Orion Rolls Out New Specialty Carbon Black Made from End-of-Life Tires

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HOUSTON—The goal is simply stated: Take what you do best and make it more sustainable without sacrificing performance or safety.

That's exactly what Orion S.A. says it has done with its first circular specialty carbon black for polymer applications.

"Current customers confirm that the new circular black is performing as well as regular specialty carbon blacks," Kevin Milks, Orion's marketing manager for Polymers and Batteries, said in a statement. "We're looking to partner with our customers to understand their needs and develop grades to meet their specific performance requirements."

Orion noted that the newly introduced grade uses end-of-life tire pyrolysis oil to create a product that matches the performance of the more traditionally produced fossil-based specialty carbon blacks.

It's suitable, Orion said, for use in piping, film, fiber, packing and automotive applications. It's compliant with European and international food grade standards.

sustainability focus, one that is designed to support customers as they adapt to emerging megatrends around electrification, decarbonization and the circular economy.

"Orion is invested in and committed to recycling carbon black and successfully producing specialty circular grades without compromising performance," said Jennifer Stroh, Orion director of sales and marketing.

The more sustainably produced specialty carbon black for tires will be showcased at the 2023 Compounding World Expo in North America, set for Nov. 15-16 in Cleveland. There, Orion intends to promote its broad portfolio of conductive rubber additives for wire-and-cable applications, injection-molded parts, adhesives and sealants, films and piping.

Among those products showcased at the expo will be carbon blacks that improve performance by modifying rheology and imparting UV-resistance as well as conductivity characteristics. Going to market under the Printex and Arosperse brands, the grades are designed to disperse readily in polymers, while also demonstrating very low levels of ionic contaminant, Orion said.