PAULINIA, Brazil (June 28) — Degussa GmbH has doubled annual capacity for carbon black at its plant in Paulinia to 100,000 metric tons, investing about $85 million there in recent years.
With the expansion of capacity in Paulinia, Degussa said it is strengthening its position as the world´s second largest manufacturer of carbon black, with approximately 1.4 million tons per year of capacity.
Degussa said in a statement that South America is a growth region for the carbon black business because the automotive and tire industries there are growing, as are exports from the region. Around 90 percent of carbon black comes from tires and technical rubber goods.
The firm said about 55 million tires and 2.6 million vehicles were produced in Brazil in 2006, a third of each destined for export.