Carbon Black: The Everyday, Everywhere Element

Carbon black, known to humans for at least 2,000 years, continues to make our lives easier, safer and more efficient – thanks to innovators like Birla Carbon

If you have sat in a car, opened a water tap, read a newspaper, or used mascara, you've experienced carbon black in some form. And there's a good chance that Birla Carbon, the world's largest producer and supplier of carbon black, has had something to do with it.

Carbon black is a fine material composed of elemental carbon, and is made from oil or gas. It is sometimes confused with soot, but that's because so little is known about it. In reality, carbon black is an ingenious compound that makes our lives easier, safer and more efficient every day.

Carbon black has been used by humans over several centuries. The ancient Romans used it as a pigment – and its manufacturing process was described by the Roman architect Vitruvius some 2,000 years ago!

In modern times, this versatile material has grown to become a part of everyday things that surround us: from computers, cables and cars to paints, pipes and plastics. Birla Carbon has also improved on carbon black's growing appeal by launching progressively smarter, sustainable variants that make rubbers and plastics more resilient, make wires and appliances safer, protect water during transport, add deeper colour to makeup, inks and paints, and do much more.

Here's how Birla's carbon black is deeply woven into the fabric of our daily lives.

Vehicle tyres

Here's an interesting fact: did you know that without carbon black, your car tyres would cease to function after a hundred kilometres or so? Decades of pushing the envelope on R&D has enabled Birla Carbon to develop carbon black solutions that make vehicle tyres and tubes last stronger and perform better. Our products increase the strength, durability and rolling resistance of tyres and tubes, and improve driving safety and fuel efficiency. This makes it better for the environment, since vehicle owners don't have to junk or replace their tyres as frequently.

Household items and electronics

Carbon black is an input in common rubber or plastic items like shoes, toys and food packaging where it enhances safety, comfort and product life. Our products also improve household safety by efficiently modulating the current and heat generated in computer circuit boards, power wires, cables and portable energy products.

Water supply systems

Pipes used in water facilities or for irrigation inevitably contain carbon black. This is because carbon black is excellent at absorbing light, thus protecting the components of the pipes from damage and ensuring that the water being transported remains safe for end users.

Mechanical products

Sealing systems, belts and hoses, bellows and diaphragms are examples of mechanical rubber products that use carbon black to improve surface finish and durability. Birla Carbon has also developed new solutions to increase the efficiency of anti-vibration rubber parts.

Pigments

From newspaper and printer ink to banknotes, books, vehicle components (like dashboards) and mascara for your eyelashes: carbon black lends rich and deep tones wherever the colour black is required. Carbon black also aids in ultraviolet ray absorption in paint, ink and coatings. Other areas where carbon black-based pigments are used are building materials, fibres like carpets, and woven materials.

Carbon black is all around us – but its potential still remains vast and untapped. By committedly researching technologies that could, someday, capture and convert CO2 into valuable carbon products, Birla Carbon is ensuring that this 'everyday element' supports and sustains human convenience, safety and progress for centuries more to come.