Evonik Industries has developed a new, active filler for the tire industry that significantly improves the traction of winter tires in snowy and slushy conditions, increasing safety. ULTRASIL 4000 GR offers good dispersibility with its Low Surface Area (LSA) silica. This enables very high filler levels in the tire tread, further improving traction compared to tires using conventional silica.
Bernhard Schäfer, Senior Vice President Rubber Silica, Evonik, said: “Unique to ULTRASIL 4000 GR is its product design that combines very good dispersibility and a low surface area, and this is what makes the high filler levels possible. Even after short mixing processes, it is possible to create compact rubber batches with good sheet appearance.”
ULTRASIL 4000 GR will initially be produced, in a new precipitated silica line at the Adapazarı site in northern Turkey. The line started operations in fall 2019 to strengthen the company’s position as a global partner for the tire industry. The new production line enabled Evonik, to significantly expand its annual capacity for the manufacturing of silica.
Silica is part of the Smart Materials division at Evonik and thereby constitutes one of the four strategic growth pillars at the company. These intelligent products increase the performance of many materials.
