Evonik has commissioned a plant for an innovative dispersion technology for fumed silica at its Rheinfelden site. The new system is tailored for the production of Aerosil® Easy-to-Disperse (E2D) products. This technology simplifies the incorporation of silica as a rheology additive into paint and coating formulations. “The commissioning demonstrates our commitment to the Rheinfelden site, where we have been successfully producing fumed silica for decades,” says Dr. Stefan Fiedler, Head of the operating group in Rheinfelden. “This not only ensures quality, but also increases the global availability of our products.”

Fumed silica products offer excellent dispersibility, which simplifies and increases the efficiency of the paint and coating manufacturing process. Traditionally, the dispersion of rheology additives such as fumed silica has been an energy- and time-intensive process. The new technology should reduce this step to a single operation. Dr. Oliver Kroehl, Head of Silica at Evonik Coating Additives, says: “The main benefit is the accelerated dispersion of the silica, yielding significant savings in time, energy, and costs, and consequently CO2 emissions.”