A boom in consumer-led growth in China will underwrite development of about five large mineral sands mines over the next two decades, according to Iluka Resources.
Each of the new operations would need to be the size of Rio Tinto's Richards Bay in South Africa, the largest mine in the sector, Iluka's chief executive, David Robb, said.
Demand for titanium dioxide feedstocks, used in paints, paper and plastics, would swell as incomes rose in China, he said.
"China is poised for very, very rapid growth in demand in those areas as consumerism becomes the engine," Robb said.
He added that China was "at that inflection point now, where the intensity of use of those products increases very dramatically".
Zircon products, used in items ranging from electronic circuitry boards to nuclear reactor cores, were also poised for growth, Robb said.