low-temperature resistance, strong corrosion resistance, good biocompatibility, and low damping properties. Additionally, it exhibits three special functions: shape memory (Ti-50%Ni alloy), superconductivity (Nb-Ti alloy), and hydrogen storage (Ti-50%Fe (atomic) alloy). Initially applied in high-tech fields such as aerospace, titanium is now widely used in industries like chemical processing, petroleum, power generation, desalination, construction, biomedicine, 3C electronics, transportation, and daily household tools. It is hailed as the "modern metal" and "strategic metal.".
Unlike in the US and Russia where the largest consumers in the Titanium industry were aerospace or defense, in China the largest consumer of titanium-based materials was the chemical industry. China's titanium material consumption reached 151,000t in 2024, with a 1.6% year-on-year growth, as reported by the Titanium-Zirconium-Hafnium Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association in the *2024 Progress of China's Titanium Industry*, the largest and most influential organization in the nonferrous metals industry. The chemical industry occupies 48.5p.c of the varying areas for the prime suppliers of titanium materials in China.
Titanium applications in the chemical industry was estimated to have dropped from 52.73% in 2013 according to the Titanium-Zirconium-Hafnium Association's (2013-2024)* (Development Report of China's Titanium Industry 2013-2024). This figure had evolved over ten years to three with 49.91% in 2023 and 48.48% in 2024. Major use of titanium material in chemical and petrochemical industries are: electrolytic cells (electrodes, reactors, concentrators, separators, absorption towers, connecting pipelines, fittings (flanges, bolts, nuts), gaskets, pumps, valves).
The majority of titanium processed materials in the United States and Russia are used in the aerospace sector, accounting for approximately 80%. In contrast, Japan and China utilize around 80% of their titanium in chemical, general civilian industrial, and consumer goods applications. The exceptional corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and abrasion resistance of titanium make it highly suitable for chemical production environments. The earliest international application of titanium in the chemical industry began in Japan during the 1950s to 1960s, when it was first employed as a corrosion-resistant material in the petrochemical industry. Examples include the Kuraray acetic acid pilot plant in Toyama, the urea synthesis tower of Mitsui Eastern Pressure Chemical Company in Hokkaido, and the cashmere纶 fiber pilot plant in Yoneoka. In 1958, titanium was used in high-pressure reactors at the phthalic acid plant of Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation in Kōriki. The application of titanium in heat exchangers expanded rapidly. In 1969, Japan first employed titanium tubes in the condenser of Unit 1 at the Aomori Thermal Power Plant of Tohoku Electric Power Company. In 1950, British ICI and Dutch scholar H. Beer independently developed methods for depositing platinum or other platinum group metals on titanium substrates. Starting in 1960, 70Pt/30Ir-coated titanium anodes began to be used in some chlorate plants. In 1965, H. Beer invented the thermal decomposition method for preparing Ru()-Ti() electrodes on titanium substrates, replacing the less catalytically effective Pt/Ti electrodes and graphite electrodes. In 1968, Italy's DeNora Company pioneered the industrial application of H. Beer's ruthenium-titanium coating research in the chlor-alkali industry. In China, research and utilization of titanium materials began in 1960, and their application in the chemical industry started in 1972. In 1972, Shanghai Tianyuan Chemical Plant pioneered the use of titanium materials in the chlor-alkali production system, marking the formal commencement of large-scale titanium application in China's chemical industry.
The chemical sector remains the earliest and largest industrial consumer of titanium in China's civilian industry, serving as a traditional core market for downstream titanium applications. Titanium usage in this sector accounts for approximately 50% of the total. In the chemical industry, titanium is primarily used in the "two alkalis" sector, with the chlor-alkali industry being the largest consumer, accounting for 50% of total titanium usage. Followed by soda ash at 20%, plastics at 17%, organic chemicals at 10%, and inorganic chemicals at 3%. Titanium applications in chemical and petrochemical industries include electrolytic cells (electrodes), reactors, concentrators, separators, heat exchangers, coolers, absorption towers, connecting pipelines, accessories (flanges, bolts, nuts), gaskets, pumps, valves, etc. Key application scenarios in chemical equipment primarily involve reactors, heat exchangers, and towers. Currently, titanium heat exchangers constitute the majority of domestically produced titanium chemical equipment, accounting for 56.66%, followed by titanium anodes and titanium vessels at 20.41% and 16.28% respectively, with the remaining approximately 6.65% comprising other titanium equipment.
From the product structure view, titanium tube heat exchangers will hold the 62.7% market share in 2024 and is mainly applied in large scale chemical plant and seawater desalination project; Plate heat exchangers are followed with a market share of 28.4% and is mainly applied in small and medium-sized equipment, as well as high cleanliness industries such as food,medicine; The market penetration of titanium spiral plate heat exchangers is low but it rapid growing and predicted to increase 13.6% in 2024 indicating that it has a great potential in some applications.
Currently the use of titanium equipment technology has developed beyond its initial application in 'the soda ash and caustic soda industry' to cover the chlorate, ammonium chloride, urea, organic synthesis, dyes, inorganic salts, pesticides, synthetic fiber, fertilizers, fine chemicals and other industries.
The types of equipment have developed from small and single to large and diversified. Specific Applications of Titanium in the Chemical Industry The application of titanium materials in the chemical industry is mainly in industries such as chlor alkali, soda ash, vacuum salt production, petrochemicals, fine chemicals, and inorganic salts. Specifically, it is used in electrolytic cells, reactors, distillation towers, concentrators, separators, heat exchanger pipelines, electrodes, connecting pipes, fittings (flanges, bolts, nuts), gaskets, pumps, and valves. With excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, it replaces stainless steel as a corrosion-resistant material in the high-end market.
Chlor alkali industry is a branch of the chemical industry, which electrolyzes the salt water solution to produce chlorine gas and caustic soda. It was more than 100 years ago. The tallest and largest chemical processing industry which consumes titanium is chlor alkali industry which accounts for 50% of the total consumption of titanium. The chloralkali process is extremely corrosive and media and products of the process, including saturated brine, wet chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, are all highly corrosive.
Therefore, the corrosion resistance advantage of titanium materials makes it an ideal material choice for extreme chemical environments. The titanium equipment used in chlor alkali production mainly includes metal anode electrolytic cells, ion membrane electrolytic cells, tubular wet chlorine coolers, refined brine preheaters, dechlorination towers, chlor alkali cooling and washing towers, vacuum dechlorination pumps and valves, etc. Titanium materials can effectively resist strong acids, strong alkalis, high temperatures, and chloride ion corrosion, significantly improving equipment operation life and production safety, reducing maintenance costs and downtime risks.
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