Orion begins construction on new carbon black plant in China

On Monday, Orion Engineered Carbons announced that it had begun construction on its second plant in China for specialty and high-performance carbon black. Orion’s new facility in Huaibei in the eastern province of Anhui is expected to be completed late next year and to begin operating in 2023. With a targeted initial production capacity of 65-70 kilotons per year, the plant will be able to make a variety of carbon black for specialty and high-end rubber grades. The new site complements Orion’s first Chinese plant, built in 1994 in Qingdao in the eastern province of Shandong, as well as Orion’s production site in Yeosu, South Korea. An innovator in sustainability, Orion will equip the plant to convert its waste heat to steam that will be sold to the local industrial park.