High-performance carbon black supplier Orion Engineered Carbons has announced a partnership with RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) in which the pair will jointly develop and produce renewable carbon black.
By replacing traditionally used carbon black feedstock with pyrolysis oil from biomass oil, the newly formed collaboration hopes to produce a more climate-neutral carbon black product. The biomass oil will be converted to carbon black at Orion’s furnace reactor in Kalscheuren, Germany, where the company says it will investigate ways to upscale the process to meet the demands of the market.
Alongside this, RISE is to evaluate the use of electro fuels at its technology center in Piteå, Sweden. It will investigate the use of plasma or hydrogen from electrolysis for use as a sustainable heat source for the carbon black process.
“We are committed to meeting the rising interest in renewable carbon black as the tire industry works to address its long-term goal of reducing fossil-derived feedstocks across the supply chain,” commented David Deters, senior vice president at Orion Engineered Carbons. “This partnership is yet another step in our sustainability strategy and we look forward to partnering with RISE on this exciting and critically important project.”
Previously, RISE has proved the economic feasibility of producing carbon black using pyrolysis oil from a wood-derived feedstock. Through the project, Orion aims to validate commercial production based on RISE’s findings.
