Every little bit counts for the plastics industry in minimizing the use of fossil resources, and this now extends to low-volume masterbatches. Germany’s Rowa Masterbatch has debuted a new carbon black masterbatch — EcoPA-B095A BLACK rCB — in which the black stuff is obtained through pyrolysis, a thermal process in which used tires are heated to between 250 and 750°C in the absence of oxygen and subsequently broken down into smaller molecules.

This process typically produces a highly aromatic pyrolysis oil (≈ 45%), crude pyrolysis carbon black (≈ 33%), recycled steel (≈ 12%), and a non-condensable hydrocarbon gas (≈ 10%). Through grinding and granulation, the crude pyrolysis carbon black can then be processed to recovered carbon black and treated as required for masterbatch usage. Further, the carrier resin is based on post-industrial recycled polyamide.

The new black masterbatch is suited for applications in automotive engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, construction, and sport and leisure products.