Tokai Carbon CB is a U.S.-based manufacturer of furnace-grade carbon blacks for industrial and automotive use. Founded in 1947, it operates three facilities and became a subsidiary of Japan's Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd. in 2018.
What initially sparked your interest in chemistry and led you to a career in the carbon black industry?
My father was a chemistry teacher, and I've always been interested in how things work. Chemistry and physics are the building blocks of everything we know, and that understanding sparked my interest.
I started in sales at US Gypsum, selling plaster for industrial applications. I then moved to Degussa, a German specialty chemical company, as a sales rep, working with silica, carbon black, and other solid materials. As Degussa evolved into Evonik and later sold its carbon black business, I stayed through these transitions, ultimately working at Orion. When the president of Tokai Carbon, a former competitor, was set to retire, I took on the role.
How has the carbon black industry evolved during your career, particularly in the past five to ten years?
Two major changes stand out. First, the shift in feedstock. We produce carbon black from heavy oil left over from refining, but the International Maritime Organization's 2020 resolution reduced sulphur content in ship fuel, prompting refineries to install sulfur-reducing equipment, and increasing competition for carbon black feedstock. The second shift is the push toward sustainability. Major customers like Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, and Pirelli are incorporating recycled content into their products and pledging reductions in CO2. However, consumers still want affordable tires, making the transition slow and challenging.
A major disruption came in 2017 when U.S. carbon black manufacturers signed consent decrees with the EPA, requiring significant pollution control investments. The installation of pollution control equipment led to supply constraints, which coincided with post-pandemic demand spikes and created an industry-wide supply shortage in 2022. Since then, demand has declined due to imported tires. In 2024, while overall tire shipments increased, U.S. production declined by 3-4% due to cheaper imports.
Where do people commonly encounter carbon black in everyday products, and which industries rely on it beyond tire manufacturing?
Carbon black is everywhere. Black plastic computer frames, keyboard keys, and even synthetic fibers in clothing often contain it. Beyond colour, it prevents UV degradation in plastics, making it essential for outdoor materials like black plastic pipes. However, the biggest application is rubber, with over 90% of carbon black used in rubber products, primarily tires. It acts as a reinforcing agent, giving tires durability. Without carbon black, rubber would be weak and tear easily.
The rubber market is divided into tire and non-tire applications. Tires account for 75-80% of the market, with most being replacement tires—about 80% of all tires sold. The automotive industry has a smaller direct link, mainly through OEM tires and non-tire rubber components like belts and hoses. Our business is closely tied to GDP since economic growth influences consumer purchases like replacement tires.
How challenging is it to reduce carbon black’s CO2 emissions, and why is recycling it from used tires so difficult?
Reducing CO2 emissions is possible but costly. Our company aims to reduce emissions by 2050, with carbon capture being the most viable option today. We’re evaluating a carbon capture project at our Big Spring, Texas plant, near a CO2 distribution infrastructure in West Texas. The plan involves stripping CO2 from emissions, liquefying it, and injecting it into a pipeline. However, post-combustion carbon capture is complex and costly, as our CO2 concentration is <10%, making extraction difficult.
Recycling carbon black is equally challenging. During rubber curing, carbon black fully integrates into the material, making extraction in its original form nearly impossible—like trying to remove flour from a baked cake. The industry is exploring solutions, but the most promising approach involves using tire pyrolysis oil rather than the solid carbon component. Asia and Europe are ahead in this space, while the U.S. lags due to limited infrastructure for large-scale tire pyrolysis.
What measures is Tokai Carbon taking to reduce energy consumption at its plants, and how does tire pyrolysis fit into your sustainability strategy?
Our biggest energy-saving measure is cogeneration, where we use waste heat to generate electricity. Each of our plants has a cogeneration system, with our latest investment at the Addis, Louisiana plant, installing a 15-megawatt generator. However, producing carbon black requires high temperatures and significant energy, resulting in about two tons of CO2 per ton of carbon black. Reducing emissions is a key focus, and we are exploring solutions like carbon capture.
Tire pyrolysis has gained traction in the last five years. For the last 20 years, tire companies rejected recovered carbon black (RCB) from pyrolysis due to property differences, but they are now more open to incorporating it. We are working with Bolder Industries, the leading U.S. pyrolysis company, to convert tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) into carbon black, a process certified by ISCC as sustainable. This allows us to apply a mass balance approach—if 1% of our feedstock comes from TPO, 1% of our product can be labelled sustainable. While recycled carbon black usage is still very small (less than 1%) and primarily used as a filler rather than a direct replacement, developing a true RCB alternative is ongoing.
What are Tokai Carbon CB's biggest challenges in 2025, and how are you addressing them to ensure operational success?
Uncertainty. Businesses struggle with unpredictability and shifting U.S. policies have made planning difficult. Tariffs on Mexico and Canada have been introduced and removed twice, impacting the automotive sector, which takes 15-20% of our product. We have customers in Mexico and Canada who have cancelled orders and US customers trying to place emergency orders that avoid tariffs.
Investment decisions are also challenging. For example, our Big Spring carbon capture project relies on Inflation Reduction Act credits, but policy instability raises concerns about their longevity. Until there’s more consistency in decision-making, long-term investments will be more risky.
