Carbon Black

Carbon black is in the top 50 industrial chemicals manufactured worldwide, based on annual tonnage.

Carbon Black is used principally as reinforcing agents in automobile tires, such as treads, sidewalls and inner liners, and other rubber products such as mechanical rubber goods (“MRG”), including industrial rubber goods, membrane roofing, automotive rubber parts (such as sealing systems, hoses and anti-vibration parts) and in general rubber goods like hoses, belts, gaskets and seals.

For tires on vehicles on which it is necessary to avoid building up an electrostatic charge, such as oil trucks and hospital operating carts, even more carbon black is added to make the rubber electrically conducting. Besides rubber reinforcement, Carbon Black is used as black pigment and as an additive to enhance material performance, including conductivity, viscosity, static charge control and UV protection. This type of Carbon Black (typically called Specialty Carbon Black) is used in a variety of applications in the coatings, polymers and printing industries, as well as in various other special applications.