Joint venture silica plant started up

pyrogenic silica plantWACKER Chemie and Dow Corning have inaugurated the second phase of their joint pyrogenic silica plant in Zhangjiagang, China. The pyrogenic silica plant, together with a siloxane plant, is a key facility of the Dow Corning-Wacker integrated silicone manufacturing site developed by both companies in Zhangjiagang.

Covering an area of 1 million sq m, the combined US$1.8 billion investment is China’s largest facility of this kind and among the world’s largest and most advanced integrated production complexes for silicones.

The combined capacity for siloxane and pyrogenic silica at the site, including the second phase silica plant, is expected to reach approximately 210,000 tonnes/year. Investments from both partners for the new pyrogenic silica production facility amount to a mid double-digit million euro sum.

Pyrogenic silica and siloxane are key ingredients in the manufacture of finished silicone products. Silicone-based materials are used in nearly all sectors of China’s booming economy, including automotive, construction, cosmetics and personal care products, electronics, power generation and distribution, solar energy and textiles.