New Evonik JV to Manufacture Fumed Silica in ChinaNew Evonik JV to Manufacture Fumed Silica in China

Specialty chemicals maker Evonik Industries is forming a joint venture with Chinese chemicals firm Wynca Group that will manufacture fumed silica at a planned production facility in Zhenjiang, China, the German company announced Monday. 

Fumed silica produced by the joint venture, Evonik Wynca (Zhenjiang) Silicon Material Co. Ltd., will be sold under the brand name AEROSIL. The partners plan to make an investment “in the mid double-digit million Euro range” to open a new production facility in the Zhenjiang New Material Industry Park, according to an Evonik press release. Projected to have a capacity of 8000 MT/yr of fumed silica, the companies said the new facility is slated open in 2021. 

“With this joint venture, we are consistently continuing to strengthen our Resource Efficiency segment. Following the acquisition of the Huber silica business and the associated expansion of our precipitated silica capacities as well as the growth of our fumed silica capacities in Antwerp, we are now taking the next step with the first fumed silica plant in the attractive Chinese market,” Herald Schwager, deputy chairman of Evonik’s Executive Board, said in a statement. 

Based in Hangzhou, China, Wynca produces crop production chemicals and organic silicon materials, including four product series of silicone rubber, silicone oil, and silicone resin. The company is currently growing its capacity for organochloro-silanes, a raw material in AEROSIL fumed silica products, by 300 KT/yr in advance of the opening of the joint venture’s new facility. 

“This joint venture plant will further improve the integrated production structure of Wynca Zhengjiang Site. Evonik’s leading fumed silica technology will be introduced into the joint venture,” said Tao Wei, vice president of the Wynca Group, in Evonik’s release. “All the intermediate products, like monomethyltrichlorosilane, chlorosilane from Wynca and by-product of hydrochloric acid from JV, will be fully utilized, achieving perfect resource recycling of Wynca Zhenjiang Site and synergies from organic silicon monomer, chlorosilane, and fumed silica production.”

Evonik will own 60% of the new joint venture.

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