Ch. 3— Minerals Supply, Demand, and Future Trends * 105 



(thousand tons of contained titanium) 



Arkansas — — — — 100 100 



California — — — 400 — 400 



Colorado — — — 6,500 — 6,500 



Florida 5,000 200 5,200 5,400 200 5,600 



New York 2,700 — 2,700 5,300 — 5,300 



Tennessee 200 10 210 3,700 600 4,300 



Virginia — — — 500 — 500 



Total 7,900 210 8,110 22,000 900 23,000 



^The reserve base includes demonstrated resources that are currently economic reserves, marginally economic reserves, and some ttiat are currently subeconomic 

 resources, 

 ''llmenite except for 6.5 million tons in Colorado perovskile. 



SOURCE: L. Lynd, "Titanium," Mineral Facts and Problems— 1985 Edition (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1986), p. 863. 



Domestic Production 



The United States is the world leader in titanium 

 pigment production, with 31 percent of the world's 

 pigment capacity, far ahead of the Federal Republic 

 of Germany in second place with 12 percent (fig- 

 ure 3-6). There were 11 U.S. titanium pigment 

 plants operated by 5 firms in production in 1986. 

 Their combined capacity was about 919,000 tons 

 of pigment per year. Production in 1986 was about 

 917,000 tons, with nearly all of the plant capacity 

 being utilized. 



The United States accounts for about 25 percent 

 of the world's titanium sponge production capac- 

 ity, third behind the U.S.S.R. (39 percent) and Ja- 

 pan (28 percent). In 1985, total U.S. sponge ca- 

 pacity was about 33,500 tons annually, the Soviet 

 capacity was about 53,000 tons, and the Japanese 

 38,000 tons. U.S. production of sponge in 1985 was 

 about 23,000 tons, indicating that domestic pro- 

 ducers were then operating at about 70 percent of 

 capacity. 



When demand peaked in 1981 due to rapid in- 

 creases in aerospace use, the U.S. consumed about 

 32,000 tons of titanium metal. This surge in de- 

 mand, which resulted in a temporary titanium 

 shortage, prompted both the United States and Ja- 

 pan to increase their titanium metal production ca- 

 pacity. However, in 1982 the recession and over- 

 stocked inventories forced a cutback in sponge 

 production in both countries to below 50 percent 

 of capacity. Since then, the economic recovery and 

 expansion of the U.S. military and commercial air 

 fleets has increased domestic demand for titanium 



Figure 3-6.— World Titanium Pigment 

 Manufacturing Capacity 



27% All otfiers 



12% 

 Ottier European 



31% United States 



9% Japan 



12% West Germany 

 9% United Kingdom 



Titanium dioxide is the major form of titanium used in the 

 United States. It is primarily used for manufacturing pigments 

 for paints and whiteners. The United States currently leads 

 the world in pigment production. 



SOURCE: Office of Technology Assessment, 1987. 



metal, but significant U.S. production capacity re- 

 mains idle. 



Production of titanium heavy minerals is driven 

 primarily by demand for titanium dioxide pig- 

 ments. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc., the 

 world's largest titanium dioxide producer, obtains 

 raw materials from its own mines in Florida and 

 from a partially owned Australian subsidiary. 



Currently, there are only two deposits produc- 

 ing heavy minerals from titaneous sands in the 

 United States. Both are in northeastern Florida, 

 Trail deposit near Starke, Florida (du Pont), and 

 the Green Cove Springs deposit (Associated Min- 

 erals (U.S.A.), Ltd.) near the community of the 



