Orion SA is making a Euro 12.8-million investment in Germany to further develop and demonstrate a climate-neutral process for the production of carbon black. Partially supported by a Euro 6.4 million funding from the German government and the EU, the investment will study the production of carbon black from alternative sources, Orion informed on September 12. The technology is designed to improve Orion’s yield and throughput in the production of carbon black using circular feedstocks, the company added.

The 'clean carbon black research and development project', Orion went on to say, can potentially reduce the carbon footprint of the process by a significant amount. The Texas-based supplier expects the new process to accelerate the shift to a circular economy and feed the growing demand for sustainable materials in the tire industry.

As part of the initiative, Orion will be build a research facility specifically for the project at its main innovation centre in Cologne, Germany. In addition to reduced carbon footprint and improved yield, Orion also expects the new process to lower cost of materials.

Such technological breakthroughs are becoming increasingly important and could have significant ramifications for energy integration and the molecular recycling of tires.