Birla Carbon has announced its entry into the energy systems market with its participation at The Battery Show 2021 to be held in Novi, Michigan, USA from 14-16 September 2021. Key announcements include the presentation of a portfolio of conductive carbon solutions centring on the Conductex i and Conductex e range of products for lead acid and lithium battery applications.
Birla Carbon has announced an intent to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The carbon black manufacturer considers this goal a “natural progression in Birla Carbon’s leadership in the area of sustainability and circularity.” The company recently announced the availability of sustainable carbonaceous materials through the launch of its Continua brand.
Madhavi Kanumoory has been appointed as Chief Digital & Information Officer at Birla Carbon. In this role, she will be responsible for all aspects of the company’s digital and information technology. Kanumoory will report to John Loudermilk, Chief Operating Officer, joining the company’s Senior Management Team and will be based at the Birla Carbon office in Mumbai.
In November 2020 Scandinavian Enviro’s UK partner 2G BioPOWER began a study into the feasibility of running a largescale tyre pyrolysis plant in the UK. The project has now been completed and found that there are “favourable conditions” for such a pyrolysis plant that “derive primarily from the large domestic demand for recovered oil for the production of renewable vehicle fuel.”
Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. launched its Ecorax Nature family of plant-based carbon black products. According to the company, Ecorax Nature 100, which was launched on 17 June 2021, is “the first highly reinforcing carbon black grade made from renewable feedstocks which can be used in critical tyre tread construction”. The product is currently being tested by customers and will go into high volume manufacturing in the second half of 2022. Orion further reports that Ecorax Nature is the first “renewable carbon black” to be produced for the tyre industry.
Agricultural tyres generally appear quite similar irrespective of brand, making it difficult to spot at a glance the difference between discount tyres and higher-priced premium products. Bridgestone observes that price thus “wrongly becomes a differentiating element” with these products. The tyre maker is concerned that some may gain the impression they’re paying extra for the brand rather than the tyre, and wishes to set the record straight.
Birla Carbon will increase prices on all products produced in the Americas by US$170 per metric tonne effective 1 July 2021. All shipments made on or after this date are subject to the price increase. Birla Carbon’s announcement follows a 97 euros per metric tonne EMEA price increase published on 24 May and effective 1 June 2021.
Global carbon black supplier Birla Carbon has introduced a new Sustainable Carbonaceous Material with the launch of Continua. Birla says the new product represents a “ground-breaking step forward in the availability and know-how of sustainable solutions in the carbon black industry.”
Upstream suppliers to the tyre manufacturing industry Nynas, Cabot and Evonik have received some of the top ratings in the 2021 EcoVadis auditing process. Specifically, these three firms all ranked in the top 1 per cent of their peers, earning platinum status. Meanwhile, carbon black supplier Birla Carbon received the EcoVadis’ gold accreditation.
Birla Carbon has appointed Dr Ann Schoeb as chief research and development officer. Dr Schoeb will have full responsibility for research and development work at Birla Carbon and will join the company’s senior management team. She reports to John Loudermilk, chief operating officer.
“Wastes to energy: Improving the poor properties of waste tire pyrolysis oil with waste cooking oil methyl ester and waste fusel alcohol – A detailed assessment on the combustion, emission, and performance characteristics of a CI engine”, published in the journal Energy on 22 January 2021; and “Thermodynamic comparison of pyrolysis and gasification of waste tyres”, which was published in the Journal of Environment Chemical Engineering on 30 January 2021 complete our recent review of the latest peer-reviewed pyrolysis research.
Balkrishna Industries set up its BKT Carbon subsidiary at the same time as establishing a carbon black plant at its main tyre production site in Bhuj, India. This facility can now produce 140,000 tonnes of carbon black each year. BKT Carbon is responsible for this production as well as global carbon black sales, and now has its own dedicated website: www.bkt-carbon.com.
Birla Carbon
Orion Engineered Carbons
Ellie Burgin; Pexels
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EcoVadis