At the Pigment Plant, synthetic rutile is reacted with petroleum coke and chlorine in fluidised bed reactors, or chlorinators, producing titanium tetrachloride, which is purified by condensation and distillation. The remaining gases from this process are systematically treated by incineration and scrubbing.
The next stage uses a special process, based on technology licensed from Tronox, one of the two participants in the Tiwest Joint Venture, for reacting titanium tetrachloride with superheated oxygen and support fuel to produce base titanium dioxide pigment.
The pigment goes through a finishing process which involves milling, classification, surface treatment, filtering, drying and micronising prior to packaging for distribution to domestic and international markets.