Editing Titanium dioxide (section)

===Patenting activities===
[[File:Relevant patent families describing titanium dioxide production from ilmenite, 2002–2021.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Relevant patent families describing titanium dioxide production from ilmenite, 2002–2021.]]
[[File:Public Institutions patent activity in titanium dioxide production.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Academic and public institutions having significant patent activity in titanium dioxide production, 2022.]]

Between 2002 and 2022, there were 459 [[Patent family|patent families]] that describe the production of titanium dioxide from [[ilmenite]]. The majority of these patents describe pre-treatment processes, such as using smelting and magnetic separation to increase titanium concentration in low-grade ores, leading to titanium concentrates or slags. Other patents describe processes to obtain titanium dioxide, either by a direct hydrometallurgical process or through the main industrial production processes, the [[#Sulfate process|sulfate process]] and the [[chloride process]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |date=2023 |title=Patent Landscape Report : Production of titanium and titanium dioxide from ilmenite and related applications |url=https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=4651&plang=EN |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=www.wipo.int |publisher=[[WIPO]] |doi=10.34667/tind.47029 |language=en |author1=World Intellectual Property Organization. |series=Patent Landscape Reports }}</ref> The sulfate process represents 40% of the world’s titanium dioxide production and is protected in 23% of patent families. The chloride process is only mentioned in 8% of patent families, although it provides 60% of the worldwide industrial production of titanium dioxide.<ref name=":6" />

Key contributors to patents on the production of titanium dioxide are companies from China, Australia and the United States, reflecting the major contribution of these countries to industrial production. Chinese companies [[Pangang Group Vanadium Titanium & Resources|Pangang]] and [[Lomon Billions]] Groups hold major patent portfolios.<ref name=":6" />