Evonik opens new AEROSIL silica plant

Evonik has opened a plant for its innovative dispersing technology for fumed silica at its site in Rheinfelden. The move strengthens the specialty chemicals company’s position as a leading supplier of high-quality silicas from the AEROSIL range.

The new system is designed for the production of AEROSIL Easy Dispersible (E2D) products. The technology simplifies the incorporation of silica as a rheology additive into paint and coatings formulations.

“The expansion of the capabilities of the AEROSIL E2D technology reflects our commitment to our Rheinfelden site, where we have been successfully producing fumed silica for decades,” said Dr. Stefan Fiedler, Head of the AEROSIL Operations Group in Rheinfelden. “This not only ensures quality, but also increases the global availability of our products.”

The AEROSIL E2D fumed silica products offer excellent dispersibility, simplifying paint and coating manufacturing processes and increasing efficiency. Traditionally, the dispersion of rheology additives such as fumed silica is an energy-intensive and time-consuming process. AEROSIL E2D technology reduces this step to a single operation.

“Our AEROSIL E2D products help customers to increase process efficiency and optimize end-product properties,” said Dr. Oliver Kroehl, Head of Silica at Evonik’s Coating Additives division. “The key benefit for our customers is the accelerated dispersion of silica, which results in significant savings in time, energy and costs, and thus in CO2 emissions. This enables our customers to develop more advanced and sustainable coating solutions.”

The production upgrade in Rheinfelden is part of Evonik’s ongoing investment in coatings and ink additives, with a particular focus on the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable products.