Degussa doubles carbon black capacity of Brazil plant

Paulinia, Brazil - Degussa GmbH has doubled its production capacity for carbon black in Paulinia, Brazil, to 100 000 tonnes per year, bringing total investment there to €65 million. With the expansion of capacity in Paulinia, Degussa said it is augmenting its position as the world's second largest manufacturer of carbon black with approximately 1.4 million tonnes per year.

According to a statement from Degussa, "In the Brazilian market, around 90 percent of the demand for carbon black comes from the tyre and technical rubber articles industry, and 10 percent is used as pigment in plastics, dyes, enamels and print inks.

"South America is particularly interesting for the Business Unit as a growth region. The automotive industry and particularly the tyre industry are growing continuously there, also because export volumes are growing. Many tire manufacturers even export most of their production, particularly to the North American market. To this extent, we regard this region, along with Asia, as the focus of our investment activities," added Thomas Hermann, Head of the Advanced Fillers & Pigments Business Unit. Around 55 million tyres and 2.6 million vehicles were produced in Brazil in 2006, a third of each destined for export. /p>

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Press release from Degussa