Wacker launches production of pyrogenic silica in the US
The Munich-based Wacker Group officially brought a plant for manufacturing pyrogenic silica on stream today at its US site in Charleston, Tennessee.
Representatives from the government and from business attended the ceremony. The facility has an annual production capacity of 13,000 metric tons. Wacker will use this output both for sales purposes and for its own silicone production. Highly dispersible pyrogenic silica is an important formulation component for manufacturing silicone rubber. Investments for the new facility total around EUR 136,4 million and lead to 50 new jobs at the Charleston site.
A direct supply for customers in the Americas
Up to now, Wacker has produced pyrogenic silica at its German sites in Burghausen and Nünchritz and at its Zhangjiagang site in China. Launching the new plant in Charleston now puts the company in a position to offer customers in the Americas a direct supply of pyrogenic silica.
The new plant also closes material loops and improves the supply chain at the site. Wacker has been producing polysilicon in Charleston since 2016. The most important by-product of polysilicon manufacturing is tetrachlorosilane. This material can be either converted and fed back into the production loop or can be processed into pyrogenic silica, thus creating additional value for the company and for customers
