ABSTRACT
Carbon black is produced by the incomplete combustion of organic substances, probably first noted in ancient times by observing the deposits of a black substance on objects close to a burning material. Its first applications were no doubt as a black pigment, and the first reported use was a colorant in inks by the Chinese and Hindus in the third century A.D. (1). It was not until the early twentieth century when carbon blackwas firstmixed into rubber that its possible usefulness in this area was explored. The fact that carbon black has the ability to significantly improve the physical properties of rubber (often referred to as reinforcement) has provided its largest market today, i.e., the tire industry. Currently about 5 million metric tons of carbon black is used worldwide in tires annually (2). A typical tire contains 30-35% carbon black, and there are normally several grades of carbon black in the tire, depending on the reinforcement requirements of the particular component of the tire. Of course, carbon black is also used in many non-tire rubber applications owing to its ability to reinforce the rubber and to its use as a cost reduction diluent in the compound. Non-tire rubber products currently require about 2 million metric tons of carbon black annually on a worldwide basis (2).
