Solvay starts work on Korean silica plant

At an official ceremony attended by local dignitaries, Solvay today launched the construction of its Highly Dispersible Silica (HDS) production plant in Gunsan, South Korea. The facility is being built to address growing demand in Asia for energy saving tyres, and to facilitate Solvay’s development of innovative HDS grades.

In the presence of the head of Jun-Book province and the mayor of Gunsan, amongst others, Solvay officially broke ground for the construction of the plant. “This new production platform will be dedicated to silica innovations for Asia,” stated An Nuyttens, president of Solvay’s Silica global business unit. “Together with the Silica research facility, part of Solvay’s new R&I Center at the Ehwa University Campus in Seoul, we are well placed to speed up innovations in close cooperation with our regional customers.”

The new facility will have an annual capacity of more than 80,000 tons and is expected to be operational in the next two years. Located close to Gunsan city in Jeollabuk-do province, the plant will over time replace an important part of the current capacity at Solvay’s Silica site in Incheon. The Incheon site is located in area designated for future residential development. The Silica business unit will produce its latest and most advanced grades of high performance silica at the new plant, including Efficium. This newest generation of Highly Dispersible Silica allows for higher productivity and greater flexibility in producing energy saving passenger car and truck tyre compounds.