New Sources Of Carbon Black

Abstract

The search for new or substitute rubber reinforcing materials for the rubber industry has greatly accelerated in the last few years due to two major problems facing the traditional carbon black industry — shortage of feedstocks and disproportionate increases in the price of these feedstocks. This paper discusses two promising substitute materials that potentially can replace 35—40% of the existing carbon black market.

The first process produces a substitute black using fluid petroleum coke as raw material. Fluid coke is first pulverized to sub-micron particles in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, then these particles are coated to protect the highly active surfaces from oxidation until they are incorporated into the rubber. Advantages offered by this process are high profitability, low capital costs, high yields, no polluting wastes, low energy requirements (80% less than for conventional processes).

The second process produces a reinforcing black from scrap automobile tires. Chopped scrap tires are pyrolyzed under conditions that maximize carbon production. This rubber char is then pulverized as described above to produce a reinforcing black. In addition to the advantages offered by the fluid coke process described above, the rubber char process further reduces new energy consumption to virtually zero since the feedstock provides all the energy required to operate the process.