Evonik An (Zhenjiang) Silicon Materials Co., Ltd., jointly invested by Evonik Industrial Group and China Zhejiang Xinan Chemical Group, announced that its fumed silica plant in the New Materials Industrial Park in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, officially broke ground. More than 100 employees, partners, political representatives and news media from Evonik and Xinan attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the factory on December 10. The new plant will produce fumed silica under the AEROSIL® brand to meet the needs of industrial markets such as silicone rubber, coatings, adhesives and gel batteries in the Chinese market. The plant is scheduled to be put into operation in 2021, with a planned annual output of 9,000 tons.
"As a smart material, silica is a part of Evonik ’s four strategic growth engines. The market is developing rapidly and is widely used. The new plant that broke ground in Zhenjiang is Evonik ’s first fumed silica plant in China. It will further improve the global production network of Evonik's AEROSIL® products, and provide a more solid supply guarantee for Chinese customers. "Andreas Fischer, director of Evonik Resource Efficiency Co., Ltd., said at the ceremony.
"Evonik and Xin'an, as leaders in their respective industries, have a lot in common in strategy, philosophy, and thinking, and have very strong cooperation and complementarity. Under such a background, through strong cooperation, we will work together in Zhenjiang New Materials The layout of high-end fumed silica projects in the industrial park is in line with the strategy of both parties. "Wu Jianhua, Chairman of Zhejiang Xin'an Chemical Group, said.
The joint venture plant will combine Evonik's leading product technology with the leading silicone industry chain created by Xin'an, and comprehensively utilize Xin'an's monomer by-products monomethyltrichlorosilane and chlorosilane to produce high value-added fumed silica products. At the same time, the by-product hydrochloric acid in the production process will also be effectively used as the raw material for the production of Zhen'an block in Xin'an, so as to realize a green circular economy and exert the synergistic effect of the balance of resources of organosilicon monomers, chlorosilanes and fumed silica.
"Evonik regards Asia, especially China, as the main business growth region. China is currently facing industrial transformation and upgrading, and these changes have also brought huge market opportunities for Evonik. The establishment of new factories will further enhance Our position in the fumed silica market in China. At the same time, we are very pleased to work closely with Xinan, a strong local partner, to work together to develop the Chinese market.
Fumed silica is an important high-tech nanomaterial. The global fumed silica market is growing at a faster rate than the global economic growth rate. Among them, China is one of the countries with the fastest growth rate of the fumed silica industry and the fastest growing market demand. The main drivers of its market include adhesives and sealants used in the construction and automotive industries, and colloidal batteries.
Evonik is the world's leading silica manufacturer. In addition to fumed silica AEROSIL® and precipitated silica SIPERNAT®, ULTRASIL® and ZEODENT® and SPHERILEX®, Evonik also produces silica matting agents under the brand ACEMATT® and others under the brand AEROXIDE® Gas-phase metal oxide. Evonik's global production of silica products exceeds 1 million tons per year.