Evonik expands precipitated silica capacity in US

Evonik Corporation has expanded its precipitated silica site in Chester, Pennsylvania (USA), by 20,000 metric tonne. Andreas Fischer, Head of Evonik’s Silica Business Line, said, “Chester is an integral part of Evonik’s global silica business. We have expanded our plants and constructed new facilities in Asia and Europe, and now we have built up our capacities for precipitated silicas in North America as well.”
 
Fischer explained the capacity addition in Chester was part of Evonik’s initiative to increase world-wide capacities for precipitated silica by 30 percent since 2010.
 
Fischer added, “Demand for precipitated silica is increasing. Our expansion in Chester will enable us to keep pace with the growth of our customers and to meet the requirements of the tire, food and other industries. Our dedicated employees in Chester and at our other sites throughout the world have enabled Evonik to remain a market leader in silica.”
 
One of the major uses of precipitated silica is the automotive sector, said David Elliott, site manager at Evonik’s Chester facility. He added, “Our products are used to manufacture fuel-efficient tyres which significantly reduce the rolling-resistance of tyres and achieve considerable fuel savings compared with conventional car tyres. Fuel efficient tyres help to cut fuel consumption by upwards of 8 percent.”
 
Precipitated silica is also used as an ingredient in the food and animal feed industries, as well as in paints and coatings.
 
In July, Evonik announced plans to build a plant to produce precipitated silica outside Sao Paulo, Brazil. The facility is scheduled to go on stream in 2016. The increased development in North and South America follows expansions that have already been completed in Europe and Asia. A production plant extension was completed in Thailand in March 2014.
 
Evonik has a worldwide capacity of about 550,000 metric tonnes of precipitated and fumed silica and matting agents per year.