Cabot to build new fumed silica plant in Kentucky

cabotCabot Corporation, a global specialty chemicals and performance materials company, will be building a new world-class fumed silica plant in Carrollton, Kentucky in the US.

The new facility will allow Cabot to continue to meet the market demand for its high-performance fumed silica, improve supply and manufacturing efficiencies, and realise the environmental and safety benefits of collocation with raw material production.

The plant will be adjacent to the existing Dow Corning silicone monomer plant in Carrollton and is an extension of Cabot’s long-term relationship with Dow Corning. Cabot and Dow Corning have been partners for more than 30 years, with current neighboring operations in Midland, Michigan in the US and Barry, Wales in the UK.

“The new facility will enable us to meet the demands of the growing fumed silica market with high quality CAB-O-SIL fumed silica. We are proud to be extending our presence in North America with Dow Corning, the global leader in silicones, and look forward to strengthening our partnership and the local economy with this project,”said Nick Cross, executive vice president and president, Performance Chemicals segment.

“This project is a natural extension of the work that we have completed together over the past 30 years. We look forward to further working together to meet the needs of the market and are pleased to grow our already successful relationship with Cabot,”Jim Guidarini, Dow Corning Site Leader.

Fumed silica is an ultra-fine, high-purity particle used as a reinforcing, thickening, abrasive, thixotropic, suspending or anti-caking additive. The material is highly versatile and used in a wide-range of end-market applications for the automotive, construction and consumer products industries. Fumed silica helps improve the performance of a wide range of products, including adhesives, sealants, cosmetics, batteries, toners, silicone elastomers, coatings and pharmaceuticals.

Subject to obtaining the necessary government and regulatory approvals, construction of the plant is expected to begin in late-2017 and be operational by 2020.