Birla Carbon scaling up production of waste-tire-based carbon fillers

Marietta, Georgia – Birla Carbon is planning to scale up the production of its waste-tire-based carbon fillers, with an ambition for the material to account for up to 10% of its global product portfolio.

The 'sustainable carbonaceous material', marketed under the Continua brand, is produced from end-of-life tires and can be used as a partial substitute for carbon black in tires, rubber goods, coatings, inks and plastics.

Addressing the Reuters Sustainability Europe conference in London, president and CEO John Loudermilk said the company is responding to accelerating demand for these materials, which he noted is outpacing growth in conventional carbon black markets.

According to Birla, the material is already being made at industrial scale and is intended to maintain quality and performance standards.

Loudermilk said the company sees an opportunity to “displace up to 10% of global carbon black consumption” with circular grades.

He added that wider adoption will depend on regulatory support, closer work with tire pyrolysis partners, and market uptake among customers.

Alongside circular carbon fillers, Birla is also developing carbon black grades based on bio-feedstocks.

The company has set a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, supported by carbon capture and process efficiency measures.

Birla Carbon CEO John Loudermilk will be a keynote presenter at the Future Tire Conference 2025, 18-19 Nov in Prague. Register here to join the top-level discussions about the future direction of the global tire industry.