A recovered carbon black (rCB) committee formed by ASTM International has approved its first standard. The new standard, known as D8178, defines what ASTM calls important terms for rCB, which is most commonly produced from processed recycled scrap tires.
ASTM International member Bill Cole says rCB is a relatively new, sustainable raw material product, produced by a new and growing industry, and it can be used in rubber, plastics, and pigment applications.
“At this early stage, the industry needs a set of common terminology to effectively communicate to product users and to each other,” says Cole, director of product management at Natchez, Mississippi-based Delta-Energy Group. “Unique industry terms are defined in the new standard. As new standards are developed for recovered carbon black are developed, we will be adding new terms to the terminology standard.”
According to Cole, rCB products recently developed by several manufacturers are distinct from “char” products. Even though both product types are derived from thermal degradation of rubber compounds, most often scrap tires, their performances in rubber applications differ significantly.
“Having common terms provides a strong basis from which to clearly distinguish the value of rCB from char products,” says Cole “It also allows us to discuss performance within proposed applications,” he continues. “Manufacturers of rCB will find the nomenclature and new methods quite useful when communicating product performance.”
In addition to defining terms, the new standard includes an appendix of ASTM International standards developed by other committees that are currently recognized as available for use in the rCB industry. This includes those from the original carbon black committee, formed in 1956. The rCB committee was formed in 2017.
The next meeting of ASTM International committee on recovered carbon black is June 5-6, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based describes itself as an organization that integrates consensus standards that are developed with its international membership of volunteer technical experts.