German chemicals firm Evonik has inaugurated a plant for its dispersion technology for fumed silica at its Rheinfelden site in Germany. This strengthens the specialty chemicals company’s position for silicas from the Aerosil family.
The new system is tailored for the production of the Easy-to-Disperse (E2D) products. This technology simplifies the incorporation of silica as a rheology additive into paint and coating formulations.
The E2D fumed silica products are said to offer excellent dispersibility, which simplifies and increases the efficiency of the paint and coating manufacturing process. Traditionally, the dispersion of rheology additives such as fumed silica has been an energy- and time-intensive process. But the latest technology reduces this step to a single operation.
According to Oliver Kroehl, Head of Silica at Evonik Coating Additives, the main benefits for customers is the accelerated dispersion of the silica, yielding significant savings in time, energy, and costs, and consequently CO2 emissions.
The enhancement in Rheinfelden is part of Evonik’s continued investment in coating and ink additives, with a particular focus on the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable products.
Evonik’s Coating Additives business line offers a wide range of specialty additives for coatings and printing inks. The business has decades of experience in developing products for a range of coating markets, including decorative coatings, industrial coatings, automotive coatings and printing inks.