SR2O VersaBlack - Non-Activated Carbon
VersaBlack is a renewable alternative to virgin carbon black. It is SR2O’s version of an environmentally friendly, recycled carbon product that performs as close to virgin carbon black in commercial rubber and plastics applications. Carbon black users are faced with increasing consumer and regulatory demand for “green” products and components from renewable materials. VersaBlack™ is a”green” renewable material for environmentally-pressured auto, industrial, and consumer manufacturers.
Traditionally, carbon black has been used as a reinforcing agent in tires. Today, because of its unique properties, the uses of carbon black have expanded to include pigmentation, ultraviolet (UV) stabilization and conductive agents in a variety of everyday and specialty high performance products, including:
Tires and Industrial Rubber Products: Carbon black is added to rubber as both a filler and as a strengthening or reinforcing agent. For various types of tires, it is used in inner liners, carcasses, sidewalls and treads utilizing different types based on specific performance requirements. Carbon black is also used in many molded and extruded industrial rubber products, such as belts, hoses, gaskets, diaphragms, vibration isolation devices, bushings, air springs, chassis bumpers, and multiple types of pads, boots, wiper blades, fascia, conveyor wheels, and grommets.
Plastics: Carbon blacks are now widely used for conductive packaging, films, fibers, moldings, pipes and semi-conductive cable compounds in products such as refuse sacks, industrial bags, photographic containers, agriculture mulch film, stretch wrap, and thermoplastic molding applications for automotive, electrical/electronics, household appliances and blow-molded containers.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Compounds: Carbon blacks are carefully designed to transform electrical characteristics from insulating to conductive in products such as electronic packaging, safety applications, and automotive parts.
High Performance Coatings: Carbon blacks provide pigmentation, conductivity, and UV protection for a number of coating applications including automotive (primer basecoats and clear coats), marine, aerospace, decorative, wood, and industrial coatings.
Toners and Printing Inks: Carbon blacks enhance formulations and deliver broad flexibility in meeting specific color requirements.
VersaBlack™ vs virgin carbon black? A Look at the Carbon Black Market:
First, let us take a look at the leading application for carbon black is as a reinforcing agent in the production of rubber goods, accounting for more than 90% of total carbon black consumption.
Carbon black is largely a homogenous product with many trade names. It is essentially an oil by-product used to make tires, inks, and other products. The principal economic industries responsible for the purchase of carbon black were domestic manufacturing industries, which purchased nearly 95 percent of the industry’s shipments. A 1998 ranking of purchased carbon black output found these industries responsible for carbon black usage: tires and inner tubes, which purchased approximately 50 percent of the industry’s shipments; industrial applications, which used 15 percent of the carbon black manufactured in the United States; and specialty applications, such as wiring, plastics, and coatings, which used 10 percent.
Carbon black is essentially an oil by-product used to strengthen rubber. It is made by shooting a hot mist of oil particles into a flame, a very expensive process that has limited the number of competitors in the industry. Carbon black is a general name for a variety of trade name products such as acetylene black, attrited black, channel black, flame black, furnace black, lamp black, and thermal black. Carbon black production requires large amounts of heat. In addition to its main use in tires, the powdery reinforcing agent is used to make inks and other everyday products.
In 2000, U.S. carbon black shipments were worth more than $1 billion, and carbon black sold at prices between 28 and 46 cents per pound, depending on the grade. The vast majority of carbon black produced in the United States in the late 1990s was consumed by rubber and tire manufacturing companies.
In 2010, use in tires accounted for 73% of world consumption, with other rubber goods (hoses, belts, etc.) accounting for an additional 19%; consumption for non-rubber goods (plastics, inks, paints, etc.) accounted for the remaining 8% of world consumption. While specialty carbon blacks account for only 7% of the total market in tonnage, they command a significantly higher selling price than commodity furnace black, and thus will be the focus of future research and development activities.
The price of crude oil has an overriding influence on carbon black markets by affecting such factors as the cost of carbon black, type of vehicles sold and total miles driven, and even tire design (e.g., high performance tires, super-abrasion-resistant tread stock and the “green” tire).
The growth of carbon black is closely tied to the automotive industry and the production of tires. With the global automobile industry moving to China, India and Eastern Europe, the tire industry has followed, and with it the carbon black producers. (The availability of natural rubber in Southeast Asia is also a factor in the tire industry’s investment pattern.)
Stringent environmental laws are forcing the closure of some older carbon black capacity in developed regions, so much of the future investment will be taking place in developing economies.
