November 9, 2015

　　Evonik has opened expanded, specialty silica production facilities in Ako, Japan. At this new facility, the company will produce its SIPERNAT® and CARPLEX® lines of specialty silicas, which it manufactures through DSL Japan Co., Ltd. (DSL). Evonik maintains a 51 percent share in DSL, a joint venture with the Shionogi & Co., Ltd. in Japan. The investment represents an approximately 50 percent increase in Evonik’s Japanese production capacity for specialty silicas, the company said.

　　“The expansion will allow us to continue providing exceptionally high-quality silica that will support the growth of our customers in sophisticated sectors such as the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals industries,” explained Andreas Fischer, head of the silica business line within the company’s resource efficiency segment. Fischer noted that, although typical applications for these silicas include beer filtration, drug carriers in pharmaceuticals, flow aids in powdered foods, and thickeners for toothpastes, Evonik anticipates use in other industrial applications, such as paints and coatings, or paper coatings.

　　This move follows Evonik’s expansion of its global silica production capacities. After completing expansion projects in Europe and Asia, the company is now constructing a facility in Americana, Brazil. Evonik reports that it is the first plant in South America for highly dispersible (HD) silica, a product used primarily in tires with low rolling resistance. In the spring of 2015, the company began the initial planning stages of a new world-scale production plant for precipitated silica in the United States. Evonik hopes to finish construction by the end of 2017. The overall project — the largest investment that it has made in North America in the past five years — is subject to board approval, the company said.