Summary: In mid-Jan. 2022, LB Group announced that the company planned to establish a 200,000 t/a TiO₂ post-treatment project and a 10,000 t/a titanium sponge production line upgrading and renovation project.

On 18 Jan., 2022, LB Group Co., Ltd. (LB Group) released several announcements, showing that it will set up a 200,000 t/a titanium dioxide (TiO₂) post-treatment project and a 10,000 t/a titanium sponge production line upgrading and renovation project. Investment of these two projects will come from its own capital and self-raised funds.

200,000 t/a TiO₂ post-treatment project

LB Group stated that its wholly-owned subsidiary, LB Xiangyang Titanium Industry Co., Ltd., will carry out this TiO₂ post-treatment project to give full play to its advantages in TiO₂ R&D, production, sales and comprehensive utilisation, and further increase TiO₂ market share. This project, with an investment hitting USD156.75 million (RMB1 billion), is located in Chengnan Industrial Park, Chengguan Town, Nanzhang County, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province. This project will add new equipment of 200,000 t/a TiO₂ post-treatment, as well as supporting facilities (excluding devices falling under the category as prohibited or eliminated by the state). This project is divided into two phases and each phase will build capacity of 100,000 t/a. The recordation of this project has been granted by Nanzhang Development and Reform Commission.

10,000 t/a titanium sponge production line upgrading and renovation project

LB Group revealed that its holding subsidiary, Yunnan Guotai Metals Co., Ltd. (Yunnan Guotai), is going to construct this project to seize the development opportunity of titanium material industry and improve the layout of titanium industrial chain. With an investment of USD69.21 million (RMB441.53 million), this project will operate the two chlorination furnace lines simultaneously, optimise and renovate some supporting production systems, and eventually expand the capacity of refined titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) to 200,000 t/a base on the current situation and development plan of Yunnan Guotai's 10,000 t/a titanium sponge production line. Specifically, 120,000 tonnes of refined TiCl₄ will be sold and 80,000 tonnes of refined TiCl₄ will be delivered to the titanium sponge workshop to produce around 20,000 tonnes of titanium sponge per year. The implementation of this project will enrich the product types of LB Group's titanium products and facilitate the optimisation and upgrading of its industrial chain (ilmenite–high titanium slag–chloride-process TiO₂–titanium sponge–titanium alloy).