Towards sustainable and low carbon vulcanization
by Olivier Roumache and Jean-Pierre Evers, Silox. Silox zinc oxide solutions are said to be innovative, sustainable and competitive solutions to meet future regulatory requirements, while improving the technical performance of rubber through the ecological transition in the vulcanization industry.
In a rapidly changing industrial environment, Silox supplies vulcanization accelerators to the rubber industry. Through its new developments, ActiECO + and ActiECO + Green, the company aims to provide its customers with low carbon, more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. This article explores these innovations technically, detailing the processes, environmental issues and performance of the products. Silox is a Belgian holding company said to be structured around three pillars: performance chemistry, anti-corrosion and recycling/refining. Performance chemistry is based on three production sites located in Belgium, Canada and India. Key products include zinc oxide and sodium hydrosulfite, used particularly in paper bleaching and the textile industry. Anticorrosion activities are led by SNCZ, which specializes in zinc phosphates and chromates. Finally, the recycling pillar is represented by JGI, a trading company based in Brussels, which relies on refining sites in Belgium, Thailand, Germany and France.