There is a continuing long-term trend toward concentration and consolidation among suppliers of carbon black. Petroleum companies have exited the business, and it is now dominated by chemical companies for whom carbon black is a core product. All major producers are global in the scope of their operations. The four largest producers are Cabot Corporation, Evonik Industries, Columbian Chemicals, and China Synthetic Rubber Corp.
Today, tires and rubber products represent the major end-use applications, accounting for about 90% of global carbon black market, as stated by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Developing economies in Asia Pacific, Middle East/Africa and Latin America emerge as the largest and the most lucrative markets in the upcoming years. Increasing level of disposable personal income in these regions is expected to generate healthy demand for automobiles and other consumer applications thereby translating into higher demand.
Asia-Pacific represents the largest market for carbon black in the world, with a strong hold of 37% share. Developed economies such as the US and Western Europe are expected to display flat demand though use of specialty blacks is likely to pick up fastest in these regions. Consumption of carbon black in tires is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 3.6% during 2001-2010. The U.S. market for carbon black is estimated at about 1.6 million metric tons.
The virgin carbon black industry is likely to come under increased pressure from governments and environmental groups, as this product is a significant greenhouse gas emitter. Demand for carbon black in paints and coatings, and inks is expected to show an increase over the next five years. Demand for non-rubber applications that mainly use specialty blacks will display significant increase. Plastic and printing inks are likely to account for significant share of specialty black demand. Another emerging application area for specialty carbon black is metallurgy. Moreover, as special blacks commands higher price than the widely used furnace blacks, they offer higher margins to suppliers. Furthermore, the demand for special blacks is not influenced by the cyclicality in the rubber and motor vehicle industries.
The report, titled “Carbon Black: A Global Strategic Business Report”, published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of market overview, competitive analysis, markets trends, product overview, product introductions/innovations, and recent industry activity. The report analyzes market data and analytics in volume sales for regions such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan), Latin America and Rest of World for the period 1991-2015. The study also analyzes the Carbon Black market by the following end-use segments – Tires, Rubber Products, Plastic, Inks, Paints & Coatings and Other end-uses.
If it is NOT Carbon Black, what is VersaBlack™
SR2O has created a process of pyrolizing scrap rubber from tires, belts and hoses. We capture all the hydrocarbon gases and recondense them into liquids, leaving behind a solid mix of carbon and steel.
When carbon exits the pyrolysis reactor, it is in the form of fine granules which can entrap small pieces of contaminants such as steel and fiberglass fragments. In order to remove the contaminants, the granules must be milled to a fine powder so that these impurities can be removed from the carbon by separation procedures. The remaining fine powder then consists of only non-activated carbon, zinc oxide, sulfur and small amounts of other metal oxides. This enhanced product is pure enough to be used directly in rubber compounds as a rubber master batch (i.e., carbon black, zinc oxide and sulfur). This rubber master batch, plus other additives is combined with raw rubber and a plasticizer (or soft liquid, to form the rubber compound in mixing process. Later, it is formed into sheets before final forming and molding.
In order for this recovered carbon to be marketable, it must meet the same general technical specifications determined by the results of tests performed using procedures detailed by the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) methods that are standard with suppliers and users in the carbon black market.
Our VersaBlack™ provides a wide array of product qualities – each unique to the application desired. From resistance for weather stripping and commercial roofing to abrasion resistance for footwear and flex strength for conveyor belts and hoses, VersaBlack™ provides the essential properties for many everyday rubber applications beyond tire manufacturers.
Over the years, many materials have been used as fillers in rubber compounds. In this sense, filler is a diluent and is used primarily to lower volume cost. With use, all fillers modify certain physical properties of the compound in addition to lowering cost. Therefore, lower cost is generally achieved at the expense of other desirable properties and all compounds are compromises with various trade-offs considered and balanced by the compounder. Elastomer systems respond to the addition of a few fillers, termed reinforcing agents, in a way that enhances certain properties. Among such substances used in rubber compounding, VersaBlack™ is unique in its ability to significantly enhance the properties of nearly any base elastomer system.
As there is a variance for orders to use VersaBlack™ in different areas of production, SR2O will be able to provide our product for use for manufacturers to request specific grades that are available in the carbon black market:
Carcass grade black with low surface area, and does not impart good abrasion resistance. Good dimensional stability for extruded profiles, hoses, belts, brake diaphragms, and plastic piping.
Medium reinforcing. Good weather stripping extrusions, roofing, hoses, o-rings, innertubes, body mounts, and cables.
Medium reinforcing for inner tubes cable insulation, and body mounts.
Mounts, and cables.
Low reinforcing, high loading capacity, and low hysteresis. Used in hoses, molded goods and solutions.
Easy mixing, high loading, and easy extrusion black. Used in belts, hoses, molded goods, and footwear.