Orion S.A. is investing €12.8 million, including €6.4 million in funding from the German government and the European Union, to further develop and demonstrate a climate-neutral process for producing carbon black from alternative carbon sources.

The technology is designed to improve Orion’s yield and throughput in the production of carbon black using circular feedstocks and potentially reducing the carbon footprint of the process. This could accelerate the shift to a circular economy and feed the growing demand for sustainable materials in the tire industry.

Half of the €12.8 million Orion plans to invest in this initiative, called the “Clean Carbon Black Research and Development Project,” will be provided by the decarbonization program of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, supported by the EU’s NextGenerationEU fund.

“We are grateful for the funding from the EU and the German government. It shows a great commitment to innovation and creating a circular economy,” said Orion CEO Corning Painter.

Painter added, “For years, Orion has been a leading innovator in making carbon black from circular feedstocks. The Clean Carbon Black Research and Development Project’s aim will be to develop ways to reduce the carbon footprint and improve the yield and throughput, potentially lowering the cost of the material. Technological breakthroughs in this increasingly important field could have significant ramifications for energy integration and the molecular recycling of tires.”

A research facility is being built for the project at Orion’s main innovation center at its plant in Cologne, Germany.

For more information, visit www.orioncarbons.com.