Recently, China Synthetic Rubber Corporation (CSRC) announced that they will collaborate with Eco Infinic Co.Ltd, a subsidiary of Sheico Group, to construct a large-scale recycled carbon black factory in North America. The factory is expected to be operational in 2026 and will become a leading recycled carbon black production center in the region.
The new factory will be located in Phoenix, Alabama, on the site of CSRC's original factory. It will operate as a joint venture, with Eco Infinic holding 65% of the equity, while CSRC and its subsidiary Continental Carbon Corporation (CCC) will jointly hold the remaining 35%. This collaboration is seen as a further deepening of cooperation between enterprises from both sides in the field of environmental protection and resource recycling.
According to Carbon Black Industry Network, the factory plans to achieve an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of recycled carbon black, 35,000 tons of tire pyrolysis oil, and 2,300 tons of steel wire. This scale of production is expected to effectively fill the gap in the global supply and demand of recycled carbon black for tires, further assisting tire manufacturers in achieving their ambitious goal of net-zero emissions. Currently, less than 1% of the carbon black used in new tires worldwide comes from the recycling of waste tires, indicating significant market potential.
Notably, CSRC's partner, Sheico, is a well-known manufacturer of diving suits and water sportswear globally. Its entry into the field of tire pyrolysis has undoubtedly broadened the application range of environmentally friendly materials. Meanwhile, CSRC's recently launched "Ouroboros" environmentally friendly carbon black technology has also attracted much attention. This technology utilizes recycled carbon black and pyrolysis oil from waste tires for re-production, resulting in "ecologically recycled" carbon black with comparable performance to original carbon black. It has been successfully applied in the production of new bicycle tires. This innovative technology not only improves the efficiency of resource recycling and utilization, but also explores new paths for the green development of the carbon black industry.