ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with processes which yield clearly defined end products and for which the English term "carbon black" has been adopted in many countries. Carbon black can be ranked as being one of the oldest manufactured products and its usage as a pigment for the production of India inks and mural paints can be traced back to the ancient Chinese and Egyptians. The majority of industrial carbon blacks produced are also based on the process of "incomplete combustion" of hydrocarbons. As a member of the carbon family, carbon black differs from other carbon-based materials in many respects, an important one being that of bulk density. The individual sections are interconnected by transport and conveying facilities which are completely closed systems in modern carbon black plants avoiding the release of carbon black dust into the surroundings. The furnace black process is the most modern process for the manufacture of carbon black, and is particularly flexible and economical.
