Evonik and partners jointly develop bio-based silica for sustainable development of the tire industry

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● 30% reduction in CO2 footprint, supporting tire industry customers in achieving sustainability goals

●Meet market demand for renewable raw materials

Evonik, the world’s leading specialty chemicals company, and Austria’s Pörner Group, Thailand’s Phichit Bio
Power Ltd. has entered into a strategic partnership to supply sustainable precipitation ULTRASIL® silica to the tire industry. The key raw material for this sustainable product, sodium silicate, is made from agricultural waste rice husk ash, and the entire production process uses green energy.

Silica plays a key role in the manufacture of green tires. Compared to conventional passenger car tires, green tires can reduce energy consumption by up to 8%. The demand for sustainable raw materials in the tire industry is currently increasing significantly. The new sustainable ULTRASIL® silica is made from bio-based sodium silicate and uses green energy throughout the production process. As a result, the carbon footprint of this new sustainable precipitated silica will be significantly reduced.

Evonik and its partners are committed to further improving the sustainable benefits of tire manufacturing and increasing the use of renewable raw materials in the tire industry. The Pörner Group uses leading production processes to generate silicates from rice husk ash and uses biomass energy. Thanks to this, the CO2 footprint of Evonik’s sustainable silica can be reduced by 30% compared to conventional silica products. Thai biomass energy producer Phichit
Bio
Power Co., Ltd. and Pörner Group have signed a technology licensing agreement to invest in the construction of a new rice husk ash-to-sodium silicate plant in Thailand. This move will increase the supply of bio-based sodium silicate, so Evonik can increase the production capacity of sustainable silica to meet the needs of the global tire industry.

Emmanuel, Head of Evonik’s Silica Business Line
Auer said: “This collaboration is a very strategic first step in the next development of our product portfolio. For the first time, Evonik is introducing a more sustainable ULTRASIL® silica product to support customers in achieving The goal of carbon reduction and circular development. Currently, our other production sites around the world are also developing related plans to expand the supply of renewable products to meet global demand in a more sustainable way.”

Gerhard, CEO of Pörner Germany
Bacher said: “Our pre-qualification cooperation with Evonik in our demonstration plant in Germany has confirmed that the bio-based silicate is of superior quality. Using shell ash as raw material, Pörner’s bio-based silicate technology is organically combined with the original technology in the rice mill to produce a variety of high-quality sodium silicates, which can be used to produce silica for tires. Through this cooperation, We have achieved industrial production of bio-based silicates with a significantly lower carbon dioxide footprint compared to conventional processes. We have begun to drive the decarbonization of the global silicate industry.”

Banjong, President of Phichit Bio Power Co., Ltd., Thailand
Tangjitwattanakul said: “The environmental benefits of producing silicate from rice husk ash are excellent. In addition, this partnership will bring benefits to local development. For example, the new factory can create jobs for the local community and farmers can also access our Power generation network. We are proud to be part of this collaborative project to help reduce the carbon footprint of the silica production process and protect the planet.”