On June 27, Evonik inaugurated a new pyrogenic silica products plant at its production site in Rheinfelden, Germany. The innovation of the new plant is that the new plant is designed for the production of AEROSIL®® easily dispersed (E2D) products. This technology simplifies the process of adding silica as a rheology additive to coating formulations.

Rheinfelden's capacity expansion strengthens Evonik's global supply of high-quality silica.

Dr. Stefan Fiedler, Head of AEROSIL® Operations Group in Rheinfelden, said that the launch of the AEROSIL® E2D technology demonstrates Evonik's commitment to the development of the Rheinfelden site, where Evonik has been successfully producing fumed silica for decades, which not only ensures quality, but also increases the global availability of Evonik products.

AEROSIL's® easy dispersibility makes the formulation of coatings easier, faster and more sustainable. AEROSIL® E2D fumed silica products offer excellent dispersibility to simplify the coating manufacturing process and increase efficiency. Traditionally, the dispersion of rheological additives such as fumed silica has been a time-consuming process. AEROSIL® E2D technology simplifies this step into a single operation.

Emphasizing the advantages of the technology, Dr. Oliver Kroehl, Head of Silica at Evonik's Coating Additives division, said that AEROSIL® E2D products help customers improve process efficiency and optimize the performance of the final product, and the main advantage for Evonik's customers is the faster dispersion of silica, resulting in significant savings in time, energy and costs, and therefore CO2 emissions. This enables customers to develop more advanced and sustainable coating solutions.

The new plant in Rheinfelden is part of Evonik's ongoing investments in coating and ink additives, with a particular focus on the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable products. Evonik's Coating Additives business line offers a wide range of specialty additives for coatings and printing inks. The business has decades of experience developing products for a range of coatings markets, including decorative coatings, industrial coatings, automotive coatings and printing inks.