Brazilian Carbon Black Plant For Degussa Hüls

Degussa Hüls, based at Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is constructing a carbon black factory sited at Paulinia, near Sao Paulo, Brazil. Described as “one of the most modern industrial carbon black plants in the world”, the new factory will have an initial annual production capacity of 60,000 tonnes when operations begin early in the year 2002. The formal groundbreaking ceremony took place recently, attended by Alcides Tapias, Brazil’s Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade and Degussa Hüls’ executive Dr.

Carl Voigt.The choice of Brazil for the siting of the new plant was no accident; according to Robert Wissner, head of Advanced Fillers and Pigments at Degussa Hüls, the company will not only be able to supply its growing Brazilian customer base more easily, but it will be part of the anticipated boom in the Brazilian economy. Said Mr.

Wissner: “For the tyre industry alone, serious economists expect a growth in carbon black of 4 or 5 per cent a year.” The customer base comes largely from the automobile manufacturers who have invested billions of dollars, making Brazil the world’s fifth-largest automobile producer. The subsequent demand for tyres and technical rubber articles (the most important applications using industrial carbon black) will stimulate the requirement for the product.

This latest initiative from Degussa Hüls strengthens the company’s claim to be a global partner of the rubber industry; it currently has 15 production sites in Europe, North America, Asia and South Africa, with a capacity of some 1.2 million tonnes a year. Paulinia is the company’s first plant in South America.