Technology
Paper manufacturing
inevitably produces lignin that is a black liquid substance as a by-product.
Wood chips contain lignin for 20-30%, and paper companies utilize it as fuel
for their boilers. With the sluggish sales of paper products, paper companies
are exploring new applications for lignin. Kanematsu that is a general trading
company and Daio Paper that is a paper company will put the technology to
produce carbon fines by sintering and drying lignin to practical use toward
2014. The carbon fine made in this way is highly adhesive, and it can increase
the strength of the tire should it be mixed in tire. It can replace carbon
black made of oil or coal that is widely used at present.
Currently, carbon
black is contained in a tire for 25% in a weight ratio, and its domestic demand
is about 900,000 tons a year. The two companies plan to get sales of 20 billion
yen annually by replacing carbon black by carbon fines. Daio Paper built an
experiment plant with a monthly production capacity of 5-10 kg of carbon fines
and started to ship samples to tire manufacturers and paint makers. Kanematsu
will increase customers, while Daio Paper will develop the technology for mass
production. As reported in No. 526, Bridgestone is developing biomass-derived
tires in alliance with Ajinomoto to follow Michelin of France and Goodyear of
the U.S. Kanematsu and Daio Paper are trying to make tires more environmentally
friendly in a different approach.
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