Orion S.A. is producing circular carbon black at its ISCC PLUS-certified plant in Qingdao, China. The facility is producing three grades of ECORAX Circular 200, 210, and 215 from tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO). ECORAX 200 is a hard black ideal for tyres, while the 210 and 215 grades can be used for tyres and mechanical rubber goods (MRG).
Orion S.A.
Orion S.A. starts circular carbon black production in China
“This new capability in China marks a key step in offering circular carbon black grades globally,” Corning Painter, CEO of Orion. “The product line extension gives us greater flexibility to meet growing demand for circular products, while maintaining the performance, consistency, and quality our customers expect.”
Last year, Orion scaled up its circular capabilities in Europe, launching large volume production of ECORAX Circular 200 and 210 through a commercial reactor in Jasło, Poland. The product’s ISCC PLUS certification verifies transparent, traceable sourcing of sustainable raw materials.
Both facilities in China and Poland utilise specially designed infrastructure with oil tanks that segregate the TPO and carbon black oil feedstocks. The materials are then introduced into a reactor in separate streams to produce the ECORAX Circular grades.
Pedro Riveros, Senior Vice President of Global Rubber Carbon Black at Orion, concluded, “We now have the complete infrastructure to receive, store, and dose TPO in our production in a completely controlled way. Our technology allows us to modulate the blending ratio of TPO and carbon black oil, enabling us to have a more precise measurement of the TPO content. This is vital for quality consistency and useful for our customers to execute their circular commercial strategies. In Europe, Orion has invested in TPO production and will be the off-taker of the circular feedstock at multiple sites on the continent. We will continue to look for opportunities that will support and underpin our global strategy.”
