Evonik increases its precipitated silica capacity in Turkey
Evonik Industries is continuing to expand its silica production capacity in response to high demand within the tire industry.
Precipitated silica are an essential ingredient in tires with reduced rolling resistance and, as part of Smart Materials, belong to one of the four strategic growth engines of Evonik with an above-average market growth and margin potential. The company will increase its annual production capacity for precipitated silica at the existing site in Adapazari (Turkey) by 40,000 metric tons, investing a sum in the lower double-digit million euro range.
Producing rubber silica and precipitated silica
Evonik and the Ege Kimya company operate a joint venture in Turkey. Startup of the new production complex is scheduled for 2020. In addition to producing Ultrasil rubber silica, it will also serve the growing needs for precipitated silica. “As a powerful partner for the tire industry and one of the world’s leading producers of silica products such as Ultrasil, with this capacity expansion, we are reacting to the massive demand in the industry, strengthening our business partnership with the tire manufacturers,” says Dr. Johannes Ohmer, a member of the Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH Board of Management.
Fuelsaving tires
“This is a consistent response to the challenge of reliably providing innovative products and custom solutions to our regional customers,” points out Andreas Fischer, head of the Silica Business Line. Evonik is implementing this expansion in Adapazari to support the high level of demand for the highly dispersible (HD) silica used in producing Green Tires, particularly from customers in southeastern Europe and the Middle East. Thanks to a significantly reduced rolling resistance, Green Tires save a considerable amount of fuel compared to traditional vehicle tires.
