Introduction
White carbon black, chemical name of which is silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ · nH ₂ O), is the general name of amorphous silicic acid and silicate products, covering precipitated white carbon black, vapor phase white carbon black, ultrafine silicon dioxide gel and other types. With its high specific surface area, excellent reinforcement, high temperature resistance, and electrical insulation, white carbon black has risen from a traditional industrial material to a "hidden champion" in the field of green technology, widely used in high-end fields such as tires, coatings, new energy, and biomedicine.


Technological breakthrough: a leap from precipitation method to gas-phase method
The preparation technology of white carbon black can be divided into two main paths: precipitation method and gas-phase method. The precipitation method is generated by the reaction of sodium silicate with acid, which has low cost and mature process, but the product purity is relatively low (SiO ₂ content ≥ 90%), and is mostly used in the middle and low-end markets such as tires and rubber products. The gas-phase method is used to produce silicon tetrachloride through gas-phase hydrolysis at high temperatures. The product has a purity of up to 99.8%, a particle size of only 10-40 nanometers, and a specific surface area of 100-400m ²/g. It has become a core raw material for high-end electronic materials and special rubber.


In recent years, technological iteration has driven the performance of white carbon black to leap forward. For example, the in-situ green modification technology developed by the Petrochemical Institute uses rice husk and carbon dioxide as raw materials to produce modified biological white carbon black through the sol-gel process. Test data shows that this product reduces tire rolling resistance by 3.7%, fatigue temperature rise by 15%, and durability by 4.5%, surpassing traditional products in performance and marking the transition of white carbon black from "petroleum dependence" to "bio based cycling".


Application Upgrade: Dual Drive of Green Tires and New Energy


Green Tire Revolution
White carbon black is a key material for "green tires". The tires filled with it can reduce rolling resistance by 30%, reduce fuel consumption by 5% -8%, while maintaining anti slip performance. The demand for long range of new energy vehicles further drives the demand for white carbon black - each electric vehicle requires 5-8kg of white carbon black for tires and battery separators. By 2025, the market size of white carbon black in China is expected to exceed 34 billion yuan, with high-end products accounting for over 40%.
New Energy and Electronic Materials
In the field of lithium batteries, white carbon black as a separator coating material can enhance battery safety and cycle life. Gas phase white carbon black is also used as a chip packaging adhesive, reducing the curing time from 6 hours to 2.5 hours. Room temperature curing technology significantly improves the sealing performance of OLED devices. In addition, the demand for high-purity electronic grade white carbon black is increasing by 25% annually, with a unit price 3-5 times that of ordinary products, making it a high profit point in the industry.
Environmental Protection and Policies: Forcing Industrial Upgrading
Under the "dual carbon" goal, the white carbon black industry is accelerating its green transformation. The Action Plan for High Quality Development of Inorganic Silicon Materials issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology clearly requires that by 2026, the self-sufficiency rate of high-end white carbon black should be increased to 50%, and the energy consumption per unit output value should be reduced by 20%. Enterprises can reduce costs and increase efficiency through circular economy models, such as Black Cat's "rice husk ash extraction white carbon black" technology, which reduces raw material costs by 30% and carbon emissions by 40%.


In terms of regional markets, the East China region (Shandong, Jiangsu) occupies 35% of the country's production capacity with its chemical industry foundation, while the South China region (Guangdong, Fujian) has seen a growth rate of 18% in high-end white carbon black production capacity due to the rising demand for new energy vehicles. The southwestern region, relying on quartz sand resources, has become a hot spot for the transfer of mid to low end production capacity.


Future prospects: Nanotechnology and Intelligence
Nano white carbon black is a hot research and development topic in the industry. Through carbonization method, sol gel method and other technologies, ultra-high activity products with a particle size of 23.43 nm and a specific surface area of 422.77 m2/g can be prepared for formaldehyde degradation, TPU tear performance enhancement and other scenarios. At the same time, the penetration rate of intelligent manufacturing will increase from 28% in 2023 to 60% in 2030, achieving a dual improvement in quality control stability and production efficiency through technologies such as AI temperature control and online detection.


Conclusion
White carbon black is transitioning from a "scale dividend" to a "value dividend". From 2023 to 2030, the industry's new investment scale will exceed 20 billion yuan, of which 60% will flow towards high-end production capacity. With the deepening of technology positioning, green transformation, and market segmentation strategies, white carbon black will become one of the core materials to promote green upgrading in the manufacturing industry.