Cancarb’s Low-PAH Thermal Carbon Black Supports Sustainability
April 5, 2022
Cancarb makes a thermal carbon black, Thermax® N990CG, with low levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), substances that are listed as carcinogens. Production of this rubber additive also helps Cancarb’s local community to reduce its fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. RDAbbott supplies Thermax® N990CG, which can be used instead of Thermax® N990.
PAH regulations do not directly apply to Cancarb’s medium thermal carbon black products, but Cancarb wants to help customers who must meet current and future standards for low-PAH products. In consumer goods, PAH is used in rubber applications that make contact with human skin. Examples include watch bands and grips for power tools and golf clubs. Medium thermal carbon blacks allow rubber to maintain its processing, physical, and dynamic properties.
Cancarb makes Thermax® N990CG and other thermal carbon blacks at its facility in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. The company uses natural gas instead of oil derivatives as a feedstock, and its thermal decomposition process cracks the natural gas molecule into carbon and hydrogen.
The development of Thermax® N990CG required a two-year research and development effort. Cancarb installed the equipment to produce this low-PAH material during a facility expansion that was completed in 2021. Customers had expressed an interest in a more sustainable thermal carbon black, and Cancarb wanted to help them avoid potential PAH-related issues in meeting their regulatory requirements.
Production of Thermax® N990CG and other medium thermal blacks also helps Cancarb’s local community. Waste heat from the company’s facility generates electricity for approximately 20% of Medicine Hat. In turn, this reduces the city’s consumption of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions.
