Orion starts circular carbon black production in China, cutting emissions from tire manufacturing

Orion Engineered Carbons has begun commercial production of circular carbon black at a facility in China. Carbon black is a key ingredient in tires and industrial rubber, and making it from recycled feedstock instead of fossil fuels can lower the carbon footprint of the final products. The company says the plant uses pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tires as raw material, replacing conventional heavy oils. This move fits into a broader push for circular economy approaches in heavy industry. If the process scales, it could reduce emissions from tire manufacturing and create a market for recovered carbon black. The question is whether the economics hold up at volume and if the quality matches virgin material for demanding applications like high-performance tires.