Recovered Carbon Black (rCB) for a Sustainable Polymer Industry
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Recovered carbon black (rCB) aims to support the polymers industry in becoming more sustainable. It can do so by offering an alternative to traditional carbon black that is not only more environmentally friendly, but also more affordable. However, beware of the "snake oil salesman" -- there are some key points to consider when validating a supplier of rCB.
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Recovered Carbon Black (rCB) for a Sustainable Polymer Industry
- 1. Recovered Carbon Black (rCB) for a Sustainable Polymers Industry Dr. Philipp Theden, CEO, carbon clean tech AG
- 2. Agenda • rCB and its undeniable role in the future of the polymers industry • Challenges to rCB market entry and solutions • Why should rCB matter to you? 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 2
- 3. Current CB Industry is not Sustainable Price ? C02 C02 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 3
- 4. Innovation in the CB Industry is Essential Efficient Production Efficient Planning & Process Innovations “Green” Suppliers “Green” Substitutes for Polymer Mixes 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 4
- 5. Why Does Recovered Carbon Black (rCB) Matter? rCB is one of the pieces in the sustainable polymer industry puzzle • Uncoupled from price of oil = stable price over time • Avoid consumption of oil • Brings solution to problem of what to do with post-consumer rubber 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 5
- 6. Concern #1: rCB Shows Poor Performance… • Reinforcement qualities and surface finish quality are insufficient for various rubber applications • Tinting strength is too low for plastic applications 632 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 6
- 7. Solution: Ongoing R&D Investment • To further develop rCB good polymer-filler interaction knowledge is necessary • Depending on the polymer type and grade of carbon black being replaced, rCB works well • rCB further imparts benefits, even in the case of partial substitution 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 7
- 8. Concern #2: rCB Quality and Consistency is Poor… • If the input is variable, how can the output be consistent? • rCB is a “Dirty” carbon black • Final product is fluffy, oily, smelly and moisture-packed! 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 8
- 9. Solution: Go Beyond What is Expected in QM • Feedstock control • Industry standard post-processing • Set high internal standards, such as ISO certification • Exceed product quality requirements, such as attaining product approval for food contact 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 9
- 10. Concern #3: rCB is Not What it Claims to Be… • Can substitute 1:1 ASTM grades! • Product is really “carbon black”! • Product can be easily “dropped in” to a mix! • Oversell and under-deliver! 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 10
- 11. Solution: rCB is a Complement to Carbon Black • Focus on making products that work, not chemistry that resembles carbon black • Focus on the right applications • Focus on partnerships with producers of carbon black • Undersell and over-deliver! 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 11
- 12. The rCB Industry Needs Your Support • rCB as a complement to traditional carbon black is here to stay • Every big innovation started off as a small idea • Big opportunity for carbon black industry, and rCB producers to collaborate on improving the sustainability of the industry 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 12
- 13. Thank you! Philipp Theden, CEO, carbon clean tech AG theden@carbon-clean-tech.com 11/5/2014 www.carbon-clean-tech.com 13
Editor's Notes
- Purpose of presentation: 1) Improve the credibility of the rCB industry 2) Gain credibility for cct by offering a transparent outlook on the challenges our industry faces 3) Show incumbents that they should see us as an opportunity, not as a threat. Most relevant points: 1) The current CB industry is not sustainable. Therefore innovation is necessary 2) rCB is here to stay, and its one of the growing innovations that can improve CB's sustainability 3) rCB has its many challenges that it still needs to overcome 4) However many major challenges have already been overcome, and the current panorama should not judge the industry based on outdates challenges. 5) rCB aims to complement, not replace CB, to attain a sustainable polymer's industry. Partnering with rCB industry is low hanging fruit for incumbents and tire manufacturers in order to make their industry more sustainable
- It is not a secret, but it should be repeated: the CB industry as it exists today can not exist as is for the next 100 (??) years. Why? Oil. If we look at just the total worldwide production of CB in 2013, over XXX tons of oil were consumed and the overall resulting C02 emissions is XXXX. Oil will continue to increase in price and eventually become more scare. How can the CB industry prepare for this future situation?
- ….. Take small steps toward sustainability. There is scarcely a company out there that can afford not to innovate in order to secure future success, especially in the area of sustainability. Besides streamlining processes and production to be more environmentally conscious, developments in the area of products which have similar properties to traditional CB, and can be used as a partial substitute in polymers mixtures are especially interesting. Environmental managers and product development managers in the CB can prepare for more stringent sustainability quotas by investigating substitute options. One very interesting options to consider is…….
- Recovered carbon black. Has similar properties to traditional CB, ideal for partial substitution. Produced from a post-consumer product: rubber. Costs less to produce – pass the savings on to the customer. Why has rCB not been commercially successful so far? Here are some of the common concerns raised by potential customers and the solutions that we offer…… Fewer CO2 SO2 and NOx emissions Focus on progress that has been made, innovation and why the time is right to pay attention to rCB
- When we contact potential customers to talk to them about using rCB, one of the first concerns is how the product will perform in their compound or mixture. Why is this a concern? rCB has been in development for more than a decade, and many products have been marketed as a 1:1 substitute for any application. This is not the case…… the key is……
- rCB is like any new sustainable product trying to make headway in a very traditional industry. It is unknown, untested, and not “free”. The best chance it has depends on the choice of application and how it is added to a mixture. We have focused on the “partital substitution” apprach (example next slide) and a very careful analysis of the most ideal applications. Dispersion improved, surface activity improved Pelletization improved Understand the reasons for poor performance, understand the limits. Develop formulations with partial substitutions. Concentrate on the suitable applications
- When we contact potential customers to talk to them about using rCB as a partial substitute, one of the first concerns is how the product will perform in their compound or mixture. At cct we are always investigating new technologies, and therefore end up meeting with our competitors quite often looking for collaboration and knowledge sharing opportunities. The image you see here – and I won’t disclose the name of the company (I’ll just say that it definitely isn’t any of the guys sitting here on this panel today) -- corresponds to the product produced by a company producing recovered carbon black that we visited this quarter. We of course left very quickly once we saw their product. The product had a strong smell, there was oil residue on the glove, and of course look at these chunks – its an unusable product.
- As an emerging player in the polymers market, and to overcome a varied history, rCB has to be produced according to the highest quality standards. Starting with careful control of feedstock, ending with commercial grinding and pelletizing. Beyond this, ISO certification and even food contact approval are standards that the rCB players should be striving for.
- So, besides the issues of performance and quality, the biggest hurdle to overcome with customers is what they have been promised, and then not delivered, in the past.
- The perception in the marketplace about what rCB is and what it can do needs to change. The picture needs to be realistic and to focus on incremental steps
- Projects funded with subsidies at the beginning Financial model works without
- The perception in the marketplace about what rCB is and what it can do needs to change. The picture needs to be realistic and to focus on incremental steps