S Africa: Plans for titanium plant

As part of the government's commitment to speed up economic growth, the Department of Science and Technology is looking into the possibility of developing an industry that will enable this country to produce titanium powder from ore mined in the Eastern Cape, and eventually to cast titanium parts for the aerospace industry.

Director General of the department Phil Mjarwa revealed at a press conference held on Wednesday in Parliament that the department was already in talks with the Boeing aircraft manufacturing company about the possibility of providing them with titanium powder.

He also disclosed that the government was looking into the possibility of acquiring a R400-million plant to produce it.

State-owned foundries have already begun producing samples of titanium aerospace parts.

Aerospace parts would take longer

Mjarwa explained that the powder could be produced commercially here within two to four years. The aerospace parts would take longer — probably until 2014 — because of the need to have the parts certified.

The powder, a precursor to the actual titanium metal, is produced from ilmenite mined in the Eastern Cape, through a "Kroll process". Its most common compound, titanium dioxide, is used in the manufacture of white pigments. Other compounds include titanium tetrachloride (used in smoke screens and skywriting, and as a catalyst) and titanium trichloride (used as a catalyst in the production of polypropylene).

The two most useful properties of the metal form are corrosion resistance, and the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. In its unalloyed condition, titanium is as strong as steel, but 45 percent lighter.